clackyClacky vs CleanShot X
CleanShot X is a well-made screenshot and screen recording app.
Clacky records and captures too, and adds live click and keyboard sounds, captions made on your Mac and Clackyland, a little harbour town that grows while you work.
Clacky is the cozy companion for making things on your Mac. Click, scroll and keyboard sounds with a ripple on every click, a Studio that records your screen, captions and cuts, quick screenshots, and Clackyland, a little harbour town that grows while you work. 7 days free with no card, then $4.99 a month or $19.99 once.
Why Clacky wins
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Clicks you can hear and see
37 click sounds with their own press and release, 8 scroll styles, 29 keyboard sounds, plus double-click, long press and drag, and a ripple under the cursor on every click. Keyboard sounds never record which keys are typed.
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A recorder that keeps your clicks
Record the whole screen, one window or an area, with your Mac’s sound, your clicks and ripples right in the video. Pause when you need to, stop from the notch. Recordings stay on your Mac.
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Captions and quick edits
Captions are made on your Mac, word by word. Split, speed up, trim and crop in the clips lane, then make it 9:16 with the captions out of the way.
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Screenshots, done right
A screenshot editor, Scrolling Capture for whole pages, and Grab Text to copy text from anything on your screen.
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Clackyland
Using Clacky bakes cookies. Spend them in a little harbour town, unlock achievements, open the daily treat and visit your friends. The fun part, never in your way.
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Simple to buy
$4.99 a month or $19.99 once, with every feature either way. 7 days free with no card and no account, the app in 14 languages, on 2 Macs, and a real person answers your email.
| Clacky | CleanShot X | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial on your Mac | Yes7 days, no card, no account | No30-day money-back instead |
| Price | Yes$4.99/month, or $19.99 once | Yes$35 once (1 year of updates), or Cloud Pro $10 per user a month, billed yearly |
| Runs on | YesMac, on 2 Macs | YesMac only |
| Built-in screen recorder | YesClicks and ripples in the video | YesScreen, window or area, with mic and Mac audio |
| Click ripple on screen | Yes | YesClick highlight in recordings |
| Mouse & trackpad click sounds | Yes37 sounds, press and release | Not stated |
| Keyboard sounds | Yes29 sounds | Not statedShows keystrokes on screen |
| Video editor | YesStudio, with a clips lane | YesSmart zooms, smooth cursor, backgrounds |
| Auto captions | YesMade on your Mac | Not statedTranscripts in CleanShot Cloud |
| Quick edits: trim, split, speed | YesSplit, speed, trim, crop, 9:16 | YesTrim; landscape, square or vertical |
| Screenshot editor | YesPlus Scrolling Capture | YesAnnotate, blur, Scrolling Capture |
| Copy text from the screen | Yes | YesOn your Mac, 30+ languages |
| A companion character | Yes | Not stated |
| App languages | Yes14 | Not stated |
| Every update included | Yes | NoBasic: 1 year, then $19 a year; Cloud Pro: always |
| Needs | YesmacOS 13+ (recorder 15, screenshots 14) | YesmacOS 13+ |
| Refunds | YesBy email, through Polar | Yes30-day money-back |
Where CleanShot X is better: CleanShot X is a focused, polished capture tool you can buy once for $35. It shows your keystrokes on screen, and CleanShot Cloud adds share links, comments, password-protected links and team sign-in (SSO, SCIM). It is also part of Setapp.
Sources
- CleanShot X: cleanshot.com
- CleanShot X: cleanshot.com/features
- CleanShot X: cleanshot.com/pricing
Checked on 2026-10-14 from each app’s own website or App Store page. “Not stated” means we couldn’t find it there, not that it’s missing. Apps change: check their page before you buy.
See for yourself
Try everything free for 7 days on your Mac: no card, no account, it starts when you first open the app. Or hear every sound right here first.
Other comparisons
- Clacky vs KeebyA keyboard sound app with mouse clicks. Clacky adds scroll sounds, a ripple, a recorder and more.
- Clacky vs KiiwiKeyboard, mouse and scroll sounds. Clacky adds a ripple, a recorder, screenshots and a free trial.
- Clacky vs KlackThe well-known keyboard sound app. Clacky adds scroll sounds, a ripple, a recorder and more.
- Clacky vs Mouse Click SoundClick and scroll sounds with a ripple. Clacky adds keyboard sounds, a recorder, screenshots and more.
- Clacky vs CursorFlowCursor trails and click ripples with a click sound. Clacky adds many more sounds, a recorder and more.
- Clacky vs Screen StudioA full recording editor with auto zoom. Clacky gives you live click sounds and ripples in every app, for less.