Written by
Firoj AlamBest Free Mac Apps
Better Shot is the free app in this list: screenshots and screen recording, no account and no watermark. Shottr has a free period, then a paid license. Mole is not free. It was listed at $19 once.
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Free, in this guide, means the directory marks the app Free, or the listing describes a free plan. Paid apps are not called free.
Free and freemium apps in the directory
Better Shot is the app marked Free. Shottr, Voicera, MacWhisper, and Anytype are Freemium and describe a free way to start. Mole and Clippio are Paid, so they are not in the free table.
Better Shot and Shottr
Better Shot for Mac takes screenshots and records the screen. The developer says it is free, with no account and no watermark. The site also calls it open source. Shottr for Mac takes screenshots, including scrolling captures, and adds OCR, a screen ruler, and a color picker. A free copy asks you to upgrade after 30 days. The Basic license was listed at $12 once.
Voicera, MacWhisper, and Anytype
Voicera for Mac includes a free tier offering 500 words per week of fast speech-to-text dictation that types directly into your active window. MacWhisper for Mac offers a free version powered by OpenAI Whisper and Nvidia models that transcribes recorded audio files locally on your Mac using Metal GPU acceleration. Anytype for Mac has a free plan. It organizes notes as typed objects, keeps data local-first, and syncs peer-to-peer. Paid memberships add remote storage and sharing limits. The tagline mentions encryption. The description does not say the notes are encrypted.
| App | Job | Pricing Model | Key Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better Shot | Screenshots and recording | Free | Free screenshots and screen recording. No account and no watermark. Not described as OCR or scrolling capture |
| Shottr | Screenshots | Freemium | Scrolling capture, OCR, a screen ruler, and a color picker. Basic license listed at $12 once |
| Voicera | Dictation | Freemium | Free plan listed at 500 words a week. Audio is streamed for recognition. Not described as offline |
| Anytype | Notes | Freemium | Free plan. Local-first typed objects with peer-to-peer sync. Paid memberships add remote storage and sharing limits |
| MacWhisper | Transcription | Freemium | Transcribes audio on the Mac. The listing says transcription runs locally |
Which free app to install
Better Shot is the free recorder. Shottr is freemium and is the one with scrolling capture and OCR. Voicera's free plan was listed at 500 words a week, and the audio is streamed. Anytype has a free plan. Mole is paid at $19 once, so it is not a free alternative. Clippio is paid at $6.90 once. Discover more of the best Mac apps on our curated homepage.
Answers & Insights
Frequently Asked Questions
Which apps in the directory are actually free?↓
Better Shot is marked Free. The developer says it is free, with no account and no watermark. Shottr is Freemium: scrolling capture and OCR, with a one-time Basic license listed at $12. Do not treat a paid app as free because it has a trial.
Is Mole a free AppCleaner alternative?↓
No. Mole is marked Paid. The site listed $19 once, with a 14-day refund. It uninstalls Mac apps together with leftover files, and it also maps disk usage and clears caches.
What does the free Voicera plan include?↓
The listing says a free plan was listed at 500 words a week. Pro was listed at $12 a month, or $5 a month on the yearly plan. Audio is streamed for recognition. The listing does not say transcription stays on the Mac.
From the directory
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