// COMPARE · CHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026
Every Mac annotation app,
compared honestly.
We make one of these apps, so take this with the salt it deserves. We've tried to be fair anyway: every claim about another app comes from its own site or docs, each page starts with where the other app is better, and a few of these are free. If one of them fits you better, use it.
// THE SHORT VERSION
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
I WANT
Free and open source
ZoomIt for Mac for zoom, drawing and recording. KeyCastr if you only need keystrokes.
I WANT
The cheapest paid app
DemoPro at $3.99. ScreenBrush Plus at $6.99 if you want a free tier first.
I WANT
A whiteboard canvas
Presentify, Scribbble, DemoPro and ScreenBrush all have one. Overlaid doesn't.
I WANT
An older Mac
Presentify runs on macOS 10.13 and ScreenBrush on 10.11. Overlaid needs macOS 14.
I WANT
Only ever presenting in Zoom
Zoom's own annotation is free and lets viewers draw too.
// ALL OF THEM
THE BIG TABLE.
“Not listed” means we couldn't confirm it either way from that app's own site. Open any row for the full comparison and sources.
| APP | PRICE | DRAW LIVE | FREEZE + ZOOM | SPOTLIGHT | KEYSTROKES | WHITEBOARD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overlaid (us) | $11.99 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Presentify | $14.99 | Yes | Not listed | Yes | No | Yes |
| ZoomIt for Mac | Free | Partly | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| DemoPro | $3.99 | Yes | No | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| ScreenBrush | Free, Plus is $6.99 | Yes | Partly | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| Scribbble | $12 | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| Mouseposé | Subscription | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| KeyCastr | Free | No | No | No | Yes | Not listed |
| Zoom's built-in annotation | Free with Zoom | Partly | No | Partly | No | Not listed |
| macOS's built-in tools | Free | No | No | No | No | Not listed |
// ONE BY ONE
READ THE FULL COMPARISONS.
Presentify
The best-known Mac screen annotation app: drawing, cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom and a whiteboard.
$14.99READOVERLAID VSZoomIt for Mac
Microsoft's free, open-source Mac port of the classic Windows presentation tool: zoom, draw, snip, record.
FreeREADOVERLAID VSDemoPro
A lightweight, hotkey-driven annotation app with cursor highlights, a whiteboard and a break timer.
$3.99READOVERLAID VSScreenBrush
A free Mac drawing app with a paid Plus upgrade, a slide clicker for iPhone, lower thirds and timers.
Free, Plus is $6.99READOVERLAID VSScribbble
A newer, Mac-first annotation app with a dockable toolbar, whiteboard, spotlight, magnify and a snapshot tool.
$12READOVERLAID VSMouseposé
A long-running cursor spotlight and click visualiser from Boinx, with a keystroke display.
SubscriptionREADOVERLAID VSKeyCastr
The free, open-source keystroke visualiser for macOS.
FreeREADOVERLAID VSZoom's built-in annotation
The annotation toolbar inside Zoom's screen share. Free, collaborative, and only inside Zoom.
Free with ZoomREADOVERLAID VSmacOS's built-in tools
Accessibility Zoom, pointer settings and Screenshot Markup, already on every Mac.
FreeREAD// YOUR NEXT CALL
Or try Overlaid free for a week.
7 days free with every feature. Then a one-time purchase. No account, no subscription.