// HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026
Overlaid vs
ZoomIt for Mac
If you've presented on Windows, you know ZoomIt. Microsoft now ships an official Mac version, it's free, and it's MIT licensed. That alone makes it worth trying before you pay for anything, us included.
The two tools take different approaches to drawing. ZoomIt draws on a frozen capture of your screen, the way the Windows version always has. Overlaid draws on a transparent layer above your live apps, so marks stay put while you keep clicking and typing underneath.
PICK ZOOMIT FOR MAC IF
you want free and open source, or you need screen recording, OCR snips and a break timer in the same tool.
PICK OVERLAID IF
you want your marks to stay on screen while you keep working, plus cursor effects and a keystroke overlay.
// AT A GLANCE
THE BASICS.
// CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
Where ZoomIt for Mac is better.
It's free and open source
No trial clock, no licence key, and you can read every line of the code. For a lot of people that settles it.
Recording built in
ZoomIt records MP4 with system audio, microphone and a webcam picture-in-picture, and has a trim editor. Overlaid doesn't record at all. You'd pair it with QuickTime, OBS or similar.
Snips, OCR and panoramas
Region snips with on-device text recognition and scrolling panorama capture. Overlaid has nothing like that.
A break timer
The classic ZoomIt countdown is there. Overlaid doesn't have a timer.
Familiar to Windows users
If your team already knows ZoomIt's shortcuts from Windows, the Mac version will feel like home.
Where Overlaid is better.
+Draw on live apps
Overlaid's marks sit on a layer above your apps. Turn draw mode off and you can keep clicking, scrolling and typing with your arrows still in place. ZoomIt draws on a frozen capture, so the screen is paused while you annotate.
+Cursor effects
Spotlight, halo, click ripples and a cursor trail. ZoomIt's docs don't list cursor highlighting.
+Keystroke overlay
Every shortcut you press, shown as a keycap. Not listed in ZoomIt for Mac.
+Fading ink
Marks can clear themselves after 2, 5 or 10 seconds, so you never stop to wipe the screen.
+A toolbar if you want one
ZoomIt is shortcut-only by design. Overlaid works entirely from shortcuts too, but also has a toolbar for people who'd rather click.
// FEATURE BY FEATURE
SIDE BY SIDE.
“Not listed” means we couldn't confirm it from ZoomIt for Mac's own site or docs either way. It might exist. If it does, tell us and we'll update this.
Choose ZoomIt for Mac if
- ✓You want a free, open-source tool
- ✓You need to record your screen in the same app
- ✓You want OCR snips or a break timer
- ✓You already know ZoomIt from Windows
Choose Overlaid if
- ✓You want marks to stay while you keep using the app
- ✓You need spotlight, halo or click ripples
- ✓You show keyboard shortcuts while presenting
- ✓You'd like fading ink and a toolbar option
// FAQ
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK.
Yes. Microsoft Sysinternals publishes ZoomIt for Mac on GitHub under the MIT licence. It installs with Homebrew (brew install --cask zoomit) and needs macOS 14 or later.
Yes, it's free and open source.
You can, though running two tools that grab global shortcuts means rebinding a few keys so they don't clash. Every Overlaid shortcut can be changed in Settings.
// WHERE THIS CAME FROM
SOURCES.
Checked September 2026. Apps change. If something here is out of date or wrong, email us and we'll fix it.
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Don't take our word for it. Try both.
7 days free with every feature. Then a one-time purchase. No account, no subscription.