# Flameshot 44 Hacker News commenters recommended Flameshot and 19 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 5 years (6 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Free cross-platform screenshot tool with powerful markup controls, loved for daily use on Linux, macOS and Windows. Critics most often report problems on Wayland with multiple monitors or scaling. ## Why people recommend it - Works on Linux, macOS and Windows (7 comments): "Been using it for years since its cross platform so it works on macOS at home and Windows at work." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820797)) "Flameshot is fantastic software. Works great on Linux and gets the job done." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46824875)) "For what it does, it absolutely works nicely on mac." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46828564)) - Reliable for years of daily use (5 comments): "Did my due diligence for screenshot tools, found it, and never tried anything else again" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46816856)) "It is and has been a solid screenshot choice for a long time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46817672)) "Flameshot is the best! I've been using it for 10+ years." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46816027)) - Powerful markup and annotation controls (3 comments): "I love flameshot and use it at work all the time for ridiculously marked-up and snarky screenshots" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46817757)) "Fell in absolute love with the controls though. Way more powerful than windows screenshots." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46818279)) "Flameshot with its magnifier is next level." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46826973)) - Pixelation resists unredaction (2 comments): "It's a nice mix if optically unobtrusive, algorithmically secure, and pleasant to look at." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46414180)) "uses an interesting variant of pixelation that does protect the text from unredaction" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46413389)) ## What people warn about - Multi-monitor and scaling problems (6 comments): "I haven't been able to use Flameshot for over a year since switching to Wayland because weird shit happens with my multi-monitor setup." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46823952)) "Flameshot constantly captures the wrong region or shifts everything by a few pixels on the scaled display." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46942160)) "Having the interface run under Xwayland caused a ton of problems with my monitors." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46841496)) - Breaks on Wayland setups (4 comments): "I haven't been able to use Flameshot for over a year since switching to Wayland because weird shit happens with my multi-monitor setup." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46823952)) "It stopped working for me after I switched to Wayland" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820680)) "Flameshot with sway has been a nightmare for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46818227)) - Gray screen on macOS (2 comments): "Great little app for taking screenshots on mac, since the macapp is terrible, and the keyboard binding is even worse." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822947)) "On my Mac all I see is a gray screen when I'm using the app." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46819317)) - Window shrinks or switches desktops (2 comments): "it somehow switching desktops when you start taking a screenshot" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46826994)) "the window is "shrinking" when a screenshot is captured" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46817448)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [KDE Spectacle](https://hackerapproved.com/p/spectacle.md): 21 recommend - [ShareX](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sharex.md): 10 recommend - [Windows Snipping Tool](https://hackerapproved.com/p/snipping-tool.md): 7 recommend - [CleanShot X](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cleanshot-x.md): 6 recommend - [Shottr](https://hackerapproved.com/p/shottr.md): 5 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Flameshot", https://hackerapproved.com/p/flameshot/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).