Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Spectacle App VS Flameshot

Compare Spectacle App VS Flameshot and see what are their differences

Spectacle App logo Spectacle App

Move and resize windows with ease.

Flameshot logo Flameshot

Powerful yet simple to use screenshot software for Linux.
  • Spectacle App Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18

Important note: Spectacle is no longer being actively maintained

  • Flameshot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-02

Spectacle App features and specs

  • User-Friendliness
    Spectacle App offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, which allows users to quickly understand and navigate through its features without a steep learning curve.
  • Efficiency
    The app provides keyboard shortcuts for managing window sizes and positions, enhancing workflow efficiency and minimizing the time spent on window management.
  • Customization
    Users can customize the keyboard shortcuts according to their preferences, making the app versatile and adaptable to different working styles.
  • Free to Use
    Spectacle App is available at no cost, providing powerful window management features without any financial barriers.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Spectacle App allows users to contribute to its development and modifications, promoting community collaboration and transparency.

Possible disadvantages of Spectacle App

  • Limited Development
    The app is no longer actively maintained, which may result in compatibility issues with newer operating systems or a lack of new features over time.
  • Basic Functionality
    While effective, Spectacle App offers relatively basic functionality compared to some commercial window management tools, which may have more advanced features.
  • No Multi-Monitor Support
    Spectacle App lacks robust support for managing windows across multiple monitors, which can be a limitation for users with complex setups.
  • Potential Bugs
    As an open-source project without ongoing maintenance, users might encounter bugs or glitches that will not be addressed through official updates.

Flameshot features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Flameshot offers a modern and intuitive user interface that makes it easy for users to capture and annotate screenshots.
  • Integrated Annotation Tools
    The tool comes with built-in annotation features such as text, arrows, boxes, and highlights, enabling users to mark up screenshots without needing additional software.
  • Customizable Hotkeys
    Users can set up and customize hotkeys according to their preferences, providing quicker access to screen capture functionalities.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Flameshot is available on multiple platforms including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it versatile for users across different operating systems.
  • Free and Open Source
    As a free and open-source tool, Flameshot allows users to review and modify the source code, promoting transparency and community contributions.
  • Syncing to Cloud Services
    Flameshot supports uploading screenshots directly to cloud services like Imgur, making it easier to share captured content.

Possible disadvantages of Flameshot

  • Limited Export Formats
    Flameshot supports a limited number of image formats, primarily focusing on PNG, which may not suffice for users needing other file types.
  • No Video Capture
    The tool is exclusively for screenshot capture and annotation, lacking the ability to record screen videos.
  • Inconsistent Performance Across Platforms
    While Flameshot aims to be cross-platform, users have reported occasional inconsistencies in performance and feature availability depending on the operating system.
  • Dependency on External Libraries
    On some platforms, Flameshot may require additional dependencies or libraries to be installed, which can be cumbersome for less experienced users.
  • Basic Image Editing
    While annotation tools are robust, other image editing features such as cropping, resizing, or applying filters are basic and limited.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    Being an open-source project, Flameshot may encounter occasional stability issues, bugs, or crashes that can disrupt workflow.

Spectacle App videos

Demo of Spectacle App for Mac

More videos:

  • Review - Spectacle App Showcase: Window Management, Manipulation, & Organization for Mac (2017)

Flameshot videos

Flameshot Review Using Green Recorder

More videos:

  • Review - SILVANNA RED BUff +FLAMESHOT
  • Tutorial - How to take better screenshots on Linux with Flameshot

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Spectacle App and Flameshot)
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Screenshot Annotation
43 43%
57% 57
OSX Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Screenshots
41 41%
59% 59

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Spectacle App and Flameshot

Spectacle App Reviews

Moom vs Magnet vs Spectacle
While custom sizes can only be done with Moom, the predefined window sizes are provided by Magnet and Spectacle out of the box, but can also be configured manually with Moom. It’s also possible to assign keyboard shortcuts. So, in this case, if you want all the features, Moom can do them all.
Source: medium.com

Flameshot Reviews

We have no reviews of Flameshot yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Flameshot should be more popular than Spectacle App. It has been mentiond 21 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Spectacle App mentions (4)

Flameshot mentions (21)

  • Lightshot app not starting up.
    I like others in the comments here, found FlameShot on github https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot which seems to be a carbon copy of LightShot with some very good extra features! Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Microsoft to change PrintScreen button to open the Snipping Tool in Windows 11
    I feel like it's actually a rare great idea out of Microsoft. Too bad the Shipping Too sucks eggs compared to FlameShot (now available on Windows!): https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot#preview ;). - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • flameshot not working in sway (typing "flameshot gui" hangs in the terminal)
    See these links for more info: * flameshot: flameshot gui from cli does nothing. Dbus error UnknownMethod: "No such interface “org.freedesktop.portal.Screenshot” #2872 * xdg-desktop-portal: No such interface “org.freedesktop.portal.Screenshot” on object at path /org/freedesktop/portal/desktop #861 * xdg-desktop-portal-wlr: screenshot: Announce version property. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Draw on screenshots
    Don't know if this solves your problem but I'm using flameshot for these kinds of things since many years. It's a great screenshot utility tool and I've configured DWM to take a screenshot / open up flameshot when pressing a certain key combo. It allows everything you'd want from such a utility (including drawing, annotating, numbering, ...). Source: over 2 years ago
  • What software do you miss from Windows & macOS?
    FlameShot is fairly close to ShareX (not quite 1:1 though). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Spectacle App and Flameshot, you can also consider the following products

Greenshot - Greenshot is a free and open source screenshot tool that allows annotation and highlighting using the built-in image editor.

ShareX - ShareX is a free and open source program that lets you capture or record any area of your screen...

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

LightShot - The fastest way to take a customizable screenshot.

Snagit - Screen Capture Software for Windows and Mac

Moom - Move your mouse over the green zoom button in any window, and Moom's mouse control overlay will appear (as seen in the above animation).