Snagit vs Glitter AI
Both tools capture your screen to create documentation. But one focuses on screenshots and basic video, while the other uses AI to turn any workflow into publish-ready guides. Here's how they compare.
The Bottom Line
Snagit and Glitter AI both help you create visual documentation, but they take pretty different approaches to the problem.
Snagit has been around since 1990, and honestly, it shows in all the right ways. It's a reliable screenshot tool that nails the fundamentals: capture screenshots, mark them up with annotations, record simple videos. Think of it as a polished screenshot editor with some nice extras. If you need quick visual communication or basic tutorials, it handles that well.
Glitter AI takes a different path entirely. Rather than just grabbing what's on your screen, it uses AI to make sense of your whole workflow. Your voice, your actions, your explanations. Then it turns all of that into structured documentation that's basically ready to go. It's designed for SOPs and training materials, not just annotated images.
The real difference comes down to this: Snagit hands you raw materials (screenshots and video clips) that you assemble and annotate yourself. Glitter AI gives you completed documentation without the manual work.
Platform Overview
Both platforms help you create visual content, but they serve pretty different documentation needs.
With Glitter AI, you get AI-powered documentation that's ready to publish.
Glitter captures everything you say and do. Your voice narration, screen actions, and context. Then AI generates structured step-by-step guides automatically. You can also convert existing videos into guides.
Best for teams that need scalable documentation workflows. Create SOPs, training materials, and process guides without manual screenshot stitching or hours of editing.
Works across web (Chromium browsers only) and desktop. Mobile support through video-to-guide conversion. All on the free plan.
Snagit is a solid screenshot and screen recording tool.
It's good at capturing specific areas of your screen, annotating images with arrows and callouts, and creating simple video tutorials. The editing tools let you add effects, blur sensitive data, extract text from images (OCR), and organize captures in a library.
Best for quick visual communication. Sharing marked-up screenshots with teammates, creating basic how-to videos, or capturing scrolling windows.
Requires manual editing to turn captures into structured documentation. No AI assistance for creating guides.
At a Glance
Quick comparison of the key differences between Snagit and Glitter AI.
Core Features
See how Glitter AI and Snagit compare on core documentation and capture features.What does each tool capture?
How does guide creation work?
Can I create guides from existing videos?
Does it support voice narration and transcription?
What editing and annotation tools are included?
Does it work on mobile devices?
Workflow & Productivity
How much time does it save?
What content formats can I create?
How does sharing and collaboration work?
Can it capture scrolling content?
Security & Privacy
Can I redact sensitive information?
Is it SOC 2 compliant?
Does it use my data for AI training?
Platform & Integrations
What platforms are supported?
What integrations are available?
Is there a free plan?
Pricing & Plans
See how Glitter AI and Snagit pricing models compare - from free access to annual costs.
/mo
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/year
Glitter AI – Pricing Takeaways:
- Generous free plan with 10 guides total (not monthly) - no trial limitation.
- Monthly or annual billing options - no forced annual commitment.
- All features on free plan including Chromium browser extension, desktop apps, video-to-guide, AI, and multi-language.
- Pro plan is $240/year ($20/mo) or $192/year (annual billing at $16/mo).
- Simple, transparent pricing. No hidden fees or complex licensing.
/year
/year
/year
Snagit – Pricing Takeaways:
- Subscription-only as of 2025 - perpetual licenses discontinued. As one user put it: "I purchased what I thought was a lifetime license and just found out I've been paying a subscription... priced yourself right out of relevance."
- Annual commitment required - no monthly payment option.
- Individual license is $39/year, business license is $48/year. Volume discounts available (10+ users).
- One license includes both Windows and macOS versions.
- Education pricing: $20/year for students, $39.36/year for educators (verification required).
When to Choose Each Tool
Snagit and Glitter AI both help you create visual content from your screen, but they're aimed at different use cases.
Choose Snagit if you need:
- Quick screenshot annotation for emails, bug reports, or design feedback
- Scrolling capture for long web pages or documents
- Lots of image editing tools with arrows, callouts, stamps, and effects
- Simple video recording with basic trimming and combining
- Desktop-only workflows (Windows/macOS)
- Low annual subscription at $39-48/year (though the switch to subscription-only has frustrated plenty of longtime users)
- Basic automation only, like Step Capture for click-based guides, but no voice transcription
- Local processing for AI features (privacy-focused, works offline)
Snagit works well for individuals who want a dependable screenshot tool with solid annotation capabilities. It fits nicely when you're doing visual communication and manually creating each capture yourself.
That said, user complaints about the 2025 version come up a lot. One Reddit user put it this way: "This was once a great software product... The need to stimulate the purchase of upgrades by bloating new features now makes this product slow at best... It's so slow I can get up and walk around for 15 seconds, waiting for the capture orange corners to appear!" Slow startup times, laggy capture crosshairs, and stability problems have been recurring themes.
Choose Glitter AI if you need:
- AI-powered documentation that's ready to publish automatically
- SOP creation with minimal manual effort
- Video-to-guide conversion from any source (meetings, screen recordings, live footage)
- Multi-language documentation (99 languages on all plans)
- Platform flexibility (Chromium browsers, desktop apps on Windows/Mac, mobile via video-to-guide)
- Documentation workflows that scale for growing teams
- Speech-to-text and AI transcription to capture what you say, not just what you click
Glitter AI is likely a better fit for teams looking to scale their documentation efforts. If you're building training materials, SOPs, or knowledge bases where consistency and speed matter more than design customization, the AI automation can save you a lot of time.
So... which one should you choose?
Different tools for different jobs. Here's the honest breakdown:Choose Glitter AI if you...
Choose Glitter AI if you need AI-powered documentation that's ready to publish. You'll get automatic guide generation from videos or live recordings, speech-to-text in 99 languages, and platform support (Chromium browsers, desktop apps for Windows/Mac, mobile via video-to-guide) on all plans including free. Best for teams creating documentation workflows that scale. SOPs, training materials, process guides where AI automation saves hours per guide. Transparent pricing starts at $20/mo or $192/year ($16/mo annual billing).
Don't choose Glitter AI if you...
Don't choose Glitter AI if you need lots of image design tools (gradients, stamps, themes), scrolling window capture, Safari/Firefox support, or prefer manual control over every aspect of documentation. Glitter focuses on documentation automation, not visual design customization. Also note: sensitive data redaction is only available on paid plans.
Choose Snagit if you...
Choose Snagit if you need a reliable screenshot and annotation tool for quick visual communication. Works well for marking up images with professional callouts and effects, capturing scrolling windows, and creating simple video tutorials. Best for individuals and teams that want a desktop-based tool for manual screen capture workflows. Low annual cost ($39-48/year) with no ongoing free plan.
Don't choose Snagit if you...
Don't choose Snagit if you need full AI-powered guide generation with voice transcription, video-to-guide conversion, multi-language support, or mobile capture. Snagit's Step Capture helps with screenshots, but you still have to write the text descriptions yourself. Also be aware: some users report performance issues (slow startup, laggy UI) and the forced subscription model has been a major source of customer frustration since 2025.
Real customer reviews
Genuine feedback from real customers ❤️
This software is mind-blowing! After 2+ months, it's an invaluable asset to my company. The transcription quality is out of this world, and the new image editing tools are so fluid and better than [competitor name redacted]. ...you've saved me so much time; I'm elated and highly anticipate subscribing for another year!
Tim M.
May 3, 2025
Our company has asked each department to use AI tools to increase productivity, and this has made a huge difference. One of our leaders had originally sent a link to check out Glitter AI, and we love it! We're now using it for clients as well as internal staff.
Kim W.
December 18, 2024
This is exactly the documentation solution that we've been looking for. Every software system requires operating instructions, and you make them so easy to create! It's perfect for employee training purposes.
Erez A.
January 9, 2025
Glitter is really cool! The step-by-step guide it created was exactly what we needed for our corporate Salesforce setup, which was a literal mess. Just having a video isn't great because it's a nightmare to update all the fields for billing. This tool is saving us so much time!
Dustin R.
March 8, 2025
This is amazing! I just used the desktop app to make a quick guide for a Photoshop tool that I can use in my class. It would have taken me at least 30 minutes before and I just did it in about 5 minutes. Thanks for such a great tool!
Sarah
January 28, 2025
I tested 2 products today to solve the problem of rapidly creating 60+ articles to onboard our customers, and Glitter AI is excellent! It's really easy to use and edit. The output is so easy to import into our CMS for our Knowledge Hub; it's fantastic.
Emily W.
February 15, 2025
Really love this product! We use Guru for documentation at our company. With Glitter, I can do a quick walkthrough, and it creates a guide that can be pasted right into Guru, which saves us from undocumented tasks.
Jens A.
April 12, 2025
So far, I'm liking Glitter a great deal; it's very intuitive and useful. Our school district has an old method for online help for our student information system. Glitter is a great way to save many, MANY, person-hours of work, and our IT person is excited about it too!
John
January 9, 2025
This software is mind-blowing! After 2+ months, it's an invaluable asset to my company. The transcription quality is out of this world, and the new image editing tools are so fluid and better than [competitor name redacted]. ...you've saved me so much time; I'm elated and highly anticipate subscribing for another year!
Tim M.
May 3, 2025
Our company has asked each department to use AI tools to increase productivity, and this has made a huge difference. One of our leaders had originally sent a link to check out Glitter AI, and we love it! We're now using it for clients as well as internal staff.
Kim W.
December 18, 2024
This is exactly the documentation solution that we've been looking for. Every software system requires operating instructions, and you make them so easy to create! It's perfect for employee training purposes.
Erez A.
January 9, 2025
Glitter is really cool! The step-by-step guide it created was exactly what we needed for our corporate Salesforce setup, which was a literal mess. Just having a video isn't great because it's a nightmare to update all the fields for billing. This tool is saving us so much time!
Dustin R.
March 8, 2025
This is amazing! I just used the desktop app to make a quick guide for a Photoshop tool that I can use in my class. It would have taken me at least 30 minutes before and I just did it in about 5 minutes. Thanks for such a great tool!
Sarah
January 28, 2025
I tested 2 products today to solve the problem of rapidly creating 60+ articles to onboard our customers, and Glitter AI is excellent! It's really easy to use and edit. The output is so easy to import into our CMS for our Knowledge Hub; it's fantastic.
Emily W.
February 15, 2025
Really love this product! We use Guru for documentation at our company. With Glitter, I can do a quick walkthrough, and it creates a guide that can be pasted right into Guru, which saves us from undocumented tasks.
Jens A.
April 12, 2025
So far, I'm liking Glitter a great deal; it's very intuitive and useful. Our school district has an old method for online help for our student information system. Glitter is a great way to save many, MANY, person-hours of work, and our IT person is excited about it too!
John
January 9, 2025
This software is mind-blowing! After 2+ months, it's an invaluable asset to my company. The transcription quality is out of this world, and the new image editing tools are so fluid and better than [competitor name redacted]. ...you've saved me so much time; I'm elated and highly anticipate subscribing for another year!
Tim M.
May 3, 2025
Our company has asked each department to use AI tools to increase productivity, and this has made a huge difference. One of our leaders had originally sent a link to check out Glitter AI, and we love it! We're now using it for clients as well as internal staff.
Kim W.
December 18, 2024
This is exactly the documentation solution that we've been looking for. Every software system requires operating instructions, and you make them so easy to create! It's perfect for employee training purposes.
Erez A.
January 9, 2025
Glitter is really cool! The step-by-step guide it created was exactly what we needed for our corporate Salesforce setup, which was a literal mess. Just having a video isn't great because it's a nightmare to update all the fields for billing. This tool is saving us so much time!
Dustin R.
March 8, 2025
This is amazing! I just used the desktop app to make a quick guide for a Photoshop tool that I can use in my class. It would have taken me at least 30 minutes before and I just did it in about 5 minutes. Thanks for such a great tool!
Sarah
January 28, 2025
I tested 2 products today to solve the problem of rapidly creating 60+ articles to onboard our customers, and Glitter AI is excellent! It's really easy to use and edit. The output is so easy to import into our CMS for our Knowledge Hub; it's fantastic.
Emily W.
February 15, 2025
Really love this product! We use Guru for documentation at our company. With Glitter, I can do a quick walkthrough, and it creates a guide that can be pasted right into Guru, which saves us from undocumented tasks.
Jens A.
April 12, 2025
So far, I'm liking Glitter a great deal; it's very intuitive and useful. Our school district has an old method for online help for our student information system. Glitter is a great way to save many, MANY, person-hours of work, and our IT person is excited about it too!
John
January 9, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Glitter AI and how does it work?
Glitter AI helps you create step-by-step guides, SOPs, and documentation effortlessly. Simply record yourself carrying out a process and Glitter AI will automatically transform it into a step-by-step guide complete with screenshots and text based on what you said while recording.
Glitter provides apps for both desktop and browser to capture your screen and microphone, or you can upload an existing video of anything – even of a real-life process like assembling a product or operating a machine.
Glitter AI automatically captures screenshots and uses AI to transform your spoken explanation into a professional written guide. What normally takes hours or days now takes just a few minutes!
Can I upload existing videos to create guides?
Yes! Our new video-to-guide feature lets you convert ANY video into a step-by-step guide - including:
- Zoom and Microsoft Teams recordings
- Screen recordings from any source
- Live footage (not just software!)
- Mobile screen recordings
Just upload your video and our AI intelligently identifies each step and creates professional documentation automatically.
Do you have a desktop app and browser extension?
Yes to both! And they're included in the free plan:
• Desktop App (Mac/Windows) - Capture ANY application on your computer (Excel, Photoshop, SAP, etc.)
• Chrome Extension - Perfect for web-based processes and SaaS tools or any website.
Works with Chrome, Edge, Arc, Brave, and other Chromium browsers.
Does Glitter AI support mobile?
Yes! Through our video-to-guide feature:
- Record your mobile screen (iOS or Android)
- Upload the recording to Glitter AI
- Our AI converts it into step-by-step documentation
Perfect for mobile app tutorials and processes!
What languages does Glitter AI support?
Glitter AI supports 99 languages:
- Create guides in any language - Speak in your native language while recording
- Output in any language - Guides can be written in virtually any language
- Auto-translation - Record in one language and automatically translate to another
The complete list of languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Marathi, Telugu, Punjabi, Turkish, Korean, Malay, French, German, Vietnamese, Tamil, Cantonese, Urdu, Javanese, Italian, Gujarati, Hausa, Persian, Polish, Kannada, Indonesian, Pashto, Malayalam, Odia, Burmese, Uzbek, Sindhi, Ukrainian, Kurdish, Nepali, Filipino, Fulah, Romanian, Amharic, Igbo, Azerbaijani, Dutch, Cebuano, Somali, Thai, Khmer, Swahili, Assamese, Lingala, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Chichewa, Shona, Czech, Swedish, Hebrew, Catalan, Serbian, Xhosa, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Tajik, Afrikaans, Armenian, Ganda, Danish, Mongolian, Croatian, Northern Sotho, Finnish, Norwegian, Slovak, Luo, Wolof, Kyrgyz, Umbundu, Georgian, Lao, Lithuanian, Bosnian, Slovenian, Galician, Macedonian, Occitan, Latvian, Irish, Estonian, Welsh, Maltese, Kabuverdianu, Luxembourgish, Icelandic, Asturian, Māori and Zulu.
How can I share or export my guides?
You have complete control over your content:
- Share via link - Send to anyone, no account needed
- Export formats - PDF, HTML, Markdown, Smart Copy-to-Clipboard (Pro plan and above)
- Privacy controls - Keep private, share with specific people, or make public
- Embed anywhere - Add to your website, knowledge base, or LMS
- Copy to clipboard - Paste into any platform
Does Glitter AI integrate with other tools?
Yes! Glitter AI works with your existing tools:
Available Now:
- Export to any platform - Use PDF, HTML, or Markdown formats
- Embed anywhere - Add guides to any website or tool that supports embeds
- Copy & paste - Transfer content to any documentation platform
You can export or embed to a variety of platforms:
- Confluence
- Intercom
- Notion
- Zendesk
- And hundreds more!
What export formats do you support?
You can easily export your Glitter guides to a variety of platforms:
- HTML
- Markdown
- Smart Copy-to-Clipboard
Smart Copy-to-Clipboard is a feature that automatically converts dynamic content into static images which makes it easy to copy and paste into any platform.
What's included in the free plan?
Our generous free plan includes:
- 10 guides
- Desktop app and Chrome extension
- Basic editing features
- Share via link
- Perfect for trying Glitter AI
Pro Plan and above add:
- Unlimited guides
- 60 minutes time limit per guide
- Convert videos to guides
- On-device blur / redact for sensitive information
- Advanced exports (PDF, Markdown, HTML, etc.)
- Secure embed guides without making them public
- Advanced screenshot editing
- Priority support
Is my data secure?
Yes. Here's how we keep your data secure:
- SOC 2 Type II compliant - We meet rigorous security standards for data protection and privacy. Request SOC 2 reports and learn more about how we handle privacy and security at our trust center
- Enterprise-grade security - AES-256 encryption at transit and at rest
- Your data stays yours - Not used for AI training or sold to third parties
- Guides are private by default - Only you can access your guides unless you share them
- On-device blurring / redaction - on desktop, so no sensitive data is sent to the cloud
Does Glitter AI use my data to train AI models?
No. Never.
Your data is yours. We never have, and never will, use your content to train AI models. This is a core commitment we make to every customer and is legally binding in our terms.
We also opt out of allowing any third-party AI providers to use customer data for training, and require that all customer data is deleted within 30 days of processing.
Learn more on our AI Security & Privacy page and trust center.
How is Glitter AI different from other documentation tools?
Glitter AI offers several unique capabilities that set it apart:
Magic Article: Automatic Speech-to-Text + AI:
- Transcribes what you say AS you record and includes it in the guide
- AI cleans up your speech, removing filler words and creating professional text
- No need to add text after recording - it's all done automatically (you can edit everything)
Advanced Video-to-Guide Conversion:
- Uses cutting-edge large language models to understand video contents
- Automatically identifies steps, actions, and important information
- Works with any video - screen recordings, meetings, or live footage
Desktop Support on Free Tier:
- Full desktop app included in our free plan (many competitors charge for this)
- Capture ANY application, not just web browsers
- On-device blurring / redaction of sensitive information
Other screen recorders just output videos. Other guide creation tools capture clicks. Glitter AI combines: video (+ clicks and keyboard events), voice narration, and smart AI to create professional documentation - fast.
Who uses Glitter AI?
Thousands of teams across industries:
- IT Departments - Document software procedures and technical processes
- Operations Teams - Create SOPs and standardize workflows
- Customer Success - Build help articles and onboarding guides
- HR Teams - Document employee training and processes
- Educators - Develop course materials and tutorials
- Consultants - Deliver professional documentation to clients
- Anyone who's tired of spending hours on documentation!