Why I built ScrubShot
Short version: every screenshot tool I tried either left the sensitive bits exactly where they were, or wanted to upload the image to a server to redact it, which is the one thing I was trying to avoid. So I built the one I wanted: press a key, grab the screen, scrub out the private parts, copy or save. Nothing leaves the Mac. This is the longer story.
The itch
I share a lot of screenshots. Bug reports, a thing I spotted in an app, a chunk of a dashboard to show someone what I mean. And nearly every time, there was something in the frame I didn't want to send: a real email address, an account number, someone's name, a card detail sitting in a browser tab behind the bit I actually cared about.
The built-in tools captured beautifully and then left every private detail exactly where it was, so I'd paste the shot into some editor and draw clumsy black boxes that you could often still peel back. The clever ones wanted to upload the image to redact it, which is precisely the thing I was trying to avoid: the whole point was that the sensitive part shouldn't leave my Mac.
What I actually wanted
Something boring, really. Press a key, grab the screen, scrub out the bits that shouldn't travel, then copy or save. No account, no upload, no monthly fee. The redaction had to be real, too: not a layer sitting on top that someone could move, but pixels rewritten into the image so a scrubbed shot can't be un-scrubbed.
So that is what ScrubShot does. You press the shortcut and it captures the screen. In the editor you drag over anything sensitive with the Scrub tool and it's pixelated straight into the image; the full method, and why it beats a box or a blur, is in my guide to redacting screenshots on a Mac without uploading them. There's a Marker for circling things, Text for labels, and Crop to trim the frame. Then you copy it to the clipboard or it saves to a folder in your Pictures. That's the whole loop, and it never touches the network to do any of it.
The principles I held to
- On-device, always. A redaction tool that phones home is a contradiction. If the private detail has to be uploaded so a server can blur it, you've already shared the thing you were hiding. ScrubShot does the work locally.
- Real redaction. Scrubbed pixels are written into the file itself, so a cleaned screenshot can't be peeled back to reveal what was underneath.
- One job, done well. Capture, scrub, mark up, share. No cloud library, no AI, no account. The narrow scope is the point.
- Buy it once. Because it runs on your machine there is no server for me to fund, so there is no honest reason to charge monthly. $30 once, lifetime updates.
You can read exactly what the app does, and doesn't, on the privacy page.
FAQ
- Who makes ScrubShot?
- I do. It is a one-person app, built and maintained by me. There is no company behind it and no team, which is exactly why it stays small and does one thing.
- Does ScrubShot upload my screenshots to redact them?
- No. Capturing, scrubbing, marking up and saving all happen on your Mac. The scrubbed pixels are written into the image itself, so nothing sensitive is ever sent anywhere to be processed.
- How much does ScrubShot cost?
- A single license is $30, paid once, with every future update included. There is a free 7-day trial first, and no subscription.
- Is ScrubShot Mac only?
- Yes. It is a native Mac app that runs on macOS 14 or later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel.
Try it
ScrubShot is a Mac app. Press the shortcut, scrub out the private bits, then copy or save; the cleaned screenshot is the only version that ever leaves your Mac. There is a free 7-day trial with no card required. After that it is $30 once.