TextSniper has been around since 2020 and is one of the best-known screen OCR apps for the Mac. Snatch is newer and narrower. Both do the core job well: press a shortcut, drag over text you can’t select, and paste it. The differences are in what surrounds that core, which Macs they support, and how they’re sold.
Everything about TextSniper below comes from its own website and release notes, checked on the date above. Apps change, so treat textsniper.app as the source of truth for anything that matters to you, including current prices.
What they have in common
- A menu bar app with a global shortcut, and both default to the same one: Command-Shift-2.
- Drag over any part of the screen and the recognised text goes straight to the clipboard.
- QR code and barcode reading, with an option to open links automatically.
- Automatic language detection.
- One-time purchases rather than subscriptions, and a way to move a license to another Mac.
Feature by feature
| Feature | TextSniper | Snatch |
|---|---|---|
| Copy text from a screen region | Yes | Yes |
| Default shortcut | ⌘⇧2 | ⌘⇧2 |
| QR codes and barcodes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic language detection | Yes (macOS Ventura or later) | Yes |
| Open captured links automatically | Optional, for links in text or QR codes | Optional, for QR links |
| Text to speech | Yes | No |
| Additive clipboard (stack captures) | Yes | No |
| Keep or drop line breaks | Separate shortcuts | A setting |
| Import from iPhone or iPad camera | Yes | No |
| Custom words list | Yes | No |
| Searchable capture history | Not listed on its website | Yes, filtered by Text, Links and QR Codes |
| Read a copied image or a PNG, JPEG or PDF file | Not listed on its website | Yes |
| URL scheme for automation | Not listed on its website | Yes (snatch://capture, snatch://clipboard) |
| Minimum macOS | macOS Catalina | macOS Sonoma 14 |
| Where to buy | Its website or the Mac App Store | snatchmac.com |
| Licenses | 1 Mac, 3 Macs or unlimited | 1, 2 or 3 Macs |
| Updates | Major upgrades cost extra, per its FAQ | Lifetime updates included |
| Free trial | Yes, per its FAQ | No |
| Money-back guarantee | 7 days, when bought on its website | 14 days |
Where TextSniper does more
TextSniper has a longer feature list. If you want your Mac to read captured text aloud, to stack several captures into one clipboard with its additive clipboard, to import text from your iPhone or iPad camera, or to teach it custom words for jargon-heavy fields, TextSniper offers those and Snatch doesn’t.
It also runs on much older systems, back to macOS Catalina, and is sold on the Mac App Store as well as directly, which some people and companies prefer. Its FAQ mentions a free trial.
Where Snatch is different
Snatch is built around a searchable history. Every capture is kept in the menu bar panel with filters for text, links and QR codes, and clicking an item copies it again. That changes how you work in meetings and lectures: capture as you go, paste later.
It also reads images you’ve already copied and PNG, JPEG and PDF files, and has a URL scheme so Raycast, Alfred or Shortcuts can start a capture. Licenses include lifetime updates, there’s a 2-Mac option, and the money-back window is 14 days. There’s no free trial; the refund window takes its place.
Snatch needs macOS Sonoma 14 or later. If you’re on an older Mac, TextSniper is the one that will run.
Which should you pick?
- Pick TextSniper if you need text to speech, the additive clipboard, phone camera import or custom words, if you’re on macOS older than Sonoma, or if you want to buy through the Mac App Store.
- Pick Snatch if a searchable capture history matters to you, you often copy text out of images and PDF files, you want to trigger captures from Raycast or Alfred, or you prefer lifetime updates in a one-time price.
Both are solid tools. If Snatch sounds like the better fit, it’s a one-time $5.99 for one Mac, and you can ask for a refund within 14 days.