Best Screen Annotation Tools for Teachers on Mac (2026)

The Best Screen Annotation Tools for Teachers on Mac

Teachers using Mac for online lessons, recorded lectures or tutoring need a way to mark up the screen in real time — circling vocabulary, sketching diagrams, highlighting reading passages. A real annotation tool keeps students focused without breaking out of your existing slides or browser. Here are the best options on macOS.

Scribbble

Our pick

Modern Mac annotation app, made for live lessons

Scribbble draws on top of any Mac app — slides, PDFs, browsers, Zoom shares. The Highlighter is great for marking up readings; Spotlight dims everything except what you're explaining; the pen, arrow, rectangle and text tools cover live diagramming. One-time license, free to try.

Best for

Teachers who want a modern, Mac-native tool with Highlighter and Spotlight built in

Pros

Highlighter and Spotlight (focus dim) built in
Works in Zoom, Google Meet, recordings
Free to download and try
One-time license

Cons

No collaborative whiteboard mode

Pricing: Free + one-time licenseDownload Scribbble

Presentify

Strong cursor highlighting for online classes

If your students often lose track of your cursor on a shared screen, Presentify's cursor highlight feature is the strongest in the category. Standard pen and shape tools alongside it.

Best for

Teachers whose biggest issue is students losing the mouse pointer

Pros

Best-in-class cursor highlight
Mac App Store

Cons

No spotlight focus mode or measure tool

Pricing: One-timeScribbble vs Presentify

ZoomIt for Mac

Free, with built-in screen zoom

Microsoft's ZoomIt is now available on macOS. Its built-in screen zoom is genuinely useful for showing fine detail in slides or code to a large remote class — and it's free.

Best for

Teachers who specifically want screen zoom for showing detail

Pros

Free
Built-in zoom and break timer

Cons

UI is a Windows utility port
No spotlight or measure

Pricing: FreeScribbble vs ZoomIt for Mac

CleanShot X

For teachers focused on lesson recordings

If you spend more time recording lessons than presenting them live, CleanShot X is excellent — it captures, annotates and records all in one app.

Best for

Teachers building recorded lesson libraries

Pros

Screen recording with annotations
Cloud sharing

Cons

Limited live on-screen drawing

Pricing: One-time or SetappScribbble vs CleanShot X

Bottom line

For most teachers running live or recorded Mac-based lessons, Scribbble is the best balance of price, features and ease of use — the Highlighter and Spotlight tools in particular are a great fit for keeping students focused. If your specific challenge is cursor visibility, Presentify is worth a look. If you mainly record lessons rather than present live, CleanShot X may suit you better.

FAQ

Will my annotations show up when I record with QuickTime or Loom?

Yes. All the apps in this list (with the exception of CleanShot X's screenshot mode) draw at the OS level, so any screen recorder captures the annotations as part of the screen.

Can I use these apps in Zoom and Google Meet lessons?

Yes. Because the annotations are drawn on the actual screen, anything you share via Zoom, Meet, Webex or Teams will include them.

Are there discounts for educators?

Reach out to each developer directly — many independent Mac app developers, including Scribbble, are willing to help teachers and schools with bulk licensing.

The Best Screen Annotation Tools for Teachers on Mac

How we picked

Scribbble

Pros

Cons

Presentify

Pros

Cons

ZoomIt for Mac

Pros

Cons

CleanShot X

Pros

Cons

Bottom line

FAQ

Will my annotations show up when I record with QuickTime or Loom?

Can I use these apps in Zoom and Google Meet lessons?

Are there discounts for educators?

Try our top pick: Scribbble

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