While snipping tools are very useful tools for taking, editing, and sharing screenshots, they can also quickly clutter up your desktop and use up precious storage space. Thankfully, there are now several options for connecting your snipping tool online to the cloud. This way you can take thousands of screenshots online without worrying about eating up your desktop’s storage or accessing your images on other devices. Read on to discover how to use your snipping tool online.
First, I want to briefly discuss snipping tools. Snipping tools are apps that let you take screenshots, or “snips”, of all or part of your desktop screen. To take a screenshot, you can find a snipping tool online or use your computer’s built-in snipping tool or snipping hotkeys. Windows Snipping Tool is the native tool or Snip & Sketch on Windows 10. Mac uses a Screenshot tool that you can access via hotkeys.
Most snipping tools also include basic screenshot editor tools so you can annotate your images. Others include integrations with professional-level image editors like Photoshop and Sketch for additional access to photo effects and vector graphics. After editing, you can share your snip directly to various social media, email, or messaging platforms. Some snipping tools also include screen recording so you can take videos of your screen, with or without audio, and send them to others in the same way as above.
Using a snipping tool is a simple and efficient way to share your screen with clients and co-workers. Screenshot tools make it easy to share information quickly and directly from your computer screen. Many snipping tools also include integrations with work productivity and customer support apps such as Intercom, Slack, and Trello so you can import screenshots directly into the app without any intermediate steps. Snipping tools save time and energy and make screen sharing an easy task.
Learn more about how to use a snipping tool.
Most snipping tool files are automatically saved to your local desktop or images folder. However, this is a problem if you are running out of storage space. Additionally, locally saved files are more difficult to share across devices. This is why an online snipping tool that saves screenshots automatically to the cloud is so useful, especially for businesses. We will go over the best options for print screen cloud tools in a bit, but first let’s cover what the cloud is.
What is the Cloud?
The cloud is a group of online servers that can be accessed over the Internet. The phrase also refers to the software, storage spaces, and databases that run on these servers. Cloud-based software, cloud-based services, and cloud applications are all located on these internet servers instead of your own desktop or mobile device. So, using the cloud lets you access files and apps on any device and frees up storage space. The cloud also allows for the sharing of large files between different individuals or businesses via cloud sharing.
So, how does the cloud work, and how does cloud storage work? Cloud servers are located in data centers all over the world instead of on your desktop or local network. Because both cloud computing and cloud storage take place on these servers, they can be accessed from any device. Programs and files saved on these servers can thus be accessed from multiple devices. Cloud servers can be owned privately by businesses and individuals or publically so anyone can access them. Basically, there is no single “cloud”; various online servers that may be wholly unrelated make up what we call “the cloud.”
Because data stored on the cloud can theoretically be accessed anywhere, high-security measures are necessary for any cloud server. You need to make sure that your cloud data cannot be accessed by any unapproved or nefarious sources. This is why, when looking for a snipping tool that connects to the cloud, you also want to pay close attention to what security features the platform offers.
Various snipping tools offer online cloud-based solutions for the storage and sharing of your screenshots and screen recordings. However, many provide only limited cloud access or require an additional fee for cloud storage. The best clipping tools for connecting with the cloud include easy, automatic access to cloud technology and high-end cloud security. As such, the two leading cloud-based online snipping tools include Droplr or CloudApp.
Droplr
Droplr’s highly-rated, low-cost snipping tool also comes with a screen recorder, GIF creator, basic mark-up tools, and integrations with various high-end image editors and productivity apps. Droplr automatically stores all your snips to the cloud, though you can also download them to your desktop. Snips can then be shared by either dragging and dropping them onto another platform or sharing them via short link. Droplr automatically generates a short URL for each of its drops that can easily be shared on social media, messaging apps such as Slack, or email. You can also upload other files to the Droplr cloud for easy sharing. Droplr’s cloud interface includes shareable boards and tags (as shown above) that let you sort and organize your drops so that you can find them later without any hassle.
Droplr includes enterprise-level security to protect your snips. You can set the privacy of any snip to public, private, or team only and protect it with a password. You can also set any file to “self-destruct” after a given amount of time. Other security features available for all pricing plans include backups, a US-EU privacy shield, and SSL/TLS data transfer. Enterprise plans include SSO and set roles for access control. Droplr’s pricing begins at only $6/month and includes customizable pricing for enterprises. All plans include cloud storage, with Enterprise having unlimited cloud storage and bandwidth. All pricing plans include a free screenshot tool 3-day trial so you can see if Droplr works for you. Droplr is available for Mac, Windows, and Google Chrome browser.
CloudApp
CloudApp is a direct competitor to Droplr that comes with similar screen recording, GIF, mark-up, and enterprise-level security functions. Like Droplr, CloudApp automatically stores your screen captures to the cloud, though you can also download them to your desktop or share them directly after capture. CloudApp generates a link for each snip (albeit a longer one than Droplr) for easy sharing. Other files can be uploaded to CloudApp as long as they are within file size limits. CloudApp’s cloud interface includes the ability to “favorite” files and create separate collections to sort your snips.
CloudApp offers a free version with 50 drops per month, while paid plans begin at $9.95/month and include a free 7-day trial. Security features include set content expirations, secure sharing, and 2FA and IP restriction for enterprises on custom pricing plans. Paid plans include the option to set privacy and self-destruct settings for each snip. CloudApp is available for Mac and Windows.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Easy to navigate: Cloud interface is very easy to use.
- Pricing: Lowest prices for both individuals and teams are very reasonable.
- Google Chrome Extension: This is unique to Droplr and makes it convenient to quickly take snips online.
Cons:
- Version disparities: Mac, Windows, and Google Chrome versions do not work in the same way, so switching between them requires a bit of learning at first.
- Basic mark-up tools: Only basic mark-up tools are included without integrations. However, integrations with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch can make up for this.
- No free version, though a 3-day trial does come with full access.
Pros:
- Integrations: Over 30 integrations with other apps.
- Free trial: Free trial lasts 7 days, giving you plenty of time to decide if CloudApp is right for you.
- Screen capture interface: The interface for screen capture on a desktop is very easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.
Cons:
- Cost: CloudApp’s paid plans are expensive. The free plan is nice but has very limited functionality.
- Organizing: Collections & favorites are useful, but not as good for organizing and searching for past drops as boards & tags.
- Cloud interface: CloudApp’s online cloud interface is not as accessible as its desktop interface and includes fewer options once your snip has already been saved.
What Are My Other Options?
If the above online snipping tools don’t appeal to you, there are other ways to use a snipping tool alongside cloud infrastructure. You can access cloud space for online storage and sharing through a number of different apps that you will need to configure yourself with a snipping tool. Google Drive, DropBox, and Box are some of the most popular options for individuals and businesses alike and include both free and paid plans. Of course, more storage will necessitate higher-cost plans, so be sure to consider how much space you need before choosing a plan. If you use a third-party cloud provider, you will lose some of the security and customizations that all-in-one integrated providers like Droplr and CloudApp offer, including self-destruct settings, SSO, custom domains, and custom branding.
Once you have access to cloud storage, you can upload snips as files on your storage app. Some snipping tools, like Snagit, Greenshot, and PicPick integrate directly with cloud storage software so you can upload your screenshots directly after taking them. These tools offer widely different features at different prices. If you need help deciding which snipping tool to pick, check out our articles 5 Best Snipping Tools for Mac or 5 Best Alternatives to Windows Snipping Tool.
There are many good options if you need a snipping tool that you can connect to the cloud. If you would like an app that works as both a screen capture tool and cloud storage, then you should choose either Droplr or CloudApp. Otherwise, there are many options you can explore in terms of both snipping tools and cloud storage software. Regardless of your decision, you are sure to increase work efficiency, team member productivity, and decrease time wasted decluttering and organizing desktops by connecting your snipping tool to the cloud.