I am looking for multiplatform desktop screen annotation software (not communicator or screen recorder).
I am conducting lectures on multiple platforms, like Windows or macOS. Recently, I was performing the classes using text editors, paint/gimp, etc.
But sometimes, I find it hard to explain some things this way. It would be nice to have some tool that allows me to draw on the screen and use it on all platforms like Windows or macOS.
I researched and found some tools available online.
- EpicPen - It is the first result Google returns. It is available only for windows and macOS, and the functionality is quite limited (for example, drawing lines or squares is unavailable, there are only 16 colours, and whiteboard/blackboard are not available). EpicPen pro, on the other hand, is available only for windows (https://epic-pen.com/).
- Windows Snipping Tool - This one, as most of you know, is a windows tool and is quite constrained and available only for windows (obviously).
- ppInk - another annotation software for Windows, this one looks interesting, but it sometimes hangs on my machine, nevertheless it is only for Windows (https://github.com/pubpub-zz/ppInk).
- gInk - similar to above, again only Windows (https://github.com/geovens/gInk)
- live-draw - Only windows, requires .net (https://github.com/antfu/live-draw)
- OpenBoard - only whiteboard tool but cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS) (https://openboard.ch/index.en.html)
- SnagIt - it's more screen shoot maker, quite expensive, and only for windows and mac (https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html)
- UltimatePen - commercial, only free trial, only for macOS (http://www.snowmintcs.com/products/ultimatepenmac/)
- TuxPen - author claims that is it not completed and some functionality looks not working (https://github.com/csgn/TuxPen)
- ScreenPen - multiplatform, requires Python, installation with pip, supports charts using matplotlib, but it's mentioned that the support could be improved (https://github.com/rsusik/screenpen)
- Draw Over - only windows and Linux (mac is not listed) (https://gilzoide.itch.io/draw-over)
- ShareX - only windows, also file sharing tool (https://getsharex.com/)
To summarize, I created the below table:
| Name | Free | Windows | Linux | MacOS | Shapes | White/blackboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EpicPen | Partially | Yes | No | Yes (only basic) | Yes | Paid |
| Windows Snipping Tool | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| ppInk | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| gInk | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| LiveDraw | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| OpenBoard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only |
| SnagIt | No | Yes | No? | No? | Yes | No? |
| UltimatePen | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| TuxPen | Yes | Yes? | Yes | Yes? | No? | No? |
| ScreenPen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Draw Over | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No? |
| Sharex | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No? |
I marked bold those that look promising in my personal opinion (multiplatform and free is the priority). OpenBoard is the only whiteboard tool. In some cases, it has limited functionality (and maybe shouldn't be enumerated here).
Tuxpen is incomplete, and even the author writes in README that there are functions not working. The ScreenPen looks very interesting, the matplotlib support sound very good, but seems it is not a mature software and requires Python. Similar case with Draw Over. It appears to be an experimental software (written in-game engine), plus it has limited functionality (no whiteboard and macOS support).
I would like to know your recommendation, especially those who have already used any of these tools or maybe there is someone who tested them already and decided which one to use.
Disclaimer: I prepared this table only for my cases. There are some functionalities that I didn't enumerate here and maybe good for somebody else. Please let me know if I missed any software that is worth adding to this list. I used google and GitHub for searching the software
