PixelSnap 2
measure anything on screen, over any app, without opening a design tool
Perpetual
The one real unknown is the update window: the buy page calls it a one-time purchase but does not say how many years of updates you get, and the app you are buying is already named PixelSnap 2, so budget for the possibility that a major version 3 costs money. It measures and picks colours only — there is no capture, no annotation and no recording, so nearly everyone runs it next to a screenshot tool. Requires macOS 10.13 or later.
PixelSnap answers one question fast: how big is that, and how far is it from the next thing? You hold a shortcut, an overlay appears above every window, and as you move the cursor it snaps to the edges of whatever is underneath — a button in Safari, a row in a running build, a toolbar in someone else's app. Sizes and gaps come back in pixels or points, with a magnifier when you need to be certain about two versus three.
It is the tool for the gap between design and implementation. Checking that the padding in the build matches the padding in the file does not require exporting anything, opening Figma, or squinting at a screenshot in Preview.
$39 covers one Mac; the multi-Mac tiers are for people with a laptop and a desktop rather than teams. If you own CleanShot X — same developer — knock 20% off. If you already pay for Setapp, it is in there and you should not buy it twice.
Do not buy it expecting a capture tool: it measures, it picks colours, and that is all. And if you only need to check spacing when a designer complains twice a year, the free Digital Colour Meter plus a careful screenshot will get you through.
What it looks like
What it does
- Automatic edge detection for instant element measurement
- Distance measurement between any two things on screen
- Magnifier for pixel-exact positioning
- Colour picking with output in several formats
- Works over live apps and websites, not just static images
Also bought outright in capture
The facts
- Price
- $39
- Licence
- Buy once, own forever
- What you get
- One payment. Updates included, indefinitely.
- Details
- One-time purchase: $39 for 1 Mac, $69 for 2 Macs, $159 for 5 Macs, $309 for 10 Macs, with VAT added where it applies. 20% off for CleanShot X owners, 30% education discount for students writing in from an .edu address, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Also included in a Setapp subscription if you already pay for one.
- Free trial
- Yes
- On Setapp
- Yes
- Minimum macOS
- macOS 10.13
- Developer
- MTW (Make the Web)
- Price checked
- 2026-09-22
Check it yourself - Price band
- $30 to $60