Zight (formerly CloudApp) is a screenshot and screen recording tool that automatically uploads your captures to the cloud and copies a shareable link to your clipboard. It’s designed for fast visual communication, making it easy to show bugs, give design feedback, or share quick tutorials without manually saving and uploading files. Drag a file to the menu bar icon, and a link is instantly ready to share.
Key Specs
| Price | Free tier with limits; $8/month (Team); $9/month (Pro) |
| Platform | Mac, Windows, iOS, browser extension |
| Best for | Quick screenshots, annotated images, short screen recordings |
| Learning curve | Instant (automatic uploads and link copying) |
How Designers Use Zight
Zight fits into daily communication workflows for designers who need to share visuals quickly.
For Bug Reports and QA Feedback
Designers and developers use Zight to capture screenshots of bugs or layout issues, annotate them with arrows and text, and instantly share the link with developers. The automatic upload and link copying saves time compared to taking a screenshot, saving to desktop, opening Slack, and uploading. With Zight, you capture and paste the link in seconds.
For Design Feedback and Collaboration
Product designers record quick screen walkthroughs showing how a prototype works, or annotate mockups to explain design decisions. Share the Zight link in Slack, Notion, or email for asynchronous feedback. Recipients don’t need a Zight account to view the content.
For Client Communication
Freelancers and agencies use Zight to show clients design progress or explain website updates. Record a 2-minute walkthrough of changes, and Zight generates a link you can email. Clients click the link and watch immediately in their browser, no file downloads or app installations required.
For Quick Tutorials and Onboarding
Customer support teams and product managers create short how-to videos using Zight’s screen recording. Record your screen while explaining a feature, and share the link in documentation or support tickets. For longer, more polished tutorials, use Loom instead.
Zight vs. Alternatives
| Feature | Zight (CloudApp) | Loom | Snagit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier; $8-9/month | Free tier; $12/month | $63 one-time |
| Screenshot annotation | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Advanced |
| Screen recording | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (better) | ✅ Yes |
| Automatic upload | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Manual |
| GIF creation | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Webcam overlay | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (better) | ✅ Yes |
| Link sharing | ✅ Instant clipboard | ✅ Instant clipboard | ⚠️ Manual share |
Choose Zight if: You need the fastest way to share screenshots and short recordings with automatic link copying, and you work in Slack or other messaging tools.
Choose Loom if: You record longer walkthrough videos (5+ minutes) with webcam overlay, or want better video quality and editing features.
Choose Snagit if: You need advanced screenshot editing (scrolling capture, templates, image editing) and prefer a one-time purchase over subscriptions.
Getting Started with Zight
Here’s how to start sharing screenshots instantly:
Step 1: Install Zight and set up keyboard shortcuts
Download Zight for Mac or Windows (free account). After installation, Zight appears in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows). Set up keyboard shortcuts in preferences for capturing screenshots (default: Cmd+Shift+5 on Mac) and starting screen recordings.
Step 2: Take a screenshot and annotate
Press your screenshot shortcut and drag to select an area. Zight captures it, uploads automatically, and copies the link to your clipboard. Before uploading, you can add arrows, text, or blur sensitive information using the annotation tools. Click “Upload” when ready.
Step 3: Share the link
Paste the link (Cmd+V or Ctrl+V) into Slack, email, or anywhere else. Recipients click the link to view your screenshot or video in their browser. No login required for viewers. You can also drag files directly onto the Zight menu bar icon to upload and get a shareable link.
Zight in Your Design Workflow
Zight works alongside your design tools for quick visual communication.
- Before Zight: Design in Figma, build websites in code, test in browsers or apps
- During design: Zight for capturing bugs, sharing progress updates, giving feedback on work-in-progress
- After Zight: Recipients view shared content, provide feedback in comments or messages
Common tool pairings:
- Zight + Slack for instantly sharing screenshots and recordings in team channels
- Zight + Notion for embedding annotated screenshots in product documentation
- Zight + Jira/Linear for attaching visual bug reports to tickets
- Zight + Figma for capturing design mockups and sharing links for quick client reviews
Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)
These issues come up with Zight and similar screenshot tools.
“Zight uploads are too slow”
Large screen recordings (especially 4K or long videos) take time to upload. Zight compresses files, but a 10-minute 4K recording can still be several hundred megabytes. For faster uploads, record at lower resolution (1080p instead of 4K), keep recordings short (under 5 minutes), or use your internet’s upload speed wisely (pause other uploads while Zight is working).
“I keep hitting my storage limit on the free plan”
Zight’s free plan has limited storage. Old uploads remain in your account until you delete them. Go to Zight’s web dashboard and delete old screenshots and videos you no longer need. Alternatively, upgrade to a paid plan for more storage, or use free alternatives like ShareX (Windows) or macOS’s built-in screenshot tools with manual uploads.
“My team can’t see my Zight links”
Zight links are public by default, but you can set them to private or password-protected in settings. If a link shows “not found,” it may have been deleted or set to private. Check your Zight dashboard to verify the upload exists and adjust privacy settings. For sensitive content, always use private links or password protection.
“Zight’s interface feels cluttered and buggy”
Some users report Zight feels buggy, with slow uploads, crashes, or UI issues. If you experience problems, restart the app, check for updates, or reinstall. Zight has changed ownership and gone through multiple updates over the years, which has led to inconsistent quality. If it’s unreliable, try alternatives like Snagit (paid) or macOS’s built-in screenshot tools + Dropbox for sharing.
“I need to record longer videos than Zight supports”
Zight works best for quick recordings (under 5 minutes). For longer tutorials or walkthroughs, use Loom, which handles longer videos better and offers better playback quality and editing features. Loom is optimized for video-first communication, while Zight is optimized for screenshots with screen recording as a secondary feature.