Scribe vs. ShareX: Pricing Comparison Guide 2026

What is Scribe?

Scribe is an AI-powered documentation platform that automatically creates step-by-step guides as you perform tasks in your browser or desktop applications. Founded in 2019 and backed by substantial venture funding (including a Series C announced in 2025), Scribe has grown to serve over 5 million users across 600,000+ organizations, including 94% of Fortune 500 companies.

Core Value Proposition

Scribe's primary value is automation. Instead of manually taking screenshots and writing instructions, users simply perform a process once while Scribe's browser extension or desktop app captures every action, automatically generating annotated guides complete with screenshots, descriptions, and click instructions.

Key Features (Pricing-Relevant)

• AI-powered automatic capture across web, desktop, and mobile apps
• Instant guide generation with editable screenshots and text
• Custom branding and white-labeling (Pro and Enterprise)
• Sensitive data redaction with automatic PII/PHI detection (Enterprise)
• Multiple export formats (PDF, HTML, Markdown, Word)
• Team collaboration with comments and version history
• Enterprise features including SSO, SCIM provisioning, and role-based access control
• Integration ecosystem connecting with knowledge bases, wikis, and workflow tools

Target Audience

Scribe primarily targets:

• Customer success and support teams creating help documentation
• Operations teams documenting SOPs and workflows
• HR and L&D teams building training materials
• IT teams creating onboarding and software implementation guides
• Consultants and agencies producing client deliverables

What is ShareX?

ShareX is a free, open-source screen capture, file sharing, and productivity tool exclusively for Windows. Originally released in 2007 and actively developed for over 18 years, ShareX has built a loyal following among power users, developers, and technical professionals who value its extensive customization options and zero-cost model.

Core Value Proposition

ShareX's value lies in its flexibility and comprehensiveness as a screen capture solution with no financial barrier to entry. It offers an impressive array of capture methods, annotation tools, and upload destinations—all completely free with no watermarks, advertisements, or feature limitations.

Key Features (Pricing-Relevant)

• Multiple capture methods (fullscreen, window, region, scrolling capture, screen recording)
• Advanced annotation tools (shapes, arrows, text, blur, pixelate, effects)
• 80+ upload destinations including custom uploader support
• Screen recording with video and GIF output options
• Productivity tools (color picker, ruler, OCR, QR code generator)
• Image effects and editing with extensive customization
• Workflow automation through customizable hotkeys and actions
• No cloud dependency—all processing happens locally

What ShareX Doesn't Offer

Unlike Scribe, ShareX does not provide:

• Automatic process documentation or AI-powered guide generation
• Step-by-step workflow capture with automatic annotations
• Cloud-based collaboration or team features
• Native integrations with knowledge bases or LMS platforms
• Enterprise security features like SSO or data governance
• Official customer support (community-supported only)

Target Audience

ShareX primarily appeals to:

• Individual content creators and developers
• Technical users comfortable with configuration and customization
• Budget-conscious organizations needing basic screen capture
• Windows power users who value open-source software
• Anyone needing a free alternative to paid screenshot tools

Pricing Head-to-Head: Scribe vs. ShareX (2026)

Cost Example for a 10-Person Team (Annual):

• Scribe Pro Team: $1,440/year ($12/user/month × 10 users × 12 months)
• ShareX: $0/year

Pricing Deep Dive: What You're Really Paying For

Scribe's SaaS Model: Paying for Automation and Intelligence

Scribe's pricing reflects its position as a venture-backed SaaS company investing heavily in AI capabilities and enterprise features. Here's what you're paying for at each tier:

Basic (Free)

• What you get: Web-based capture only, unlimited guide creation, basic customization, link/embed sharing
• Limitations: No desktop capture, no custom branding, no advanced exports, no redaction tools
• Best for: Individual users testing the platform or creating simple web-based guides

Pro Personal ($23/user/month, or $18.40 with annual billing)

• What you get: Desktop capture, custom branding, PDF/HTML/Markdown export, screenshot editing, manual redaction
• ROI consideration: At $276/year, you need to save about 5-6 hours annually (at a $50/hour value) to break even
• Best for: Solo consultants, freelancers, or individual contributors creating branded documentation regularly

Pro Team ($12/user/month with 5-seat minimum = $60/month base, or $48/month with annual billing)

• What you get: Everything in Personal plus team collaboration (comments, shared workspaces), better per-seat economics
• The 5-seat minimum: Even with 2-3 active users, you pay for 5 seats ($720/year)
• Scaling costs: A 20-person team pays $2,880/year; 50-person team pays $7,200/year
• Best for: Teams of 5+ who need collaborative documentation with consistent branding

Enterprise (Custom Pricing)

• What you get: Auto-redaction of PII/PHI, SSO authentication, SCIM provisioning, role-based access control, multi-team governance, custom security review
• Pricing reality: Based on user reports, Enterprise starts around $39/user/month plus a $1,300/month platform fee (approximately $18,000/year for 5 users)
• Best for: Organizations with strict compliance requirements (HIPAA, SOC 2) or complex multi-team structures

ShareX's Free Model: What "Free" Really Means

ShareX's zero-cost model is genuine—there are no hidden fees, upsells, or premium versions. However, "free" doesn't mean without cost:

What Free Includes

• Complete feature access: Every capture method, annotation tool, and upload destination without limitation
• No usage limits: Unlimited captures, recordings, and processing
• No data collection: All processing happens locally; no cloud accounts or data sharing required
• Open-source transparency: Full access to source code for customization or security audit

The Hidden Costs of "Free"

• Time investment: Steeper learning curve requires hours of configuration for optimal workflow
• Manual processes: No AI automation means manually creating step-by-step guides from captures
• Windows-only limitation: Mac and Linux users need alternative solutions
• No official support: Community forums are helpful but can't guarantee timely resolution
• Enterprise gap: No SSO, user management, or compliance features for regulated industries
• Opportunity cost: What you save in subscription fees may be offset by additional manual work

The Automation Value Gap

The fundamental pricing difference reflects each tool's approach to documentation:

Scribe's value proposition: "We'll automatically generate your documentation as you work, saving hours of manual effort." You're paying for time savings through AI automation.

ShareX's value proposition: "We'll give you powerful capture and editing tools, but you'll assemble the documentation manually." You're trading money for time and effort.

For a team creating 10 guides per week:

• With Scribe: ~30 minutes per guide × 10 guides = 5 hours/week saved through automation
• With ShareX: ~60 minutes per guide × 10 guides = 10 hours/week of manual work
• Time differential: 5 hours/week × $50/hour = $250/week in labor costs

At this scale, Scribe's $60/month team plan ($13.85/week) delivers clear ROI. But if you're creating 1-2 guides per month, ShareX's zero cost is hard to beat.

Pricing-Optimal Use Cases: When Each Model Makes Sense

When Scribe's Pricing Makes Sense

1. High-Volume Documentation Teams

Scenario: Customer support team creating 50+ guides monthly

Why Scribe: Automation ROI justifies $12-23/user/month when each guide saves 30+ minutes

Breakeven: Creating 2-3 guides per user per month covers subscription cost in time savings

2. Client-Facing Consultants

Scenario: Solo consultant delivering branded training materials to clients

Why Scribe: Pro Personal ($23/month) enables professional branding and multiple export formats

Value add: Can charge premium for polished deliverables that justify the monthly cost

3. Compliance-Driven Industries

Scenario: Healthcare or financial services requiring PII/PHI redaction

Why Scribe: Enterprise plan's automatic redaction and audit trails are worth premium pricing

Alternative cost: Manual redaction compliance violations could cost far more than subscription

4. Cross-Platform Organizations

Scenario: Mixed Mac/Windows environment needing consistent documentation

Why Scribe: Platform-agnostic browser extensions work everywhere; ShareX doesn't

Hidden ShareX cost: Need to purchase separate Mac tool, fragmenting workflow

When ShareX's Free Model Makes Sense

1. Individual Content Creators

Scenario: YouTuber or blogger needing screen captures for content

Why ShareX: Zero cost for unlimited captures, recordings, and editing

Budget reality: $23/month for Scribe might exceed content monetization revenue

2. Low-Volume Documentation

Scenario: Small team creating 1-2 internal guides monthly

Why ShareX: Manual assembly time (1-2 hours/month) costs less than Scribe subscription

Math: 2 hours/month × $50/hour = $100 labor vs. $60-720/month Scribe subscription

3. Budget-Constrained Startups

Scenario: Early-stage company with no documentation budget

Why ShareX: Functional tool costs zero vs. $720/year minimum for Scribe Pro Team

Growth path: Can start with ShareX, migrate to paid tool as revenue allows

4. Technical Teams With Time

Scenario: Developer team comfortable with configuration and manual processes

Why ShareX: Powerful customization appeals to technical users; open-source ethos aligns with team culture

Time trade-off: Initial setup investment pays off with zero ongoing costs

When Neither Pricing Model Is Optimal

The Growing Middle Ground

Many organizations find themselves in a challenging middle position:

• Too complex for ShareX: Need automation and collaboration but can't justify the manual effort
• Too expensive for Scribe's ROI: Per-seat costs multiply quickly across departments
• Feature misalignment: Scribe lacks video capabilities; ShareX lacks AI documentation
• Platform limitations: ShareX is Windows-only; Scribe's free tier is too restrictive

This gap creates demand for alternatives that offer AI-powered automation without per-seat costs spiraling out of control as teams scale—precisely where Guidde's pricing model and capabilities shine.

Total Cost of Ownership Analysis

Understanding the true cost means looking beyond monthly subscription fees to calculate total cost of ownership (TCO) including time, training, and opportunity costs.

Scribe TCO Calculation (10-Person Team, 1 Year)

Value Delivered: If team creates 20 guides/month and Scribe saves 30 min per guide:
20 guides × 30 min × 12 months = 120 hours saved × $50/hour = $6,000 annual value

Net Benefit: $6,000 value - $3,040 TCO = $2,960 first-year ROI (97% return)

ShareX TCO Calculation (10-Person Team, 1 Year)

Key Insight: While ShareX has zero subscription cost, the labor cost of manual documentation assembly ($6,000/year) far exceeds Scribe's subscription fee ($1,440/year) for high-volume documentation teams.

The Crossover Point

ShareX's free model is more cost-effective when:

• Creating fewer than 5 guides per month (150 minutes/month manual work = $125 labor cost vs. $120 Scribe subscription)
• Working solo or with 1-2 users (training overhead is minimal)
• Primary need is screen capture, not documentation (no manual assembly time)

Scribe's paid model becomes more cost-effective when:

• Creating 10+ guides per month (automation ROI exceeds subscription cost)
• Team of 5+ users (per-seat cost is justified by time savings)
• Need collaboration features (manual workarounds with ShareX are expensive)

Pricing-Focused Pros & Cons

Scribe Pricing: Pros

• Clear ROI for high-volume users: Time savings from automation quickly exceed subscription cost for teams creating 10+ guides monthly
• Predictable scaling: Per-seat pricing is transparent and easy to budget as teams grow
• Free tier for testing: Basic plan allows risk-free evaluation before committing to paid plans
• 20% annual discount: Annual billing reduces effective monthly cost ($18.40 for Personal, $9.60 per seat for Team)
• No hidden fees: All features clearly tied to plan tiers with no usage-based charges or surprise costs
• Education/nonprofit discounts: Special pricing for qualifying organizations reduces barrier to entry
• Enterprise flexibility: Custom pricing allows negotiation for large deployments or specific requirements

Scribe Pricing: Cons

• 5-seat minimum for Team plan: Small teams pay for unused licenses ($720/year even with 2-3 active users)
• Desktop capture paywall: Even Pro Personal ($276/year) is required for non-web app documentation
• Rapid cost escalation: Growing from 10 to 50 users increases annual cost from $1,440 to $7,200
• Enterprise pricing opacity: Custom pricing lacks transparency; reports suggest $18,000+ annual minimums
• Feature fragmentation: Critical features (auto-redaction, SSO) locked behind expensive Enterprise tier
• Subscription fatigue: Another SaaS subscription adds to growing tool stack and budget strain
• No perpetual license: Stop paying, lose access to all guides and content created in platform
• Poor value for low-volume use: Paying $23/month to create 1-2 guides is hard to justify

ShareX Pricing: Pros

• Genuinely free forever: No subscription, no trial expiration, no feature limitations, no watermarks
• Zero barrier to entry: Anyone can download and use immediately without budget approval
• No per-seat costs: Deploy to 5 users or 500 users at identical zero cost
• Open-source transparency: No vendor lock-in, no price increases, full control over software
• One-time investment: Initial learning curve is the only "cost"—no recurring payments
• Budget-friendly for startups: Functional documentation tool without burning limited runway
• No financial risk: Test extensively without worrying about trial periods or credit card requirements
• Community-supported development: Improvements funded by donations, not subscription revenue extraction

ShareX Pricing: Cons

• High hidden labor costs: Manual documentation assembly can cost more in time than Scribe subscriptions
• Steep learning curve tax: Initial configuration requires significant time investment (4+ hours per user)
• No official support: Community forums can't guarantee timely problem resolution; time is money
• Windows-only limitation: Mac/Linux users need to purchase alternative tools, negating "free" benefit
• Missing enterprise features: No SSO, user management, or compliance tools means can't scale in regulated industries
• Opportunity cost: Time spent on manual processes could be used for higher-value work
• No collaboration built-in: Manual workarounds for team sharing add complexity and hidden costs
• Feature development uncertainty: Donation-based model means no guaranteed roadmap or feature delivery

Strategic Pricing Considerations

Scribe's pricing strategy optimizes for:

• Teams prioritizing automation and time savings over upfront cost
• Organizations with budget for SaaS tools and need for vendor support
• Use cases where collaboration and compliance justify subscription fees

ShareX's free model optimizes for:

• Individual users and budget-constrained small teams
• Technical users comfortable with DIY configuration and troubleshooting
• Use cases focused on capture/recording rather than guided documentation

Neither model is optimal for:

• Mid-sized teams (10-50 users) needing AI automation without enterprise-tier pricing
• Organizations wanting video guides plus documentation in one platform
• Cross-platform environments where ShareX doesn't work but Scribe is too expensive
• Teams needing better-than-ShareX automation without Scribe's per-seat cost scaling

The Verdict: Pricing Models for Different Priorities

After analyzing pricing structures, total cost of ownership, and value delivery, here's how to decide between Scribe and ShareX based on budget and needs:

Choose Scribe's Paid Plans When:

• Your team creates 10+ guides per month and automation ROI exceeds subscription cost
• You need cross-platform support (Mac/Windows/browser) that ShareX can't provide
• Your use case involves client-facing deliverables requiring professional branding
• You work in regulated industries (healthcare, finance) needing compliance features
• Team collaboration and sharing are core requirements worth paying for
• You value vendor support and guaranteed uptime over managing open-source tools
• Your budget accommodates $12-23/user/month and per-seat scaling makes sense

Choose ShareX's Free Model When:

• You're an individual user or very small team (1-3 people) with zero budget
• Documentation volume is low (fewer than 5 guides per month)
• You're on Windows and don't need Mac/Linux compatibility
• Your primary need is screen capture and recording, not automated guide generation
• You're technically comfortable with configuration and troubleshooting
• You value open-source software and don't need vendor support
• Time investment for manual work is acceptable given zero financial cost

Consider Alternatives When:

• You're in the middle ground: need automation but Scribe's scaling costs are prohibitive
• You want video guide creation plus documentation in a single platform
• Your team is 10-50 users and per-seat costs quickly become unsustainable
• You need enterprise features without enterprise pricing
• Neither tool's feature set truly aligns with your modern documentation workflow

The Honest Reality

Scribe and ShareX represent opposite ends of the pricing spectrum, but both have significant limitations:

Scribe's challenge: Excellent AI automation, but per-seat pricing can reach $7,200-$18,000+ annually for mid-sized teams. The 5-seat minimum and feature gatekeeping (desktop capture behind paywall, enterprise security requiring custom pricing) create friction for growing organizations.

ShareX's challenge: Genuinely free and feature-rich for capture, but the manual effort required to transform screenshots into polished documentation creates hidden labor costs that exceed paid alternatives for most professional use cases. Windows-only support is a dealbreaker for many teams.

The market gap: Organizations increasingly need AI-powered automation at scale without per-seat costs spiraling out of control. They want ShareX's accessibility and comprehensive features combined with Scribe's intelligence and ease of use—ideally with video capabilities that neither offers well.

This gap is precisely where next-generation platforms like Guidde have emerged, offering AI-driven video and documentation creation that's 11x faster than traditional methods, without the pricing limitations of either Scribe or ShareX. For teams that need professional results without budget strain or manual work, exploring modern alternatives may deliver the best balance of cost, capabilities, and value.

Why Consider Alternatives to Both Scribe and ShareX?

While Scribe and ShareX each excel in their respective domains, both platforms share critical limitations that are increasingly problematic for modern documentation workflows in 2026:

Shared Limitation #1: No Unified Video + Documentation Platform

The problem: Scribe focuses on step-by-step screenshot guides but lacks robust video guide creation. ShareX can record screens but provides no automatic documentation or voiceover capabilities. Teams end up using multiple tools—one for video, one for screenshots, one for editing—creating workflow fragmentation.

How this impacts you:

• Switching between tools wastes time and breaks creative flow
• Maintaining consistency across video and text documentation becomes manual work
• Total cost increases when paying for multiple subscriptions or learning multiple tools
• Viewers get inconsistent experiences across different content formats

Shared Limitation #2: The Pricing-Performance Gap

The problem: Scribe's per-seat model becomes expensive as teams scale ($7,200/year for 50 users), while ShareX's free model requires manual work that costs more in labor than subscription fees for active documentation teams. Neither offers the sweet spot of powerful automation at accessible pricing.

How this impacts you:

• Budget-constrained teams sacrifice automation for affordability (ShareX)
• Growing teams face difficult decisions about who gets expensive Scribe licenses
• CFOs question ROI when per-seat costs multiply across departments
• Hidden costs (manual assembly time or subscription fees) drain resources

Shared Limitation #3: Speed and Efficiency Ceiling

The problem: Even with Scribe's automation, creating comprehensive documentation still takes 15-20 minutes per guide (down from hours, but still significant). ShareX requires even more time for manual assembly. Neither platform approaches the speed possible with next-generation AI.

How this impacts you:

• Documentation backlogs grow faster than teams can address them
• Time-sensitive training needs (new feature launches, urgent updates) remain bottlenecks
• Subject matter experts spend hours on documentation instead of higher-value work
• Competitive advantage suffers when you can't document and train fast enough

Shared Limitation #4: Limited AI Intelligence

The problem: Scribe uses AI for capture but not for optimization, personalization, or multi-format generation. ShareX has no AI at all. Neither platform leverages modern AI capabilities for voiceover generation, smart editing, or adaptive content delivery.

How this impacts you:

• Every guide requires manual voiceover recording or text writing
• No automatic translation or localization for global teams
• Can't personalize content for different learner needs or roles
• Miss opportunities for AI-powered workflow optimization and insights

Introducing Guidde: The Next-Generation Alternative

Guidde represents a fundamentally different approach to knowledge sharing—one that addresses the core limitations both Scribe and ShareX share:

🚀 11x Faster Creation

Guidde's AI-powered platform creates comprehensive video guides in minutes, not hours. While Scribe saves time versus manual methods and ShareX requires significant manual work, Guidde uses advanced AI to:

• Automatically generate professional video guides with AI voiceovers in 100+ languages
• Instantly transform video guides into step-by-step documentation
• Create both video and text formats simultaneously—no need to choose
• Deliver polished, branded content in the time it takes to perform a task once

Real-world impact: Teams report creating guides in 2-3 minutes that previously took 30-45 minutes with other tools, accelerating time-to-value by 11x.

💰 Pricing That Scales Without Pain

Unlike Scribe's per-seat multiplication ($7,200+ for 50 users) or ShareX's hidden labor costs, Guidde offers:

• Transparent, team-based pricing that doesn't punish growth
• Free plan with generous limits for small teams and individuals
• Pro plans starting at accessible price points without 5-seat minimums
• Enterprise features available at mid-market pricing, not enterprise-only gates

Cost comparison example (25-user team, annual):

• Scribe Pro Team: ~$3,600/year
• ShareX: $0 subscription + $15,000 in manual assembly labor = $15,000 effective cost
• Guidde: Competitive pricing with superior automation, typically 40-60% less than Scribe at scale

🎥 Unified Video + Documentation Platform

Guidde eliminates tool fragmentation by providing:

• AI-powered video guides with automatic voiceover in 100+ languages
• Interactive documentation generated from the same capture—no separate creation process
• Smart editing with automatic trimming, annotations, and branding
• Multi-format export to share the same content as video, article, or embedded guide

Create once, deliver everywhere—video for visual learners, text for quick reference, embedded guides for in-app support.

🏢 Enterprise-Ready Without Enterprise Pricing

Guidde delivers capabilities that Scribe locks behind expensive Enterprise tiers and ShareX can't provide at all:

• Advanced security: SOC 2 Type II compliance, SSO, and role-based access control
• Team collaboration: Comments, approvals, version control, and shared workspaces
• Brand consistency: Custom branding, templates, and style guides across all content
• Analytics & insights: Track engagement, identify knowledge gaps, and optimize content
• Integration ecosystem: Connect with LMS, knowledge bases, CRM, and workflow tools

📊 Proven Results at Scale

Organizations switching to Guidde report measurable improvements:

• 11x faster guide creation versus traditional screenshot-and-edit methods
• 60% reduction in support ticket volume through better self-service documentation
• 89% time savings on training material development for HR and L&D teams
• 3x increase in documentation output without adding headcount
• 40% cost reduction versus previous multi-tool stacks (screen recorder + editor + hosting)

The Guidde Advantage: Best of Both Worlds

Who Should Choose Guidde Over Scribe or ShareX?

• Growing teams (10-100 users) who need automation without per-seat costs spiraling out of control
• L&D and training teams who need both video and documentation from a single workflow
• Customer success teams creating high volumes of content and needing maximum speed
• Global organizations requiring multi-language support without manual translation
• Cost-conscious companies seeking enterprise capabilities at accessible price points
• Anyone frustrated by Scribe's pricing or ShareX's manual limitations

See the Difference Yourself

Don't settle for the limitations of traditional screenshot tools or the escalating costs of per-seat SaaS models. Try Guidde free and experience:

• AI-powered video guide creation in minutes, not hours
• Automatic voiceover generation in 100+ languages
• Unified video and documentation workflow
• Enterprise features without enterprise pricing
• 11x faster content creation that transforms how your team works

Start creating with Guidde today →

Or schedule a demo to see how Guidde can solve the limitations you've experienced with Scribe, ShareX, or your current documentation stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scribe really free?

Scribe offers a free Basic plan that includes unlimited guide creation, web-based capture, and basic sharing via link/embed. However, key features like desktop capture, custom branding, PDF export, and screenshot editing require the paid Pro plans starting at $23/user/month (Personal) or $12/user/month (Team plan with 5-seat minimum).

Is ShareX completely free?

Yes. ShareX is genuinely free and open-source software (GPLv3 license) with no paid tiers, subscriptions, advertisements, or feature limitations. All capture methods, annotation tools, and upload destinations are available at zero cost. However, it's Windows-only and requires manual work to create documentation.

How much does Scribe cost for a team?

Scribe Pro Team costs $12 per user per month (annual billing) or $15 per user per month (monthly billing), with a 5-seat minimum. This means the starting cost is $60/month ($720/year) even if you only have 2-3 active users. A 10-person team pays $1,440 annually; a 25-person team pays $3,600 annually.

Does ShareX work on Mac?

No. ShareX is Windows-only software and does not have a Mac version. Mac users need alternative tools like CleanShot X, Snagit, or browser-based solutions like Scribe or Guidde that work cross-platform.

What's the best alternative to both Scribe and ShareX?

Guidde is the superior alternative for most teams. It combines Scribe's AI-powered automation with comprehensive video capabilities that ShareX lacks, while offering transparent pricing that scales better than Scribe's per-seat model. Key advantages include:

• 11x faster guide creation versus traditional methods
• AI voiceover in 100+ languages (neither Scribe nor ShareX offers this)
• Unified video + documentation platform eliminating tool fragmentation
• Enterprise features at mid-market pricing, not enterprise-only tiers
• Cross-platform support (Mac, Windows, browser) unlike ShareX's Windows limitation

Guidde delivers the automation of Scribe without the escalating per-seat costs, and the accessibility of ShareX without the manual labor requirements. Try Guidde free to see the difference.

Can I use Scribe's desktop capture without paying?

No. Desktop application capture requires at minimum the Scribe Pro Personal plan ($23/user/month or $18.40 with annual billing). The free Basic plan only supports web-based capture through the browser extension.

Does ShareX require any payment for advanced features?

No. Unlike most "free" tools with premium upsells, ShareX provides every feature completely free with no limitations. There are no pro tiers, paid add-ons, or feature gates. The trade-off is that you invest time instead of money—manual documentation assembly and configuration effort versus subscription fees.

What's the total cost of ownership for Scribe vs. ShareX?

For a 10-person team creating 20 guides monthly:

• Scribe: ~$3,040 first-year TCO (subscription + training + management) with $6,000 in time savings = $2,960 net benefit
• ShareX: ~$8,500 first-year TCO ($0 subscription + $2,000 training + $6,000 manual assembly labor + $500 support) with minimal automation benefit

Scribe delivers better TCO for high-volume documentation teams. ShareX is more cost-effective only for very low-volume use (fewer than 5 guides monthly) or pure screen capture without documentation needs.

Is there a middle-ground option between free ShareX and expensive Scribe?

Yes. Guidde occupies this middle ground by offering:

• A generous free plan for individuals and small teams (more capable than Scribe Basic)
• Pro plans with transparent pricing that scales better than Scribe's per-seat model
• Superior AI automation that eliminates ShareX's manual work requirement
• Enterprise features at accessible price points, not locked behind expensive custom tiers

Guidde provides professional results without ShareX's labor costs or Scribe's pricing escalation. Explore Guidde pricing to find your optimal plan.

Does Scribe offer discounts for nonprofits or education?

Yes. Scribe offers special discounts for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and educational institutions with .edu email addresses. You need to apply through their forms and provide proof of status. Discount amounts vary and are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Can I export Scribe guides if I cancel my subscription?

With paid plans, you can export guides to PDF, HTML, and Markdown formats before canceling. However, once you cancel your subscription, you lose access to the Scribe platform and cannot create new guides or access cloud-stored content. This is a key consideration compared to ShareX, where all captures are stored locally and remain accessible forever regardless of "subscription" status (since there is none).

Explore further

• Scribe vs. ShareX: Pricing Comparison Guide 2026