The short version. ShareX is a screenshot and screen-recording suite for Windows that happens to upload. PicGo does not capture anything; it takes an image you already have and returns a hosted link, on Windows, macOS and Linux. If your problem is capturing on Windows, ShareX is the better tool. If your problem is publishing images from wherever you write, PicGo is. On Windows the two combine well.
They start from opposite ends
ShareX’s pipeline begins at the capture: pick a region, window or scrolling page, annotate it, run after-capture tasks, and optionally send the result to one of its built-in destinations or a .sxcu custom uploader. Uploading is one of many things that can happen at the end.
PicGo’s pipeline begins where ShareX’s ends. It never took a screenshot and does not intend to. You hand it a file — dragged in, from the clipboard, via a hotkey, pasted into an editor, or passed from a script — and it sends it to the host you configured and gives back a URL, Markdown, or HTML.
That difference explains most of the table below. It is less a feature race than two tools that meet at the upload step.
| PicGo | ShareX | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An uploader | A capture and recording suite that can upload |
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Screenshot, scrolling capture, video, GIF | No — use your OS tool or ShareX | Yes, with annotation |
| Paste-to-link inside Typora or Obsidian | Yes, via the editor’s uploader setting or plugin | Not built as an editor’s uploader |
| Programmatic access | Local HTTP API in the desktop app; PicGo-Core CLI and Node.js API | CLI arguments, named workflows, external-program Actions |
| Adding a new host | Install a picgo-plugin-* package | Write a .sxcu custom uploader |
| Rewriting links in existing Markdown | pic-migrater plugin | Not a goal of the tool |
| Hosting if you have none | Optional PicGo Cloud, free tier | Bring your own destination |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
On a Mac or Linux machine, only one of them is an option
ShareX does not run on macOS or Linux, and PicGo does not bring its capture suite there. What PicGo replaces on those systems is the other half: the part that turns a file into a link. Use the screenshot tool your OS already has (Cmd+Shift+4, GNOME Screenshot, Flameshot…), and let PicGo handle the upload and the clipboard.
This is also the practical answer for people who switch machines during the day. A Windows desktop running ShareX, a MacBook for writing and a Linux box for builds can all publish through PicGo to the same host with the same naming rules, and with configuration sync — free on every PicGo Cloud plan, with an end-to-end encrypted mode — the uploader settings, plugin configuration and hotkeys follow you rather than being retyped on each machine. Sync carries settings, not image files.
Where the upload lands matters more than how you captured it
Most people who look for a ShareX alternative are not unhappy with ShareX’s screenshots. They want the image to end up as a link in something they are writing. That is where PicGo is built to sit:
- Typora calls PicGo (desktop or PicGo-Core) when you paste an image, and replaces the local path with the hosted URL. Setup: Typora guide.
- Obsidian sends pasted images through the Image auto upload plugin to PicGo’s local server. Setup: Obsidian guide.
- Scripts can call
picgo upload ./chart.png, and a Node.js tool can import PicGo-Core and get the URL back as a return value instead of parsing another program’s output.
ShareX can do scripted uploads too, through its CLI and Actions. The difference is that PicGo’s are the same on all three operating systems and reuse the uploader and plugins you already configured in the app.
When a host goes away
The feature that tends to matter a year in is not the upload itself but what happens when a host shuts down or you move storage. PicGo’s pic-migrater plugin scans your Markdown files, re-uploads every referenced image to the new host and rewrites the links in place. It handles a single post or a whole Obsidian vault. ShareX’s job ends once an upload succeeds, so this is not something it tries to cover.
Using both on Windows
If you already rely on ShareX, you do not need to give it up. Two setups work well:
- ShareX captures, PicGo uploads. In ShareX, set after-capture tasks to save the image and copy it to the clipboard, and turn off its upload. Then use PicGo’s clipboard upload hotkey, or paste straight into Typora or Obsidian and let PicGo take it from there.
- Each keeps its own lane. ShareX uploads screenshots to its destination; PicGo handles everything that starts in your editor or on your other machines.
Pick one and stick to it per path. If both tools upload the same screenshot you end up with two copies and two URLs for one image.
When ShareX is the right answer
If your day is on Windows and involves region captures, scrolling screenshots, screen recordings or GIFs with annotations, ShareX has a far larger capture toolset than PicGo, which is not trying to be a capture tool at all. If ShareX’s built-in destinations or a .sxcu uploader already cover where your images go, and you do not write in an editor that should receive the link, there is little reason to add PicGo.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is PicGo better than ShareX?
A: They are better at different jobs. ShareX is better at capturing and recording on Windows. PicGo is better at uploading from anywhere — three operating systems, editors like Typora and Obsidian, scripts and Node.js tools — and at keeping existing Markdown links working when you change hosts.
Q: Can PicGo replace ShareX on macOS or Linux?
A: It replaces the uploading half. For capture, use your system’s screenshot tool or a dedicated one, then let PicGo turn the file into a link.
Q: Can I use PicGo and ShareX together?
A: Yes. A simple setup is ShareX capturing and copying to the clipboard with its upload turned off, and PicGo uploading from the clipboard or from your editor. Keep one uploader per path to avoid duplicates.
Q: Does switching uploaders move my existing images?
A: No. Images stay where they were uploaded, and old links keep working as long as that host does. Only new uploads go through the new tool. If you later want to move old images, pic-migrater can re-upload them and rewrite the links.
If you are choosing between Mac-native tools, see PicGo vs uPic. If you want a single command-line binary, see PicGo vs Upgit.
Public sources
- PicGo GitHub README
- PicGo-Core GitHub repository
- PicGo Markdown image migration plugin
- PicGo configuration sync documentation
- PicGo Cloud guide
- ShareX official site
- ShareX custom uploader documentation
- ShareX command-line documentation
- ShareX Actions documentation
- ShareX GPL license
Sources reviewed in September 2026. Storage-provider requirements, service limits and plugin compatibility can change; check the linked sources before installing or migrating.