Looking for a Presentify alternative on Mac? Try JellyDraw
Presentify is a good screen annotation app. But its drawings stay where you drew them on the screen, and there's no free version. JellyDraw keeps each drawing on the window it belongs to, and the core tools are free.
Switch to JellyDraw if you move between windows and apps while you present, teach or record. Your drawings follow their window instead of staying stuck to the screen, and you can start free.
- Stay with Presentify if you rely on its cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom or auto-erasing ink, or if your Mac can't run macOS Tahoe 26.2.
Presentify in a nutshell
Presentify, from Softal, is a long-running menu bar app for annotating your screen. You can draw and type with shapes, gradient colors and a highlighter, let your ink fade away automatically, and switch to a whiteboard. It's also strong on presenter effects: it can highlight your cursor, dim everything around it, and zoom in. It costs $14.99 on the Mac App Store, or comes with a Setapp subscription.
Why people look for an alternative
1. Drawings don't follow your windows
Presentify, like almost every screen drawing app, draws on a transparent layer fixed to the screen. Move the window you were explaining and your circle is left behind. Press ⌘Tab to another app and your notes end up on top of it.
JellyDraw's Smart Window Anchoring attaches each drawing to the window under it. Drag the window and the drawing moves with it. Switch apps, and each app keeps its own notes, so they're still there when you come back. If another window slides on top, it covers those drawings too, as you'd expect.
2. There's no free version
To use Presentify you buy it for $14.99 or subscribe through Setapp, which has a 7-day trial. JellyDraw's free version has no time limit and already includes window anchoring, the pen, highlighter, eraser, whiteboard and blackboard. Upgrade to Pro once, for $9.99, when you want rectangles, ovals, lines, text and export.
3. You want to get back to your apps without losing your notes
While you're annotating in Presentify, you hold a key (Fn, or Caps Lock) to click through to the app underneath. In JellyDraw you press Esc: your Mac works normally and your drawings stay on their windows until you clear them. Press ⌃⌥⌘Space to draw again.
JellyDraw vs Presentify, side by side
| JellyDraw | Presentify | |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings follow their window | Yes | No, fixed to the screen |
| Notes stay with each app when you switch | Yes | No |
| Price | Free · Pro $9.99 once | $14.99, or via Setapp |
| Free to keep using | Yes | No (7-day Setapp trial) |
| Pen, highlighter, eraser | Yes, free | Yes |
| Shapes and text | Pro | Yes |
| Select, move, undo and redo | Yes, free | Yes |
| Whiteboard | White and black, free | White, green and red |
| Every display | Yes | Yes |
| Export | Pro: drawings as PNG or SVG | Screenshot of the annotated screen |
| Cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom | No | Yes |
| Auto-erasing ink | No | Yes |
| Data collected | None | None, per its App Store label |
| Requires | macOS 26.2+, Apple Silicon | macOS 13+ |
Presentify details from its Mac App Store and Setapp listings on October 23, 2026. Something out of date? Email support@jellydraw.app and we'll fix it.
When Presentify is still the better pick
We'd rather you end up with the right app. Choose Presentify if:
You use presenter effects more than drawing. Cursor highlight, spotlight and zoom are Presentify's strengths, and JellyDraw doesn't have them.
You like ink that disappears by itself. Presentify's auto-erase fades each mark after you draw it.
Your Mac is older. JellyDraw needs macOS 26.2 (Tahoe) on Apple Silicon. Presentify runs on macOS 13 or later.
You already pay for Setapp. Presentify is included.
Switching from Presentify takes two minutes
Download JellyDraw and drag it to Applications. It lives in your menu bar, not the Dock.
Allow Accessibility access when the welcome guide asks. JellyDraw uses it only to read where your windows are, so drawings can follow them. It never reads what's inside them or records your screen.
Press ⌃⌥⌘Space from any app and draw. Press Esc when you're done.
The keys you'll use most, while drawing:
Used to different letters? Change any of them in JellyDraw's Settings → Shortcuts.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Presentify?
Yes. JellyDraw's free version has no time limit and includes the pen, highlighter, eraser, select and move, undo and redo, whiteboard and blackboard, drawing on every display, and Smart Window Anchoring. Pro adds shapes, text and export for a one-time $9.99. ZoomIt for Mac and DrawPen are free too; see our comparison of seven Mac screen drawing apps.
What's the difference between JellyDraw and Presentify?
Presentify draws on a layer fixed to the screen and has more presenter effects: cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom and auto-erasing ink. JellyDraw attaches each drawing to the window under it, so drawings move with the window and stay with it when you switch apps, and it has a free version.
Does JellyDraw have a cursor highlight or spotlight?
No. JellyDraw focuses on drawing, and doesn't have cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom or auto-fading ink. If those are what you use most, Presentify is the better fit.
Can I use my Mac normally while drawings are on screen?
Yes. Press Esc to leave drawing mode and your Mac works as usual, with no key to hold. Your drawings stay on their windows until you clear them.
Will people see my drawings when I share my screen?
Yes, when you share your entire screen in Zoom, Meet, Teams or OBS. If you share a single window, most apps capture just that window, without the drawings on top. That's true for Presentify too.
What if JellyDraw Pro isn't for me?
Pro has a 14-day refund, no questions asked. Email support@jellydraw.app.
Try the Presentify alternative that follows your windows
JellyDraw is free to download, with window anchoring included. Upgrade to Pro once for $9.99 when you want shapes, text and export.
macOS 26.2 or later · Apple Silicon · 14-day refund on Pro