A ZoomIt for Mac alternative built for drawing
Microsoft's ZoomIt is now on the Mac, and it's a great free tool for zooming in during a presentation. But if what you mostly do is draw on your screen, JellyDraw is made for that, and its drawings stay attached to the window they belong to.
Use JellyDraw if you want to circle, underline and sketch over your apps while you present, teach or record, and keep those drawings on the right window as you move around. It installs like any Mac app and doesn't need Screen Recording access.
- Keep ZoomIt for zooming, screen recording, snips and the break timer. The two don't clash, so you can run both.
ZoomIt for Mac in a nutshell
ZoomIt started as Mark Russinovich's Windows tool in the Sysinternals suite, and Microsoft released a free, open-source Mac version on GitHub in 2026. It lives in the menu bar and does a lot: static and live zoom, drawing and typing on the screen, screenshots and region snips, text recognition (OCR), screen recording with a built-in video editor, scrolling "panorama" captures and a break timer. Everything runs from ⌃ + number shortcuts, just like on Windows.
Why look for an alternative?
1. Drawing is a side feature in ZoomIt
ZoomIt is built around zooming. Its static zoom draws over a frozen picture of your screen, and its marks are quick pen strokes with letter keys for colors. That's ideal for pointing at something mid-talk.
JellyDraw is built around drawing. The palette stays out of the way, ink is smooth and vector-sharp, and everything you draw can be selected, moved or undone afterwards.
2. Your drawings don't follow your windows
Nothing in ZoomIt's documentation attaches drawings to a window. JellyDraw's Smart Window Anchoring does: drag the window and the drawing moves with it. Switch apps, and each app keeps its own notes for when you come back. If another window slides on top, it covers those drawings too.
3. You'd rather not install from Terminal or grant Screen Recording
ZoomIt for Mac's install instructions use Homebrew, a command-line package manager. And because it captures the screen to zoom, snip and record, it needs macOS Screen Recording permission.
JellyDraw is a normal download: open the DMG and drag it to Applications. It's signed and notarized by Apple, and it asks only for Accessibility access, which it uses to read where your windows are. It never captures or reads what's on your screen.
JellyDraw vs ZoomIt for Mac, side by side
| JellyDraw | ZoomIt for Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Drawing on your screen | Zooming and presenting |
| Drawings follow their window | Yes | Not described |
| Select and move marks afterwards | Yes | Not described |
| Price | Free · Pro $9.99 once | Free, open source |
| Install | Download, drag to Applications | Homebrew (Terminal) |
| Permissions | Accessibility only | Screen Recording (plus mic and camera for recording) |
| Pen and highlighter | Yes, free | Yes |
| Shapes and text | Pro | Yes, with arrows |
| Whiteboard | White and black, free | Blank-screen sketch pads |
| Zoom and live zoom | No | Yes |
| Screen recording | No | Yes, with editor |
| Screenshots, snips, OCR | Pro: export drawings as PNG or SVG | Yes |
| Break timer | No | Yes |
| Requires | macOS 26.2+, Apple Silicon | macOS 14+, Apple Silicon or Intel |
| Also on Windows | No | Yes, the original |
ZoomIt details from its GitHub README on October 23, 2026. "Not described" means its documentation doesn't mention the feature. Something out of date? Email support@jellydraw.app and we'll fix it.
When ZoomIt is the better pick
You need to zoom. That's ZoomIt's core, and JellyDraw doesn't zoom at all.
You want one free tool for everything: recording, snips, OCR, panoramas and a break timer.
You switch between Windows and Mac, and want the same shortcuts on both.
Your Mac can't run macOS Tahoe 26.2, or it's an Intel Mac.
Or use both
They don't get in each other's way. ZoomIt's shortcuts are ⌃ + a number, and JellyDraw's is ⌃⌥⌘Space. Its single-letter tool keys only work while you're drawing. Zoom in with ZoomIt when you need detail, and draw with JellyDraw when you want marks that stay on the right window.
Coming from ZoomIt? Here's the translation
In JellyDraw, letters pick tools and colors live on the palette. Change any letter in Settings → Shortcuts.
Questions
Is there a ZoomIt for Mac?
Yes. Microsoft publishes ZoomIt for Mac as a free, open-source app on GitHub, installed with Homebrew. It needs macOS 14 or later and Screen Recording permission.
What's a good ZoomIt alternative for drawing on a Mac?
JellyDraw. It installs from a normal download and attaches each drawing to the window under it, so drawings move with the window and stay with it when you switch apps. The free version includes the pen, highlighter, eraser, whiteboard and window anchoring. Pro adds shapes, text and export for a one-time $9.99.
Can I use ZoomIt and JellyDraw together?
Yes. Their shortcuts don't clash, so you can zoom with ZoomIt and draw with JellyDraw.
Does JellyDraw need Screen Recording permission?
No. It asks only for Accessibility access, to read the position and size of the window you're drawing on. It never captures or reads what's on your screen.
Does JellyDraw zoom like ZoomIt?
No. JellyDraw doesn't zoom, record the screen, take snips, run OCR or show a break timer. For those, use ZoomIt, alone or alongside JellyDraw.
Draw on your Mac. Keep it on the window.
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