Shots.so: Free Mockup Generator for Screenshots and Devices

If you need polished device mockups for social media, blog posts, or product pages and don’t want to open Figma or Photoshop, Shots.so does the job in your browser. Drop in a screenshot, pick a device frame and background, export.

It’s been around since 2022 and has become a go-to tool for indie hackers and developers who want good-looking visuals without a designer. The free tier is generous enough for most casual use.

What Shots.so does

Shots.so takes a screenshot or image and wraps it in a device frame (iPhone, MacBook, browser, iPad, Android phone, Apple Watch) on top of a customizable background. You can export the result as a static image or, on paid plans, as video.

The workflow is:

1. Upload your screenshot or paste an image
2. Choose a device frame and screenshot style
3. Pick a background (gradient, solid color, image, or AI-generated “magic” background)
4. Add effects if you want (shadows, VFX, 3D shapes)
5. Export as PNG (free) or WebP/video (paid)

No account needed to start. No watermark on free exports.

Video walkthrough

Features

Device frames

Shots.so supports a solid range of devices: iPhone (including iPhone 17), MacBook, iPad, iMac, Apple Watch, Android phones, and browser frames. You pick the device and the screenshot adapts to fit.

Screenshot styles

Multiple ways to style the screenshot inside the frame:

• Default — clean, no effects
• Glass Light / Glass Dark — frosted glass overlay
• Liquid Glass — the trendy translucent glass effect
• Inset Light / Inset Dark — recessed screen look
• Outline — wireframe border
• Border — solid border around the screen
• Shadow — drop shadow on the device

Backgrounds

This is where Shots.so stands out. Background options include:

• Solid and gradient colors with full customization
• Glass backgrounds with blur effects
• Preset collections — Cosmic, Mystic, Desktop, Abstract, Earth, Radiant, Texture, By Paper
• Unsplash integration — search and use stock photos directly
• Magic backgrounds — AI-generated backgrounds based on your uploaded media’s colors and style
• Transparent — export with no background (useful for compositing)

Effects and scenes

• VFX overlays — noise, VHS, glitch effects
• 3D shapes — geometric elements you can add to compositions
• Shadow scenes — realistic shadows cast by the device
• Scene presets — none, shadow, shapes

Frame presets and aspect ratios

Magic Preset auto-suggests layouts. You can also pick specific aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 9:16. Social media presets for Instagram, Twitter/X, and Pinterest are built in, so you don’t have to guess dimensions.

Animated mockups

On paid plans, Shots.so supports animated mockups with video zoom effects and motion presets. This is useful for Product Hunt galleries, changelog posts, or landing page hero sections where a static image isn’t enough.

Pricing

Plan	Price	What you get
Free	$0	PNG export, no watermark, all device frames, backgrounds, basic styles
Basic	~$8/month	Higher resolution exports, more export options
Pro	~$12/month	WebP export, transparent video (WebM), animated mockups, video zoom

The free tier is genuinely usable. If you only need a few static mockups per month for tweets or blog posts, you won’t need to pay. The paid plans make sense if you need video exports, WebP format, or transparent backgrounds regularly.

When to use Shots.so

Good for:

• Quick hero images for blog posts and documentation
• Social media posts showing off a product UI or app screenshot
• Developer portfolios — frame your side projects nicely
• Changelog and announcement images
• One-off mockups where speed matters more than pixel-perfect control

Not ideal for:

• App Store / Google Play screenshot submissions (no batch export for all required sizes)
• Product Hunt gallery images at specific dimensions (no dedicated template)
• OG images at 1200×630 (no built-in template)
• Team workflows with shared brand assets

If you need App Store screenshot sets or launch kits, tools like Screenhance or AppLaunchFlow are built for that. Shots.so is a single-shot beautifier, and it’s very good at that job.

Shots.so vs alternatives

Tool	Free tier	Strengths	Weaknesses
Shots.so	Generous, no watermark	Fast UI, great backgrounds, wide device library	No App Store sets, limited templates
Mokkit	Preview free, export on paid	Full keyframe animation timeline, URL screenshot capture	Fewer devices (no Android/iPad yet)
Screenhance	3 exports/month	App Store sets, animated GIF/WebM, 100+ templates	$6+ per launch or $12/month
Device Shots	Free	Simple, fast	Fewer customization options
Mockupviews	100% free	No signup, no watermark	Newer, smaller feature set

How to use Shots.so (quick start)

1. Go to shots.so — no signup required
2. Click the media area or drag and drop your screenshot
3. Select a device frame from the Device section
4. Pick a screenshot style (Glass, Inset, Outline, etc.) from Style
5. Choose a background from the Background panel — try “Magic” for auto-generated gradients
6. Adjust the layout and zoom if needed
7. Click Export in the top right, choose PNG resolution, and download

The whole process takes under a minute once you know the interface.

Conclusion

Shots.so is a solid, free mockup generator for developers and creators who want good-looking device frames without fussing with design tools. The free tier handles most use cases. The paid plans add video and advanced export formats.

It won’t replace a full design workflow or handle App Store submissions, but for the “I need a nice screenshot for this tweet or blog post” use case, it’s hard to beat for speed and quality.

Try Shots.so Free