PeekPeek vs the ChatGPT app's screenshot tool
The ChatGPT app for Mac can attach a screenshot to a chat in one step. Peek works in front of any AI, and cleans the capture before it goes anywhere.
Use ChatGPT's tool if you
- only ever paste screens into ChatGPT
- want the screenshot in the chat with no extra app
- are capturing a whole window with nothing private in it
Pick Peek if you
- move between ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and terminal agents
- want secrets masked before the capture leaves your Mac
- want the exact text and a description, not only an image
At a glance
| Compared | Peek | ChatGPT app |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Any AI tool: chat apps, AI editors, terminal agents | ChatGPT chats[7] |
| What you capture | Any area, a window or the full screen | An open application window[7] |
| Text in the capture | Read on your Mac and sent as text with the description | Not on their page |
| Secrets | Finds API keys, tokens, passwords, card numbers and emails; masks and blurs them before sending | Not on their page |
| Permissions | Screen Recording | Screen and audio recording[7] |
| Coding agents | MCP server with 9 tools and the peek command | Not on their page |
| Price | Free plan. Pro $39 once, launch price | Part of the ChatGPT app[7] |
What ChatGPT's tool does well
It's already there if you use the app. Open the prompt window or the launcher, click the Plus icon and hover Take Screenshot to see every open window. You can also type an app's name in the launcher to capture its window. The screenshot lands in a new chat or the one you're in. For a quick question about one window, that's hard to beat.[7]
What Peek adds when the screenshot is for an AI
Secrets go first
Peek finds keys, tokens, passwords, card numbers and emails on its own, before any AI sees the capture. On every plan.
Written for where you paste
Prose for chat apps, Markdown for AI editors, compact text with the git branch for terminal agents.
Agents fetch it themselves
Claude Code, Codex and Cursor read captures through MCP or
peek last. No saving and attaching.
Using both
Peek's AI chat format is written for pasting into ChatGPT. Press ⌃⌘P, drag over the part that matters and paste into the ChatGPT app: you get masked text, a description and the blurred image in the same chat. Peek's descriptions run on your Claude Code login or your own Claude or Gemini key, so no extra ChatGPT plan is needed.
Questions
Does ChatGPT's screenshot tool hide API keys?
Its help article doesn't mention hiding anything. Peek masks API keys, tokens, passwords, card numbers and emails on every plan.
Can I capture part of a window with ChatGPT's tool?
Its help article describes capturing open windows. With Peek you drag over any area.
What about Claude's own screenshot shortcut?
Claude Desktop has one too. See Peek vs Claude's quick entry.
Sources
- ChatGPT macOS app, Screenshot Tool, OpenAI Help Center, checked 2026-10-18
Facts about Peek come from Peek's README. ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI; this page isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it.