Epic Pen for Mac — Epic Pen vs. SketchMouse (macOS Alternative)
Epic Pen is available for Mac as well as Windows. If you are choosing a tool to draw over your screen during lessons, demos, and meetings on macOS, SketchMouse is one alternative worth comparing: nine annotation tools on a transparent overlay, activated with a global hotkey, working over any app on any monitor — plus a cursor spotlight, magnifier, effects, and a timer. Here's how the two compare and what to consider before you choose. Epic Pen on Mac Epic Pen made on-screen drawing simple on Win
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Epic Pen available for Mac?
Yes. Epic Pen has been available for macOS since 2022 (see epicpen.com), alongside its Windows version. If you want to compare it with a Mac-only app, SketchMouse offers the same draw-on-your-live-screen workflow plus a cursor spotlight, magnifier, effects, and a countdown timer.
What is an Epic Pen alternative for Mac?
SketchMouse is one. Like Epic Pen, it lets you draw directly over any application on your live screen. Beyond the pen, it adds shapes, arrows, a highlighter, an eraser, a full-screen dimming cursor spotlight, a live magnifier (Looking Glass), 13 animated Spark effects, hand gesture detection, and a countdown timer — all in one Mac App Store purchase ($12.99 / €14.99). It requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later and is not available for Windows.
Can I draw over any app like with Epic Pen?
Yes. SketchMouse draws on a transparent overlay above your applications — Keynote, Chrome, VS Code, Figma, Excel, anything. The apps keep running underneath, and your annotations appear in any screen share or recording.
Is there a free screen pen for Mac?
macOS has no built-in tool for drawing on your live screen — Preview only marks up screenshots after the fact. SketchMouse is a paid one-time purchase on the Mac App Store with no subscription. Check the pricing of each tool you consider, including Epic Pen, which has a Pro tier.
Does SketchMouse work during Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet?
Yes. SketchMouse's overlay is system-level, so everything you draw is visible in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, OBS, Loom, and any other screen-sharing or recording app in real time.
Can I save what I draw on screen?
Yes. SketchMouse exports your annotated screen as PNG or PDF using Apple's ScreenCaptureKit — pixel-perfect captures for documentation, follow-ups, or tutorials.
Download SketchMouse on the Mac App Store