Epic Pen alternative for Windows and Mac
Last updated 2026-11-03. Competitor details were checked on their official pages on that date.
Epic Pen is a popular free tool for drawing on your screen, and its free version is genuinely useful. If you are looking for an alternative, it is usually for one of three reasons: you want to pay once instead of subscribing, you also teach or present on a Mac, or you want classroom tools such as a spotlight and a blackboard in the same app. This page compares the two honestly.
Epic Pen and TeachPen at a glance
| Epic Pen | TeachPen | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | The official site describes it as running on Windows 11 and Windows 10 | Windows 10 (1809+, 64-bit) and macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon) |
| Free version | Yes, "free forever" Basic | Yes, free Basic with no watermark or time limit |
| Paid plan | Pro subscription, billed yearly or monthly, 14-day free trial (price shown at checkout on epicpen.com) | Pro $3.99/month, or $24.99 once for a lifetime license |
| What the paid plan adds | No in-app ads, 24 colors and a custom color picker, moving your license between PCs (per epicpen.com) | Shapes, text, whiteboard and blackboard, cursor highlight, spotlight, fade ink, ghost mode, custom shortcuts, moving objects, quick save and copy to clipboard |
| Activation | See epicpen.com | Purchase email and a 6-digit code. No password-based account sign-up |
Epic Pen details are taken from epicpen.com on the date above. Its feature lists change over time, so check the official site before deciding.
When Epic Pen is the better choice
- You only need a pen, a highlighter and an eraser on Windows, and you never plan to pay. Epic Pen Basic covers that well.
- You rely on pen pressure from a drawing tablet. Epic Pen lists pen pressure and multi-touch support.
When TeachPen is the better choice
You would rather pay once
TeachPen Pro is available as a lifetime license for $24.99. You buy it once and keep Pro. If you prefer to try Pro for a short period, the monthly plan is $3.99 and you can cancel before the next renewal.
You use both Windows and a Mac
TeachPen runs on Windows and macOS with the same toolbar and shortcuts. A personal license runs on one computer at a time, and you can move it by signing in on the other computer with your purchase email.
You teach live and cannot afford surprises
TeachPen checks your license softly. If our license server or your network is down, the app keeps working, so Pro does not disappear in the middle of a class. Pro only falls back to Basic after 7 days without a successful check, and it comes back as soon as you are online again.
You want classroom tools in one place
- Spotlight dims everything except the area around your cursor.
- Cursor highlight puts a colored halo around the pointer so students can follow it.
- Whiteboard and blackboard turn the screen into a clean board with one key.
- Fade ink makes marks disappear after 1 to 15 seconds, which is handy for quick pointing.
- Ghost mode lets clicks pass through to the app underneath while you hold Space, then returns to drawing when you let go.
- Copy to clipboard with Ctrl+C pastes your screen and drawing straight into a chat or slide.
Switching from Epic Pen
- Download TeachPen and install it. On Windows it installs without administrator rights.
- Press P for the pen, H for the highlighter and E for the eraser. The full list is on the shortcuts page.
- Press Ctrl+T to switch click-through on and off so you can use the app underneath. Ctrl+Alt+T works even when another app has focus.
Try TeachPen free
TeachPen Basic is free with no watermark and no time limit: pen, highlighter, eraser, lines, arrows, colors, undo and redo, click-through and PNG save. Pro adds shapes, text, whiteboard and blackboard, cursor highlight, spotlight, fade ink, ghost mode, custom shortcuts and more for $3.99 a month or $24.99 once.
Windows 10 (1809 or later, 64-bit) and macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon.