At a glance
| ZoomIt | PointerStick | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Microsoft Sysinternals | PointerStick (us) |
| Price | Free | Free; Premium $12.99 once |
| Main job | Zoom into the screen, draw, type, break timer | Replace the cursor with a big, animated pointer |
| Cursor visibility | Normal cursor (visible when zoomed in) | 3D glove on a stick, very visible |
| Click feedback | None | Tap animation, impact effect, sound |
| Use apps normally while on | Zoom and draw modes take over input until you exit them | Yes, clicks pass straight through |
| Screen recording | Yes, in recent versions | Premium: monitor or region, system audio and mic, pointer included |
| Pause / countdown | Check the current release | Premium: pause and resume, 3-2-1 countdown |
| Webcam overlay | Check the current release | Premium: optional bubble (circle or rounded, S/M/L, mirror) |
| Screenshots | Copy or save the (zoomed/annotated) screen | Premium: region, window or full screen; PNG + clipboard |
| Editing | Check the current release | Premium: simple trim and cut; export MP4 (original or 720p) or GIF |
| Annotation | Yes: pen, shapes, text, highlighter | No |
| Personality | Utilitarian | Playful, customizable |
| Platform | Windows | Windows 10 / 11 |
What ZoomIt is great at
ZoomIt is a long-standing favorite of conference speakers. With a hotkey you can zoom into any part of the screen, draw arrows and boxes on top of it, type quick annotations, and show a countdown timer for breaks. The default hotkeys are Ctrl + 1 (zoom), Ctrl + 2 (draw), Ctrl + 3 (break timer) and Ctrl + 4 (live zoom). It's free, and if you need to show small text or circle something, nothing beats it.
What PointerStick is great at
PointerStick is about pointing and clicking while you keep working normally, and the basic pointer is free. Turn it on with Ctrl + Alt + P and your cursor becomes a cartoon hand on a telescoping stick. Every click taps the screen with an effect and a sound, so viewers see exactly what you clicked. You keep using your apps as usual, and it works across every monitor. It also happens to be fun, which helps keep attention during long demos and classes.
Recording and screenshots
Both tools can now help you capture what you show. Recent versions of ZoomIt can record the screen (by default with Ctrl + 5) and copy or save screenshots, which pairs well with its zoom and drawing. Feature details change between releases, so check the current ZoomIt documentation for your version.
PointerStick Premium records a monitor or a dragged region with system audio and, optionally, your microphone, and the pointer and its tap effects are part of the video. When you stop, a small editor opens so you can trim the start and end or cut out a section before exporting an MP4 or a GIF. You can also pause, add a webcam bubble and start after a short countdown. Screenshots work by region, window or full screen and land on your clipboard as well as in your Pictures folder. If you mainly record tutorials where clicks matter, that combination is what PointerStick is built for. See screen recording with a highlighted cursor.
When to use which
- Showing tiny details (a line of code, a cell in a dense spreadsheet): ZoomIt's zoom.
- Marking up a frozen screen (circle this, arrow to that): ZoomIt's draw mode.
- Live demos with lots of clicking (software walkthroughs, tutorials, design reviews): PointerStick, since it doesn't interrupt your clicks.
- Projectors, smartboards and streams where the cursor needs to be seen from far away: PointerStick.
Can you use both?
Yes. Their default hotkeys don't overlap, so you can point and click with PointerStick and reach for ZoomIt when you need to zoom or draw. Because PointerStick is a separate on-screen overlay, how it appears inside ZoomIt's zoomed view can vary; if you prefer, toggle the pointer off before zooming.
Looking for more options? See our roundup of the best cursor highlighters for Windows.