A clipboard manager is one of the highest-value utilities you can add to a Mac, because the built-in clipboard keeps only your last copy. But which one? Here's a fair comparison of the main contenders in 2026.
The short answer
For most people, maccy is the best pick: it's free, open source, fast, private, and does the core job — searchable history, pinning, plain-text paste — better than tools that cost money. Paid apps make sense only if you need their specific extras.
The contenders at a glance
| Tool | Price | Open source | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maccy | Free | Yes (MIT) | Most users; privacy; keyboard-first |
| Paste | Subscription | No | Cloud pinboards across devices |
| Raycast | Free / paid | No | Those who want clipboard inside a launcher |
| Alfred | Paid (Powerpack) | No | Power users deep in Alfred workflows |
| Pastebot | One-time | No | Scripted paste filters and sequences |
Maccy — the all-round pick
Maccy focuses on doing the essentials exceptionally well: instant fuzzy search, pinning, plain-text paste, and a tiny footprint. It stores everything locally with no telemetry and ignores password-manager entries automatically. Because it's open source, those privacy claims are verifiable — see is maccy safe.
Maccy — a free, open-source clipboard manager
Our pick for most Mac users: it keeps a searchable history of everything you copy, stays entirely on your Mac, and costs nothing. Open it with ⌘⇧C.
Paste — if you want cloud pinboards
Paste is polished and syncs visual pinboards across your Apple devices, which some people love. The trade-offs are a subscription and a heavier, closed-source app. The detailed head-to-head is in maccy vs paste.
Raycast & Alfred — clipboard inside a launcher
If you already live in Raycast or Alfred, their clipboard history is convenient. But it ties your clipboard to a launcher, and a dedicated tool is more focused. Many people happily run a launcher and Maccy together.
Pastebot — for scripted transformations
Pastebot shines if you transform text on paste with filters and sequences. It's a one-time purchase and a fair pick for that niche.
How to choose
Want cloud pinboards? Paste. Need scripted paste filters? Pastebot. Want the best free, private, do-the-job-well option? Maccy. For the full field, see the top 10 clipboard managers for mac and the best clipboard manager for mac guide.