People look for a Paste alternative when a subscription for a clipboard history feels heavy, when they need a tool that runs on Windows or Linux, or when they would rather keep history on one computer with no iCloud sync and no AI layer. Most move to a one-time purchase, to a free open source Mac menu, or to a cross-platform tool.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to Paste in our clipboard manager apps ranking are PastePal, Maccy and Minimal Paste. Ranking order favours the challenger over the household name, so the best-known vendors begin at place 4 where the category allows it. Choose PastePal if you want to stay on Apple devices but pay once. Every one of the 11 products below comes from Best Clipboard Manager Apps in 2026, with a note on how it departs from Paste.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Pricing: Subscription by month or year, a lifetime option, 7-day trial
Established in: Not stated by the vendor
Built for: Apple users who want unlimited history and sync, and will pay
Not for: People who only want a basic history without a payment
01
Why buyers look past Paste
01
The plans are subscription-first
Paste lists a monthly plan at USD 2.49 and an annual plan at USD 29.99, with a lifetime option beside them. The lifetime price is not shown on the pricing page we read. Someone who only wants a shelf of recent text pays every year, or has to compare a lifetime figure that is hidden until checkout.
02
It covers Apple devices only
The pages describe one app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, signed in with the same Apple Account. Nothing on them mentions Windows or Android. A person whose work laptop runs Windows, or whose team is mixed, cannot use the same tool on every machine and has to look at products for other systems.
03
More features than a plain history
Beyond history, search and pinboards, the site promotes Intelligent Clipboard suggestions and a link that gives AI tools your clipboard history as context. Both run on your Mac and you choose what to share, but readers who want only the basic list may prefer a tool that does less and stores everything locally.
you want files and notes in one panel, with clipboard as a bonus
#14
03
What each one does differently
1
PastePal
Not stated by the vendor · See profile
PastePal is sold by Indie Goodies as a one-time purchase with lifetime access and free updates, so the yearly fee goes away. The App Store version covers iPhone, iPad and Mac with sync, and a Mac-only edition is sold separately. The page says it collects no analytics. The trial length is not stated.
Switch from Paste if you want to stay on Apple devices but pay once.
Maccy is the work of one named author, Alex Rodionov, and its page promises it will always be free. Source is published under the MIT licence and history stays on your computer. It requires macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Nothing described there syncs to an iPhone, so the trade is price for convenience.
Switch from Paste if a free, local, keyboard-first Mac tool is enough.
Minimal Paste costs USD 9.99 once and the licence covers three Macs, with a 7-day trial that needs no card. The shelf lets you pin and group clips and paste files from folders you add. Password managers are ignored. It keeps history on the capturing Mac, which also means there is no phone version.
Switch from Paste if you have a few Macs and want a small one-off price.
Pastebot comes from Tapbots, LLC and sells either a one-time purchase that includes a year of updates or an App Store subscription, after a 14-day trial. Its filters rewrite a clip before pasting, and stacks paste several in order. Updates after the first year are a separate cost.
Switch from Paste if you want filters and rule-based pastebins more than sync.
CopyClip is built by FIPLAB Limited, registered in England and Wales, and has been made in London since 2009. It keeps clips in the background, pins favourites, offers plain-text paste and pastes with Cmd plus a number. The Buy page shows no amount and the trial length is not given.
Switch from Paste if you prefer a long-running UK-made Mac utility.
Clipy is run by the Clipy Project, funded through Open Collective and GitHub Sponsors, and its page says every feature is free with no plan to charge. Besides text it keeps images and lets you store snippets. The current release asks for macOS 13.0 or later. The licence is not named on the page.
Switch from Paste if you want snippets and image history with no price at all.
Flycut descends from Jumpcut and is published by TermiT on GitHub under the MIT licence. You get it from the Mac App Store or as a DRM-free download. After copying, Shift-Command-V brings the history back. An iOS version sits in the repository, though the page does not describe how it stores data.
Switch from Paste if you like a lightweight, auditable Mac tool with source you can read.
CopyQ is maintained by an individual called hluk and runs on Linux, Windows and macOS 10.15 or later. It keeps text, HTML and images in tabs, with a command line and scripting interface. Its page names no company and states no licence, so teams with procurement rules need to look further.
Switch from Paste if you switch between Linux, Windows and Mac and like scripting.
ClipboardFusion is made by Binary Fortress Software for Windows. The basic edition remains usable after the 30-day Pro trial, while Pro adds syncing the page says uses 256-bit encryption, plus advanced trigger actions. C# macros transform copied text. Pro pricing is not on the page we read.
Switch from Paste if your work computer runs Windows and you want macros and sync.
Ditto runs on Windows only and is licensed under GPLv3, credited on SourceForge to a developer named sabrogden. It can keep several computers in sync, with data encrypted across the network. The listing shows version 3.24.246.0 from 16 April 2023, so check the developer's own site for current status.
Switch from Paste if you need a free open source history tool for Windows machines.
Unclutter is made by Eugene Krupnov at UJ.Labs and is a drawer for files, notes and clipboard, opened from the top of the screen. It is sold as a lifetime licence with a 10-day trial and no card. Because the clipboard is one part of the drawer, history is a side feature.
Switch from Paste if you want files and notes in one panel, with clipboard as a bonus.
PastePal: The App Store version covers iPhone, iPad and Mac for a one-time purchase, and the trial length is not stated.
02
You want free, local and open source on the Mac
Maccy: Maccy is MIT licensed, needs macOS Sonoma 14 or later and keeps history on the computer.
03
You want to transform clips before pasting
Pastebot: Filters rewrite a clipping and stacks paste several in sequence, after a 14-day trial.
04
You work on Linux, Windows and Mac
CopyQ: It runs on all three, with tabs and a scripting interface, though no licence is stated on its page.
05
Your work computer runs Windows
ClipboardFusion: The basic edition stays usable after the 30-day Pro trial, and Pro adds encrypted syncing and macros.
04
When Paste is still the right choice
Paste stays the right choice for someone who lives on a Mac and an iPhone and copies on one to paste on the other. Unlimited history, pinboards, search and iCloud sync work together, the 7-day trial unlocks every device, and the page says the clipboard stays on your devices and private iCloud. If cost is the only issue, check the lifetime option before leaving.
05
What moving off Paste involves
01
Pinboards and history do not export by themselves
Your pinned snippets, templates and colours live inside Paste. List the ones you reuse and copy them into the new tool before the subscription ends, because the pages we read describe no export format.
02
Sync across devices may stop
Most Mac alternatives keep history on one computer. If you paste between a Mac and an iPhone every day, test whether the new tool covers the phone side, or accept that the history stays on the Mac.
03
Shortcuts and habits need resetting
Check which keyboard shortcut opens history in the new app and whether it clashes with macOS or other tools. Also set the ignore list for password managers again.
06
Questions about replacing Paste
6 answers
How much does Paste cost?
Paste lists USD 2.49 a month and USD 29.99 billed annually for the personal plan, with a lifetime option and a team plan on its website.
Prices are in USD excluding taxes and vary by country. The lifetime figure was not shown on the pricing page we read.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The first App Store subscription starts with 7 days free, and the Mac download from the website is free for 7 days with no credit card. All features and all your devices are unlocked during the trial.
Is there a free alternative to Paste?
Maccy, Clipy and Clibor describe themselves as free, and CopyQ and Ditto list downloads with no price. Maccy and Flycut publish their source under the MIT licence. Most of them cover one platform only.
Can I use Paste on Windows?
The pages we read describe Paste for Mac, iPhone and iPad only. For Windows, ClipboardFusion, Ditto and CopyQ are described as running there, so those are the ones to test.
Which alternative syncs between Apple devices?
PastePal's App Store version covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. The others in our list for Mac describe history that stays on the computer or do not say how sync works.
Does Paste send my clipboard to its servers?
The site says the clipboard stays on your device and in your private iCloud and never touches Paste's servers. Rules let it ignore passwords and sensitive apps.
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Sources
Checked 10 November 2026
Paste home: Mac, iPhone and iPad, unlimited history, pinboards, private iCloud, Intelligent Clipboard, AI tools link, Paste Team ApS.
Paste pricing: USD 2.49 monthly, USD 29.99 annual, lifetime option, 7-day trial, family and team plans.
PastePal: One-time purchase, Apple sync, Mac-only edition, no analytics.
Maccy: Free, MIT licence, macOS Sonoma 14 or later, local storage.
Minimal Paste: USD 9.99 one-time for 3 Macs, 7-day trial, local-only history.
Pastebot: Tapbots LLC, one-time purchase with a year of updates, filters, stacks, 14-day trial.
CopyClip: FIPLAB Limited, London since 2009, pinned clips, plain-text paste.
Clipy: Free, donations, snippets, image history, macOS 13.0 or later.
Flycut on GitHub: MIT licence, Jumpcut-based, Shift-Command-V, iOS version.
CopyQ: Linux, Windows and macOS, scripting, tabs, formats stored.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Written, edited and fact-checked by Sebastiaan Smits. Last reviewed 10 November 2026. How we review.
