What is the best alternative to Paste on Mac?

It depends on what you want. For a free, minimal option, Maccy. For a pay-once app with Paste-grade design and verifiable privacy, Copydrop ($8.99 one-time). For cross-device sync you may prefer to stay on Paste. This page lists 7 alternatives with an honest take on each.

Is there a free alternative to Paste?

Yes — Maccy is free and open source, and macOS has a basic built-in clipboard history in Spotlight. Both are genuine free alternatives; paid apps add unlimited history, rich previews and power features.

Why switch from Paste?

The most common reason is the subscription — Paste is $29.99/year, while several alternatives are a one-time purchase. Paste's cross-device sync is a real strength, so switch only if you don't need it.

← copydrop.app

7 best Paste app alternatives for Mac

Paste is a polished clipboard manager, but its subscription ($29.99/year) sends a lot of people looking for something else. Here are seven alternatives worth a look — free, pay-once and subscription — each with one honest line and a link to a deeper comparison. Full disclosure: we make Copydrop, and we'll tell you where the others win.

1. Copydrop Pay once · $8.99

Best for: Paste-grade design without the subscription.

A native Mac clipboard manager with rich previews, images/files and app-native objects pasted in their exact original form — one-time $8.99, local-first (your clipboard data never leaves your Mac, no account). The closest match to Paste's polish at a one-time price. Copydrop vs Paste →

2. Maccy Free · open source

Best for: a free, minimal, text-first history.

Fast, keyboard-first, open source. If you mostly copy text and want something free, it's genuinely excellent — start here. It lacks rich previews and image/file handling. Copydrop vs Maccy →

3. Pastebot Pay once · $12.99

Best for: text filters and sequential paste.

A well-crafted classic from Tapbots with strong text transformations. Updates have been infrequent lately, so check its release history before buying. Copydrop vs Pastebot →

4. CleanClip Pay once · tiers

Best for: paste stack and per-app collections.

A capable pay-once manager with a near-cursor popup and paste stack, sold in several price tiers. Copydrop vs CleanClip →

5. Raycast Free / subscription

Best for: people who already live in a launcher.

Clipboard history is one feature of the Raycast launcher; free tier keeps 3 months, unlimited needs Pro. Great if you use the rest of Raycast. Copydrop vs Raycast →

6. Alfred Pay once · Powerpack

Best for: existing Alfred power users.

Clipboard history ships in Alfred's Powerpack — capped retention, off by default, one feature among many. Copydrop vs Alfred →

7. The built-in macOS history Free

Best for: casual, recent-item recall.

Recent macOS keeps a short clipboard history in Spotlight — fine for the occasional "I copied over that", but no unlimited history, pinning or rich previews. Copydrop vs the built-in history →

How to choose

If cross-device sync (iPhone/iPad) is essential, staying on Paste is reasonable. If you want to stop paying yearly and keep Paste-grade design, Copydrop is the closest one-time match. If free is the priority, Maccy or the built-in history will do.

Try Copydrop free for 4 days

Full app, no card, no account. Then $8.99 once — one-time, no subscription.

Try Copydrop free

Your clipboard history never leaves your Mac.

Prices verified July 2026 from each vendor: Paste, Maccy, Pastebot, CleanClip, Raycast, Alfred. Prices change; corrections welcome at hello@copydrop.app.