Best Clipboard Managers for Mac and Windows (I Tested 5)

You copied something important. Then you copied something else. Gone.

I’ve done this so many times, especially midway through building a post where I’m moving text between tabs.

One wrong Cmd+C and the thing I needed is just, gone.

You know the feeling.

That’s basically why clipboard managers exist.

So I spent a few weeks running three of them at the same time. Maccy running in the background daily, Paste when I needed to move stuff between my Mac and phone, and Ditto on a Windows PC I use sometimes.

Quick note if you’re on macOS Tahoe. Apple added clipboard history to Spotlight now. It does the basics, but no iPhone sync, no pinning, and the longest history you get is 7 days. If that works for you, try it first. If not, keep reading.

Disclosure: This post has affiliate links. I earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. But my recommendations are always my own and tested.

1. Paste: The Best One If You Work Across Mac and iPhone

Paste is one of the best clipboard managers I’ve ever used. The Pinboard feature is what got me hooked, and everything else, history search, iCloud sync, and custom rules, makes me recommend this for anyone.

However, it’s not for your Windows PC but for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad to sync across all of them. So yes, this is only for Apple devices.

Here’s what actually makes it worth $29/year:

• Beautiful, intuitive interface that makes managing clipboard history easy
• A smart organization with Pinboards for keeping related items together
• iCloud sync keeps your clipboard history available across all your Apple devices
• Pinboards let you group and revisit your most-used items
• Robust search functionality that helps you find exactly what you need
• Set custom rules for what to keep and what to exclude

Pricing: You can simply purchase from the App Store as a single subscription for all your devices at $29.99/year. Or you can try it free for 7 days, then $14.99/month as it’s part of the Setapp subscription, which comes with over 250 other Mac and iOS apps.

2. Maccy: Free, Fast, and the One I Use Every Day

Maccy is another tool for Mac users, which shows that sometimes less is more, because its interface is super simple and feels like it is built into the Mac itself. This is the one I use every single day.

This open-source clipboard manager focuses on doing one thing really well: managing your clipboard history without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

If clipboard history search is what you need on a Mac, Maccy is the simplest way to use it. Hit a keyboard shortcut, your history opens, and you search there. That’s all.

Why I use this one every single day:

• Lightning-fast performance
• Keyboard-centric interface for quick access
• Privacy-focused design that automatically excludes sensitive data
• Minimal resource usage

Pricing: The App Store version costs a few dollars, but Maccy is open source. You can grab it for free directly from GitHub. It is the same app, but you either support the developer or get it for free.

3. Ditto: The Clipboard Manager Windows Built-In Mode Can’t Touch

Ditto is the clipboard manager you’ve been looking for if you’re a Windows user, but it works as an extension to the standard Windows clipboard. What I meant is, Windows already has a built-in clipboard history; just press Win+V and turn it on.

It works, but it only keeps 25 items, and everything except pinned items disappears when you restart. I kept losing stuff I copied the day before, and that’s basically why Ditto is still on this list. If 25 items is enough for you, try Win+V first. If not, Ditto does everything it can’t.

It might not win any beauty contests with its utilitarian interface, but it more than makes up for it with functionality.

Ditto also has a solid clipboard history search built in. You can filter by content type, too, so if you copied a bunch of text and one image, finding the image is quick.

What Ditto does that Win+V can’t:

• Support for various content types
• Powerful search and filtering options
• Sync capabilities for multi-device setups
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts
• Active development and community support

Pricing: Being free makes Ditto an easy recommendation for Windows users who need a simple clipboard manager.

4. Clipboard Master: For Windows Users Who Want More Than Just History

Clipboard Master is a powerful clipboard management tool designed for Windows, letting you do more than just copy, paste, and organize your clipboard items.

If you’re someone who wants better control over your clipboard content, Clipboard Master provides the tools you need to level up your productivity.

What you get beyond just clipboard history:

• Store text, files, and images, with options for filtering and organizing.
• Create and use predefined templates for frequently used phrases
• Capture screenshots directly into Clipboard Master
• Convert text to uppercase and lowercase with simple commands
• Powerful search capabilities

Pricing: Clipboard Master is free to use.

5. PastePal: One-Time Purchase, No Subscription, Works on All Apple Devices

PastePal is the newest player in clipboard managers, with a focus on user experience and modern features that best fit today’s workflows. This is also close to what the Paste app offers, especially the interface.

Not only is it a one-time purchase for the standalone version, but it’s also universal, allowing you to use it on all Apple devices, from iPhone and iPad to Mac.

Why the one-time price makes sense:

• Sleek, modern interface with dark mode support
• Smart grouping and filtering options
• Privacy settings to control sensitive data
• Seamless integration between macOS and iOS

Pricing: PastePal is free to download, with in-app purchases priced at $14.99 (or the price in your local currency). Alternatively, you can get a single lifetime license for the Mac standalone version at AppSumo for just $10.

Maccy vs Paste: Which One is Actually Worth It?

I actually used both at the same time for a while, which is a weird thing to do but also kind of useful.

Maccy lives in your menu bar and stays invisible until you hit the shortcut. It opens instantly. You search, you paste, you’re done.

That speed is the whole thing with Maccy.

Paste is more like a layer on top of your Mac. The timeline slides up from the bottom. You can see thumbnails of what you copied, not just text previews.

If you’re copying a ton of images, design files, or screenshots while you work, that visual difference actually counts.

The iCloud sync is the real thing to think about. If you’re going back and forth between your Mac and iPhone, Paste makes the price worth it quick.

I’d copy a URL on my Mac and pull it on my phone without thinking twice. Maccy can’t do that at all.

If you don’t use your phone much for work and just want to stop losing stuff you copy, Maccy works. Free, quick, and it doesn’t get in your way.

Feature	Maccy	Paste
Price	Free	$29.99/year
iPhone sync	No	Yes (iCloud)
Interface	Menu bar, keyboard-first	Visual timeline
Best for	Quick history search	Full clipboard workflow
Open source	Yes	No

Pick Maccy if: You just want clipboard history and nothing else.

Pick Paste if: You work across Mac and iPhone and want to pin and organize clips.

One more thing that is also worth knowing is that Paste is also on Setapp, so if you’re already paying for that subscription, you’re not paying extra for Paste specifically.

Which One Should You Actually Pick?

Now you know, clipboard managers are one of those tools you won’t want to stop using once you try them.

If you’re on a Mac and want something free, just get Maccy. It does the job.

If you’re on Windows, Ditto is the one. Free, reliable, and it has a history search.

If you work across Mac and iPhone and don’t mind $29.99 a year (or $14.99/month with Setapp), Paste is the smoothest experience I’ve found.

If you want a one-time purchase on Apple devices, PastePal’s AppSumo deal at $10 is worth it.

Clipboard Master is also worth trying if you’re on Windows and want extra stuff like templates.

And once you try one, you’ll wonder how you worked without it.