A MultiClip alternative for Macs that should sync without being asked

How the MultiClip clipboard works

Every Mac running MultiClip advertises and browses a Bonjour service, so there is no server and no account. You type the same shared key into each Mac. The README says all traffic is AES-GCM encrypted with a key derived from that secret, and a Mac with the wrong key cannot join. It also says MultiClip does not rely on the same Apple ID, which the README gives as the whole reason the app exists.

When you copy, only metadata goes out: a preview, the size, a file list. Items from other Macs show up in the menu under From Other Devices. The README is explicit that MultiClip never writes to a remote clipboard automatically. You pick an item, and only then are its bytes fetched and placed on your clipboard. A global hot key, ⌘⌥V by default, fetches the most recent remote item and pastes it into the front app.

It handles plain text, rich text (RTF), images and files, with files moving up to a size limit you set. It keeps the last 5 local copies by default, configurable up to 50, across restarts. The Athena page lists macOS 13 or later and labels the project open source.

Stay on MultiClip for Mac if this is how you work

Keep MultiClip if pulling a copy when you want it is a feature for you, not a chore. Nothing lands on your clipboard unannounced, and any Mac with the key can offer and fetch. If every Mac sits on the same subnet, you're happy to set one shared key everywhere, and you can build or install the app yourself, it already does the job.

Two practical notes from the README. Its build script produces an ad-hoc signed app, and the README suggests signing and notarizing with an Apple Developer ID to avoid Gatekeeper friction on other Macs. When we checked, the repository had no published release, so expect to build it with Xcode.

If MultiClip isn't the fit, where to look

If you want copies to reach your other Macs without picking them, you want sync rather than pull. TandemClip is the closest match on that side: Mac-only LAN clipboard sync with pairing and encrypted links, plus history shared across your Macs. Our TandemClip alternative page covers where it and Deskferry differ.

If what you actually miss is a longer history on one Mac, sync may not be the problem at all. Maccy is the usual pick there, and Clipbara (formerly PasteClip) is an open-source card-style option whose DMG and Homebrew builds are free. Our Maccy alternative page explains when one Mac's history is enough and when a second Mac changes things.

If you want sync that happens by itself inside a group of Macs you approved, plus Finder files and a searchable history on each Mac, look at Deskferry. On Free, that is two Macs: the admin's and one other.

MultiClip vs Deskferry, side by side

Both keep copies on your local network and neither needs the same Apple ID on each Mac. They differ on how a Mac joins and whether a copy arrives on its own.

What you give up by switching to Deskferry

Deskferry has no cross-Mac shared history library. Each Mac keeps its own history, and you can't browse what another Mac copied earlier. MultiClip's From Other Devices list isn't a merged library either, but it does let you choose among the items other Macs have offered. With Deskferry, what reaches the other Mac is the copy you just made. If you want one merged history across Macs signed in to the same Apple ID, our ClipBob alternative page covers that route.

You also give up the hands-off setup of one shared key. In Deskferry, an admin approves each Mac that joins, so there is one person who decides who is in the group. On Free, the admin can add one other Mac. Groups larger than two need the admin on Pro or Max, and so do Finder files. The guide to syncing Macs on different Apple IDs walks through pairing.

Apple's own tools sit beside both apps rather than competing with them. Universal Clipboard passes the latest copy between devices on the same Apple Account with Handoff on. AirDrop sends files between Macs, including Macs on different Apple Accounts when the receiver is set to Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 Minutes, and each transfer is accepted on the receiving Mac; it does nothing for the clipboard. If Deskferry fits, check the download page for current availability and the pricing page for plans.