Paste vs Maccy: free history on one Mac, or paid sync across your Apple devices

Two different ideas of a clipboard manager

Maccy describes itself as an app that does one job: keep your copy history and let you get to it fast. You press Shift-Command-C, type a few letters to filter, and press Return to paste. Option-P pins an item to the top of the list. The interface is a native macOS menu, and everything is stored on your computer.

Paste puts more on screen. Its App Store listing describes visual previews of each copy and where it came from, search that reaches text inside screenshots, and filters by app, date, device or content type. Command-1 to Command-9 paste recent items, Paste Stack queues several items to paste in order, and pinboards hold snippets and templates you can share with other people.

Paste vs Maccy, side by side from the official pages

Both apps need macOS 14 or later on the Mac, so your system version will not settle the choice. The rows below differ.

Choose Maccy if everything happens on one Mac

If you copy and paste on one computer and want your recent copies one shortcut away, Maccy covers it without a price or an account. It stays out of the way until you call it, and you can do all of it from the keyboard. Because the code is public on GitHub, you can read how it handles your data instead of taking it on trust.

It also skips copies you would not want saved. Maccy ignores items that password managers mark as concealed or transient, and its README explains how to ignore copies that arrive through Universal Clipboard. What it does not do is move anything to another device. If that is fine for you, the Maccy or Paste question has an easy answer.

Choose Paste if your clipboard has to reach your iPhone

Paste earns its price when you copy on the Mac and need the item on an iPhone or iPad later, or the other way round. Every plan covers Mac, iPhone and iPad, and history syncs to all devices signed in with the same Apple Account. On iOS, the Paste Keyboard brings that history into any app. Paste says your data stays on your devices and in your private iCloud and never reaches its servers.

It suits people who find things by sight, such as a color swatch, a screenshot or a link preview, more than by typing a search. Paste lists its Personal plan at US$29.99 billed annually, before tax, with prices varying by region. There is also a one-time Lifetime plan, a Family plan through the App Store and a Team plan through the website, so compare them on Paste's pricing page before you buy.

When the other device is another Mac

Some readers comparing Maccy vs Paste really have a different problem: two or three Macs on the same desk, maybe signed in to different Apple Accounts, and a copy that needs to land on the next machine. Maccy does not sync, and Paste syncs through iCloud between devices on one Apple Account.

Deskferry is a macOS 14+ menu bar app built for that case. A group admin adds each Mac with Add Mac and a short code, and the current copy then moves between approved Macs over your local network, with no Deskferry cloud relay. The Free plan covers text, links and images between the admin's Mac and one other Mac; adding a third Mac or sending Finder files needs the admin on Pro or Max, and folders need Max. There is no iPhone app. Each Mac keeps its own local history, and Free fully opens only the latest 20 entries. Mac clipboard sync explains the setup, and if you already use Maccy, our Maccy alternative page looks at that move in more detail. Plans are on the pricing page.