Deskferry editorial guide
A TandemClip alternative, if local history is what you want
Same core job. Different answer to where your clipboard history lives.
If you are shopping here, you probably want Mac-to-Mac paste on the same network without hanging everything on one Apple Account. Deskferry covers that: a trusted group on your LAN carries the text or image you just copied, Finder files follow when the plan allows, and each Mac keeps its own searchable history.
There is one fork worth naming before you read further, because it decides the whole thing. TandemClip's draw for many people is shared fleet history and AI picking. Deskferry does neither. What it offers instead is local history plus file handoff. If the shared shelf is why you liked TandemClip, stop here — this is not the replacement you want.
What people want from a TandemClip alternative
TandemClip sells Mac-only LAN clipboard sync with pairing and encrypted links. People searching for a replacement usually want that same core job — copy on one Mac, paste on another nearby — without Apple's Universal Clipboard rules. Some are also weighing MultiClip-style tools, which are Mac LAN peers that pull copies manually, or ClipSync-style ones that span Windows and phones. Those are genuinely different products. Pick the comparison that matches the machines you actually own, not the one with the closest name.
Apple's own features still help when both Macs share an Apple Account and pass Handoff checks, and AirDrop moves files in chunks you confirm. Neither belongs on a competitor list. They are the baseline you leave behind when Continuity is off, when the accounts differ, or when you want a defined group of Macs rather than whatever is nearby.
Where the two overlap, and where they split
The overlap is LAN clipboard sync. Deskferry runs in the menu bar on macOS 14 or later. An administrator chooses Add Mac; the other Mac joins with a 6-digit code, valid 120 seconds with three tries, and waits for approval. Once both show the same current group and a connected status on a reachable network, a new copy on one Mac is ready to paste on the others. Free covers text, links and images sitting directly on the clipboard. Nothing is relayed through a Deskferry cloud.
File handoff comes from the same app rather than a separate one. With an administrator on Pro or Max, copy in Finder and paste into a folder on the other Mac for an independent copy there; folders need Max. Ordinary text and image sync does not touch that path.
History is the split. Deskferry keeps a searchable history on each Mac and stops there. There is no fleet shared timeline, no cross-Mac picker of everything the group has ever copied, and no AI picker sitting over that shelf. That is a design choice rather than a roadmap item. If you want LAN sync plus local recall and Finder handoff, the fit is close. If you want the shared shelf, it is not.
When this is a fair swap
Choose Deskferry when your Macs can reach each other on a LAN, you are happy running a menu-bar app, and trusted-group sync of the current copy matters to you more than a shared fleet timeline. A work Mac and a personal Mac, or a small set on one desk, is the usual shape.
Skip it when you need Windows or iPhone clients, a public-internet relay between two sites, or one searchable history spanning every Mac in a fleet. And one practical trap: guest Wi-Fi with client isolation can block LAN sync even when both Macs show the same SSID. There is no way around that from inside the app.
For the install itself, check the download page. The app is a free download on the Mac App Store.
Official references
Apple feature references checked 16 September 2026. Deskferry is independent of Apple.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is Deskferry Mac-only?
Yes. Mac-to-Mac on a local network, plus local history on each Mac. It does not target Windows or iPhone the way some ClipSync-style tools do.
How do the two differ on clipboard history?
Deskferry's history stays on each Mac. There is no fleet shared library and no remote browsing of another Mac's past copies. If you need that shared shelf, look elsewhere — this is the clearest difference between the two.
Does Deskferry include an AI clipboard picker?
No. It syncs the current copy and keeps a local searchable history. There is no AI picker over a cross-Mac timeline.
Is this also a MultiClip alternative?
Only if what you want is automatic trusted-group sync of new copies, plus optional Finder handoff. MultiClip-style workflows that mainly pull pastes by hand are a different shape of tool.
Do I need the same Apple Account?
Not for Deskferry — pairing uses a trusted group on the LAN. Universal Clipboard still wants one Apple Account if you go Apple's route instead.
Can it sync across two offices over the internet?
No. There is no public-internet relay. The Macs have to reach each other on a local network path.
Guides
Your next useful read
Mac clipboard sync for the two Macs you switch between
The address is on the laptop. The field waiting for it is open on the desktop. That gap is the whole problem.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA Universal Clipboard alternative, when the built-in route is closed
Name the missing part: the link between the devices, the handoff itself, or a copy you already replaced.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyClipboard history vs clipboard sync: which one you need
One is a question about place. The other is about time.
Read the guideCopy between MacsDo you need a ClipBob alternative? Start with its requirements
ClipBob merges clipboard history across your Macs through iCloud, if they run macOS 26 on Apple Silicon and share one Apple ID. Stay on it if that fits. For history on an iPhone, look at a cross-device app such as Paste. For Macs on different Apple IDs, or Finder files over your network, look at Deskferry, which keeps history on each Mac.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA MultiClip alternative for Macs that should sync without being asked
MultiClip, the open-source Mac menu bar app, shares copies between Macs on one LAN on request: you pick an item and only then does it move. Keep it if that suits you. For automatic sync, look at TandemClip or Deskferry. For history on one Mac, look at Maccy-type apps.
Read the guideDeskferry
Keep the next step simple.
Continue on another Mac, hand off a file, or find an earlier copy.
macOS 14+ · One Mac for history · Reachable LAN for sync
