Roundup · 2026
The best clipboard manager
for Mac.
Five solid options, honestly compared — including where each one genuinely wins. Yes, we make Recopy, and yes, we still tell you when to pick something else.
Best value & privacy
Recopy
Most polished visuals
Paste
Best free & open source
Maccy
Best if you use the launcher
Raycast
Simplest free option
CopyClip
The comparison matrix
All five at a glance. Details for each app below.
| Feature | Recopy | Paste | Maccy | Raycast | CopyClip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · $9.99/yr · $29.99 lifetime | $29.99/yr* | Free (open source)* | Free tier; Pro paid* | Free* |
| iPhone & iPad app + sync | — | — | — | ||
| Full-text history search | — | ||||
| Images, files & links | — | ||||
| Code detection & syntax highlighting | 21+ languages | — | — | — | — |
| Folders / collections | Folders + pins | Pinboards | — | Pins | — |
| Paste queue | — | — | — | — | |
| Excludes password managers | — | ||||
| Excludes their browser extensions too | — | — | — | — | |
| API key / card detection with auto-delete | — | — | — | — | |
| MCP server for AI tools | — | — | — | — | |
| Standalone app (no launcher required) | — |
* Competitor pricing and features as of July 2026, from each app's website or Mac App Store listing. Paste also offers a monthly plan and a lifetime purchase; Raycast's clipboard history is part of its launcher, with longer history retention on paid plans. Check each vendor for current terms.
The Contenders
Each app, on its own merits.
1. Recopy — best value & privacy pick
Free · $9.99/yr · $29.99 lifetimeOur app — so judge this entry with that in mind. Recopy is a native SwiftUI clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone, and iPad: menu-bar popover on ⌘⇧V, instant FTS5 full-text search, pins, colored folders, a paste queue, and iCloud sync that includes images. It leans developer-friendly — code detection in 21+ languages with syntax highlighting, JSON/Base64/URL transforms, and a built-in MCP server so Claude or Cursor can search your history (read-only, sensitive items never exposed).
Privacy is where it works hardest: password managers are auto-excluded including their browser extensions, API keys and card numbers are detected and can auto-delete, and link previews can run without any network requests.
Trade-offs: it's newer than Paste or Maccy, the free tier caps at 10 items, and sync, folders, and the paste queue require Pro. Apple platforms only.
2. Paste — the polished veteran
$2.49/mo or $29.99/yr, lifetime available*Paste is one of the longest-standing Mac clipboard managers and still the most visually polished: a beautiful bottom-drawer history with big previews, pinboards for saved snippets, and apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad with sync. Every plan starts with a 7-day trial, and a family plan is available via App Store Family Sharing.
Trade-offs: at $29.99/year it's the most expensive option here, there's no permanent free tier, and it has no code intelligence or AI/MCP integration as of July 2026. If the interface wins you over, it's a fine choice — see our full Recopy vs Paste comparison.
3. Maccy — best free & open source
Free, MIT-licensed*Maccy does one job — keep your copy history — and does it fast. It's keyboard-first, native, open source, and free forever by its author's own commitment. It respects password managers' concealed-clipboard convention and stays deliberately minimal.
Trade-offs: Mac only, no iPhone/iPad sync, no folders, no content intelligence, no paste queue. If minimal is the point, Maccy is the pick — see our honest Recopy vs Maccy breakdown.
4. Raycast Clipboard History — best inside a launcher
Included with Raycast; longer retention on Pro*If you already use Raycast as your launcher, its built-in clipboard history is genuinely good: fast search, text, images, links, and files, right inside the command bar you already have open. For Raycast users it may be all you need.
Trade-offs: it's a feature of a launcher, not a dedicated clipboard app — no iPhone clipboard sync, and history retention is limited on the free plan (longer retention is a Pro perk, as of July 2026). If you don't want the whole launcher, a standalone tool makes more sense.
5. CopyClip — the bare-bones freebie
Free on the Mac App Store*CopyClip is a tiny menu-bar app that keeps a simple list of your recent text clippings. No accounts, no setup, no cost. For an occasional "what did I copy a minute ago?" it does the job.
Trade-offs: plain text only — no images, files, or link previews — no search-as-you-organize features, no sync, and no password-manager exclusions to speak of (as of July 2026). Fine as a first taste of clipboard history; most people outgrow it.
How to choose
- Work across Mac and iPhone? That narrows it to Recopy or Paste. Recopy costs a third as much per year and adds code intelligence and MCP; Paste counters with the slicker visual browser.
- Want to pay nothing, ever? Maccy — it's the best free clipboard manager on the Mac, full stop. Recopy's free tier is worth a try if 10 items is enough.
- Copy code all day? Recopy is the only one here that detects languages, highlights syntax, transforms JSON/Base64, and lets your AI tools search your history.
- Privacy-sensitive work? Prefer tools that exclude password managers by default — and note Recopy is the only one that also excludes their browser extensions and auto-deletes detected secrets.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best clipboard manager for Mac?
It depends on what you need. For the best mix of price, privacy, and features across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, we make the case for Recopy ($9.99/yr or $29.99 lifetime). Paste is the most visually polished, Maccy is the best free open-source option, Raycast is great if you already live in its launcher, and CopyClip covers bare-bones text history for free.
Does macOS have a built-in clipboard manager?
Not really. macOS keeps only the single most recent clipboard item, and Universal Clipboard shares just that one item between devices briefly. Any history, search, or organization requires a third-party clipboard manager.
Are clipboard managers safe to use?
A clipboard manager sees everything you copy, so its privacy behavior matters more than its feature list. Look for automatic password-manager exclusion, sensitive-data handling, and local-only storage. Recopy, for example, stores data locally in SQLite, auto-excludes password managers and their browser extensions, and detects API keys and card numbers so it can auto-delete them.
Which clipboard managers sync with iPhone?
Of the tools in this roundup, Recopy and Paste offer iPhone and iPad apps with sync. Maccy, Raycast's clipboard history, and CopyClip are Mac-only as of July 2026.
Start with the free one that grows with you.
Recopy is free on the App Store — no trial clock, upgrade only if it earns it.
Deep dives: Recopy vs Paste · Recopy vs Maccy · The clipboard MCP server