Clipboard Managers
Maccy, Paste, Ditto, CopyQ, Klipper — never lose what you just copied.
A clipboard history app is one of those tools you don't realize you need until you have it. For text-expansion shortcuts (different niche, often paired) see prod-text-expansion; for syncing clipboard between phone and computer see prod-cross-device-clipboard; for keyboard launchers that include built-in clipboard history see prod-launchers.
Mac
- ★ Maccy — free + paid (one-time, optional support price); minimalist; fast; the open-source default. Hotkey for history, fuzzy search, pinned items.
- ★ Paste — paid subscription; gorgeous; multi-device iCloud sync; pinboards. The polished paid option.
- Clipy — free OSS; long-running; less actively maintained than Maccy but works.
- CopyClip 2 — free Mac App Store; menu-bar clipboard.
- Pastebot (Tapbots) — paid; Tapbots polish; one-time license.
- Raycast Pro — paid; clipboard history is part of Pro — see prod-launchers; often replaces a standalone clipboard app.
- Alfred Powerpack — paid one-time; same idea — bundled with prod-launchers.
Windows
- ★ Ditto — free OSS; the long-time Win standard; richer than Win+V (search, sync between machines, image support).
- Windows Clipboard (Win+V) — free, built-in; surprisingly capable since 2018; cloud sync across Windows machines via Microsoft account; fine for casual use.
- CopyQ — free OSS, cross-platform; powerful (scriptable, tabs, regex filters); also the strongest Linux option.
- ClipboardFusion — paid + free; macros + sync.
- 1Clipboard — free; cross-platform Electron app; less active.
Linux
- ★ CopyQ — free OSS; the strongest cross-DE choice; scriptable in JS / Python.
- Klipper — free, built into KDE Plasma; perfectly fine for KDE users.
- GPaste — free OSS; GNOME extension; integrates into the shell.
- Diodon — free OSS; lightweight; for Ubuntu / Unity users.
- Clipman (XFCE), Clipboard Indicator (GNOME) — DE-specific.
- wl-clipboard + clipman/cliphist — Wayland-compatible chains.
Power-user features to look for
- Search history — fuzzy/regex.
- Pinned items — keep your address, signature, common URLs.
- Image / file copy support — not all do this; Maccy / Ditto / Paste do.
- Per-app filtering — don't store passwords from your password manager.
- Sync — Paste (iCloud), Windows (Microsoft account), Ditto (LAN). For phone↔computer see prod-cross-device-clipboard.
- Snippets / templates — overlap with prod-text-expansion.
Privacy / security gotchas
- ★ Exclude password managers — every modern clipboard manager lets you ignore items copied from 1Password / Bitwarden / Apple Passwords. Turn this on day one. See selfhost-passwords.
- Auto-clear sensitive items — Maccy / Paste have "ignore confidential clipboard" options; respects the macOS / Win API flag.
- Cloud-sync your clipboard? Apple Universal Clipboard / Paste iCloud / Windows cloud clipboard all upload your clipboard contents — fine for most, off-limits for security-sensitive shops.
Pricing reality check
- Maccy is free OSS but accepts a paid Mac App Store version (~$10) to support development — fully featured either way.
- Paste runs ~$30/yr — pretty if you'll use it.
- Ditto / CopyQ / GPaste / Klipper are all free OSS.
- Windows Win+V is free and built-in — try it before installing anything.
- Raycast / Alfred bundling — if you already pay for one of those, you have a clipboard manager already.
Pick this if…
- Default Mac, free + OSS: Maccy.
- Polished Mac with iCloud sync: Paste.
- Default Windows free OSS: Ditto.
- You don't want to install anything on Win: Win+V (built-in).
- Default Linux, scriptable: CopyQ.
- KDE user: Klipper (built-in, no install).
- Already on Raycast / Alfred: stick with their built-in clipboard history — no need for a separate app.
- Need phone↔computer sync: see prod-cross-device-clipboard.