Is ClipHistory open source like Maccy?

No. ClipHistory is a commercial app ($19.99, one-time). It is signed and notarized by Apple, and all clipboard data stays local on your Mac with no account or cloud sync.

Does ClipHistory need a subscription for AI features?

No. You connect your own API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint. AI costs are billed by that provider directly, not by ClipHistory.

Can ClipHistory import my Maccy history?

There is no direct importer. ClipHistory starts capturing from the moment you install it and keeps 150 unpinned clips plus unlimited pinned ones.

Will ClipHistory run on my Intel Mac?

Yes. It is a universal binary that runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, on macOS 12 or newer.

A Maccy Alternative for Mac With AI Transforms

Maccy is one of the most popular clipboard managers on the Mac, largely because it is open source, free, and stays out of your way. It does one job well: it remembers what you copied and lets you paste it back fast. If that is all you need, Maccy is hard to argue with.

But some people reach a point where plain clipboard history is not enough. You want to transform the text you copied, organize reusable snippets, or build paste sequences. That is where a different tool starts to make sense. Here is an honest look at how ClipHistory compares to Maccy.

What Maccy does well

Maccy keeps a searchable list of your clipboard history and lets you recall items with a keyboard shortcut. It is lightweight, has a tiny memory footprint, and the search-as-you-type popup is genuinely fast. Because it is open source, you can read exactly what it does with your data.

If your workflow is "copy, paste, occasionally dig back two items," Maccy covers it completely and costs nothing.

Where ClipHistory adds capability

ClipHistory starts from the same foundation — a fast, local clipboard history opened with Cmd+Shift+V — and then adds a few layers on top.

AI transforms on copied text

ClipHistory connects to five AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint) using your own API key. That means you can take any clip and summarize it, rewrite it, translate it, or clean up its formatting without leaving the clipboard window. Maccy has no equivalent; it stores text but does not act on it.

Because you bring your own key, the AI cost is whatever your provider charges you directly. There is no markup and no ClipHistory account involved.

Snippets and boards

ClipHistory lets you save reusable snippets — canned responses, email signatures, code blocks — and group clips into boards for a project. Maccy is intentionally minimal here; it is a history list, not an organizer.

Paste stack

The paste stack lets you queue several clips and paste them one after another in order. This is useful when you are filling a form or moving structured data between two apps.

What stays local

A common question with any clipboard tool is where your data goes. With ClipHistory, everything stays on your Mac. There is no cloud sync, no account, and no telemetry pipeline shipping your clips somewhere. The only network calls happen when you trigger an AI transform, and those go straight to the provider whose key you entered. Maccy is also fully local, so on this point the two are aligned — which matters if privacy is your reason for using a clipboard manager at all.

Pricing

Maccy is free. ClipHistory is $19.99 as a one-time payment with a 12-month license and no auto-renewal. The honest framing: if you only need history, Maccy's price is unbeatable. If you regularly summarize, rewrite, or translate copied text and want snippets and boards in the same window, the one-time cost buys you those features.

How to choose

Pick Maccy if you want a free, minimal, open-source history list and nothing more.

Pick ClipHistory if you want that same fast history plus AI transforms with your own key, snippets, boards, and a paste stack — all running locally on macOS 12 or newer.

There is no wrong answer here. Both keep your clipboard data on your machine; the difference is how much the tool does once the text is captured.

Ready to try it? Get ClipHistory for macOS ($19.99) — a one-time payment, 12-month license, no auto-renewal. Signed and notarized by Apple, runs on macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon and Intel).