Does ClipHistory store image clips like Paste does?

Yes. Copied images appear in your history as previewable thumbnails you can paste back later, alongside plain and rich text.

Is there a subscription?

No. ClipHistory is a one-time $19.99 purchase for a 12-month license with no auto-renewal.

Does it sync between my Macs?

No. ClipHistory is local-only by design: no cloud and no account, so your history stays on the Mac it was copied on.

Can I use AI on copied design copy?

Yes. With your own API key from one of five providers, you can summarize, rewrite, translate, or clean up a clip directly.

A Paste Alternative for Designers on macOS

Designers copy a lot: hex codes, asset URLs, layer names, exported image crops, and chunks of CSS. Paste is a well-known clipboard manager in the design crowd, but its subscription pricing and cloud-sync model don't fit everyone. If you want a local, one-time-purchase tool that still respects a visual workflow, here is how ClipHistory compares.

What designers actually need from a clipboard manager

Before picking a tool, it helps to separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves:

Image and rich-text history, not just plain text. You copy a color swatch or a cropped PNG and expect to find it again.
Fast recall without breaking flow. One shortcut, search, paste.
Reusable snippets for the boilerplate you type constantly (license headers, component skeletons, email signatures).
Organization so your reference assets don't scroll off the bottom.

ClipHistory covers all four. It keeps your 150 most recent unpinned clips plus an unlimited number of pinned clips, supports images and formatted text, and adds snippets and boards for grouping related material.

How ClipHistory handles a visual workflow

Images and rich content

When you copy an image, it lands in your history as a thumbnail you can preview and paste back later. Same for rich text from a browser or design doc. You're not limited to a plain-text buffer.

Hex codes and tokens as snippets

If you reuse a brand palette, save each hex value as a snippet with a memorable label. Need --color-primary: #284849; a dozen times a day? Make it a snippet and stop retyping it.

Boards for project assets

Boards let you keep a set of clips together: the copy deck for one screen, the asset URLs for one feature, the strings for one release. They stay put until you clear them.

AI transforms on the clip

ClipHistory connects to five AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint) using your own API key. You can summarize a long brief, rewrite a microcopy string, translate UI text, or clean up messy pasted formatting, all from the clip itself.

The privacy and pricing difference

This is where the comparison gets concrete.

Everything stays local. ClipHistory has no cloud and no account. Your clipboard history lives on your Mac. For a designer handling client assets under NDA, that matters.
You bring your own AI key. The AI features route through your provider key, so there's no hidden middleman storing your prompts.
One-time payment. ClipHistory is $19.99 for a 12-month license with no auto-renewal. You decide later whether to renew; nothing charges your card automatically.

Setup and compatibility

ClipHistory is a universal binary, so it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and it requires macOS 12 or later. It's signed and notarized by Apple, which means Gatekeeper lets it open without warnings. The global shortcut is Cmd+Shift+V, so you can pull up your history from any app.

A realistic day with ClipHistory

You copy three exported icons, two hex codes, and a paragraph of placeholder copy. Later you hit Cmd+Shift+V, type "icon" to filter, and paste the right asset. You drop the hex codes into your stylesheet from saved snippets. You select the placeholder paragraph, run an AI "rewrite" to tighten it, and paste the result into Figma. No syncing, no subscription prompt, no account login.

Is it the right Paste alternative for you?

If you depend on cross-device cloud sync, a local-only tool is a different model and worth weighing. But if you work mostly on one Mac, care about keeping assets local, and prefer paying once over a recurring subscription, ClipHistory hits the design-workflow basics without the ongoing cost.

Ready to try a local, one-time-purchase clipboard manager built for real Mac work? Get ClipHistory for macOS ($19.99).