Does ClipHistory sync across devices like Paste?

No, and that is deliberate. ClipHistory is local-only with no cloud and no account, so your clipboard stays on your Mac. If cross-device sync is a must-have, Paste is designed around it.

Is ClipHistory a subscription like Paste?

No. It is a one-time $19.99 purchase for a 12-month license with no auto-renewal. Pastebot and Maccy are also non-subscription; Paste is subscription-based.

How big is ClipHistory's clipboard history?

It keeps 150 unpinned clips in rotation plus unlimited pinned clips that never age out.

Paste vs Pastebot vs Maccy: How to Choose

Q: What does ClipHistory add that Maccy and Pastebot don't focus on?

Built-in AI transforms — summarize, rewrite, translate, and clean — that run on your own API key with Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint.

Paste, Pastebot, and Maccy are three well-known clipboard managers for macOS, and they sit at very different points on the spectrum. Rather than declaring a winner — your needs decide that — here is a framework for telling them apart, plus where an AI-capable, local-first option like ClipHistory fits.

The three, in broad strokes

Maccy

Maccy is open source and minimal. It does one thing — searchable clipboard history — and does it without ceremony. If you want a lightweight, no-frills history with a keyboard shortcut and search, this is the simple end of the spectrum.

Pastebot

Pastebot leans toward power users who want filters (transform text on paste) and sequential pasting. It is a one-time purchase and focuses on productivity workflows around pasting.

Paste

Paste is the most polished and visual, with a card-based interface, pinboards for organization, and cross-device sync via iCloud. It is subscription-based, which buys the sync and ongoing development.

A framework for choosing

Instead of memorizing feature lists, decide based on four questions.

1. Do you need cross-device sync?

If syncing your clipboard across multiple Apple devices is essential, Paste is built around that. If you would rather your clipboard never leave your Mac, sync is a liability, not a feature — and a local-only tool is the safer choice.

2. Subscription or one-time payment?

Paste is a subscription. Pastebot and Maccy are not. If you dislike recurring charges, that narrows things quickly. ClipHistory is a one-time $19.99 purchase (12-month license, no auto-renewal).

3. How much organization do you need?

Maccy is intentionally minimal. If you want boards, pinning, snippets, and a paste stack, you want something richer. ClipHistory provides boards, pinning (unlimited pinned clips), snippets, and a paste stack, alongside a 150-clip rolling history.

4. Do you want AI on your clipboard?

This is the newest axis, and it is where ClipHistory differs most. It includes four AI transforms — summarize, rewrite, translate, and clean — that run on your own API key with Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint. If inline AI is something you would use daily, that is a meaningful differentiator.

Where ClipHistory sits

ClipHistory aims at the intersection of three things the others split up:

Organization like the richer tools (boards, pinning, snippets, paste stack).
Local-first privacy like the minimal tools (no cloud, no account, history stays on your Mac).
AI transforms on your own key, which the others do not center their design around.

And it covers the table-stakes details: signed and notarized by Apple, a universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel), macOS 12+, and a single $19.99 payment with no auto-renewal.

A simple decision guide

You want the simplest possible free history: Maccy.
You want paste filters and sequential pasting, one-time price: Pastebot.
You want a polished visual app with cross-device sync, and don't mind a subscription: Paste.
You want organization plus AI transforms, with everything kept local and a one-time price: ClipHistory.

A note on comparisons

Feature checklists go stale, and each of these apps keeps evolving. The durable way to choose is the four questions above: sync, pricing model, depth of organization, and whether you want local-first AI. Answer those honestly and the right tool for you becomes obvious.

Bottom line

There is no single best clipboard manager — there is the one that matches how you work. If your priorities are rich organization, AI transforms on your own API key, and a strict local-only design with no subscription, ClipHistory is built for exactly that combination.

Ready to try it? Get ClipHistory for macOS ($19.99, one-time) — a 12-month license, no auto-renewal, signed and notarized by Apple.