Paste

A better way to copy and paste on Mac, iPhone, and iPad

4.8•32 reviews•

2.4K followers

A better way to copy and paste on Mac, iPhone, and iPad

4.8•32 reviews•

2.4K followers

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Paste is a time machine for your clipboard that lets you instantly find anything you've ever copied and use it whenever you need it again.

The Best Paste Alternatives

The best Paste alternatives are CleanClip, Maccy, Pasta, CopyCat Clipboard, and Yoink.

CleanClip

Choose CleanClip if...

✓you want a cursor-level, system-like picker
✓you prefer number keys for instant pasting
✓you want a lightweight UI while typing

See details ↓

Maccy

5.0 ·

Choose Maccy if...

✓you want open-source, no-frills clipboard history
✓you prefer keyboard-first search and pasting
✓you need pinning and customizable hotkeys

See details ↓

Pasta

5.0 ·

Choose Pasta if...

✓you want a strong freemium option long-term
✓you prefer a more visual, designer-friendly UI
✓you want Paste-like features without paying upfront

See details ↓

CopyCat Clipboard

5.0 ·

Choose CopyCat Clipboard if...

✓you need clipboard sync across Android and Mac
✓universal clipboard feels unreliable for you
✓you want encrypted sync with user-held keys

See details ↓

Yoink

5.0 ·

Choose Yoink if...

✓you mostly need a temporary drag-and-drop shelf
✓you move files and snippets between apps constantly
✓you want a simple staging area, not history

See details ↓

What to Consider

Paste is a popular Mac clipboard manager known for turning your clipboard history into a polished, searchable library with power-user workflows like stacks and organized pinboards. But the alternatives landscape is surprisingly diverse: CleanClip prioritizes a “system-like,” cursor-first picker with number-based selection, Maccy leans into a lightweight open-source, keyboard-driven experience, and Pasta offers a designer-friendly feel with a freemium model that can reduce subscription friction. If your needs extend beyond Apple’s ecosystem, CopyCat Clipboard stands out for cross-device sync (including Android) and an encryption-forward approach, while Yoink takes a different angle entirely as a staging shelf for temporarily holding items during drag-and-drop workflows.

In evaluating Paste alternatives, the key considerations were how fast you can paste while staying in flow (keyboard access, cursor-level UI, search and pinning), pricing and licensing (subscription vs free/freemium vs open source), platform and sync reliability across devices, and security/privacy tradeoffs (local-first vs server sync and key management). We also weighed each app’s focus—full clipboard history versus “holding area” workflows—since the best fit often depends on whether you’re managing long-term snippets or just moving items between apps.

CleanClip

The Easiest Way to Use Clipboard History like a Pro

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CleanClip is built for staying in flow: its core interaction is a cursor-first menu that appears where you’re typing, so pasting doesn’t feel like switching to a separate “shelf” UI. If Paste’s bottom-of-screen browser feels visually heavy or a bit detached from the current text field, CleanClip’s “system-like” picker is a more lightweight way to grab recent clips.

Speed is the main differentiator. You can select items with simple number keys for near-instant insertion, which is ideal for repetitive form filling, support replies, and any workflow where the next paste needs to happen immediately at the caret.

CleanClip also emphasizes quick paste workflows like a built-in paste stack and paste formatting options, so you can move fast without constantly re-copying or cleaning up content after it lands. The result is a more minimal interface philosophy than Paste, trading a rich visual library for quick, inline retrieval.

If the priority is rapid, muscle-memory pasting rather than browsing a curated history, CleanClip is a strong alternative that optimizes every step between copying and inserting.

Best for

Best for Mac power typists who want the fastest cursor-level paste workflow.

Standout features

✓Cursor-level pop-up clip picker
✓Number-key selection for rapid pasting
✓Built-in paste stack workflow
✓Quick paste formatting options

Maccy

Lightweight. Open source. No fluff.

5.0 · 4 reviews

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Maccy takes a lightweight, keyboard-first approach to clipboard history, making it appealing when Paste feels like more UI and structure than necessary. It focuses on the essentials—fast history access, search, and quick selection—without the overhead of a highly visual browsing experience.

For high-volume workflows, Maccy shines with mouse-free operation: open the history, search instantly, and paste repeatedly using custom key commands. Pinning is a practical advantage when certain snippets must always stay close at hand, acting like a simple “favorites” layer without building full libraries.

Its open-source, local-first mindset also makes it a compelling alternative for users who prefer transparent software and straightforward ownership. Combined with no subscription pressure, Maccy is often the better fit when the goal is reliability and speed over premium polish and deep organization.

If Paste is primarily used as a fast clipboard history tool rather than a curated archive, Maccy can deliver the same daily utility with a slimmer footprint and fewer distractions.

Best for

Ideal for Mac users who want a fast, open-source clipboard history with minimal UI.

Standout features

✓Instant clipboard search and filtering
✓Customizable keyboard shortcuts
✓Pin important clips to keep handy
✓Lightweight, local-first clipboard history

Pasta

Clipboard time machine

5.0 · 1 review

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Pasta is a compelling alternative when the goal is Paste-like convenience without committing to a paid plan upfront. Its freemium model can cover everyday clipboard needs for a long time, which is a meaningful advantage for budget-conscious users or anyone who dislikes subscriptions.

The experience is also oriented around a more visual, designer-friendly presentation, making it easier to scan and reuse snippets when appearance and content type matter. That different “feel” can be preferable to Paste for people who want a clipboard manager that looks and behaves more like a creative tool than a utility.

Functionally, Pasta targets the same core jobs—capturing history and helping you reuse frequently copied items—while keeping the barrier to entry low. The trade-off is that it’s less about premium ecosystem depth and more about delivering the essentials in a polished, accessible way.

If Paste is attractive for its convenience but not for its pricing model, Pasta is the natural alternative for similar day-to-day workflows.

Best for

Best for budget-conscious Mac users who want a visual clipboard manager with a strong free tier.

Standout features

✓Freemium plan usable long-term
✓Visual, designer-friendly clip browsing
✓Clipboard history capture and reuse
✓Fast access to frequently used snippets

CopyCat Clipboard

Clipboard Experience You Always Wanted

5.0 · 2 reviews

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CopyCat Clipboard stands out by treating cross-device sync as the main event, not an add-on. If Paste’s Apple-only orientation is limiting, CopyCat expands the workflow to mixed ecosystems, including Android, so copied content can follow you beyond macOS and iOS.

It’s particularly useful when you want a dependable alternative to Apple Universal Clipboard behavior. CopyCat functions as a dedicated sync layer, keeping copy/paste consistent across devices even when native handoff features are flaky.

Security is another differentiator: CopyCat supports end-to-end encryption with a user-managed key, which changes the trust model compared to cloud-synced clipboard managers that abstract key handling away. That’s great for privacy-minded users, with the practical responsibility that key backup becomes part of the setup.

For anyone who needs fast search and reuse plus true cross-platform portability, CopyCat is a more flexible alternative to Paste’s ecosystem-bound approach.

Best for

Ideal for users who need encrypted, cross-platform clipboard sync across Mac and Android.

Standout features

✓Cross-platform sync including Android
✓Universal Clipboard reliability fallback
✓End-to-end encryption with user-held key
✓Searchable synced clipboard history

Yoink

Your files and snippets shelf

5.0 · 1 review

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Yoink approaches the problem from a different angle than Paste: it’s a staging shelf for temporary holding, not primarily a clipboard history timeline. When the main pain is juggling multiple items while switching apps, Yoink reduces the friction with a simple place to park things.

This is especially valuable for drag-and-drop workflows—collecting files, images, text snippets, and other items before dropping them where they need to go. Instead of hunting through a historical list, you’re intentionally assembling a short-lived set of items for the next action.

Compared to Paste’s strength as a searchable archive, Yoink is lighter and more task-focused. It’s less about organizing a long memory of clips and more about making “move this over there” feel effortless during active work.

If your workflow is dominated by rearranging and transferring items rather than reusing old snippets, Yoink is the better alternative even if it doesn’t try to replace a full clipboard manager.