For most people, the best clipboard manager for Mac is Maccy. It is open source, does one job, and opens from the menu bar or a hotkey. If you already use Raycast, its free clipboard history may be all you need. If you're on macOS 26 Tahoe, try the clipboard history built into Spotlight before installing anything.
Quick picks (as of November 2026):
- Maccy: best free clipboard manager for Mac if you want a small, keyboard-first history and nothing else.
- Raycast: best if you want clipboard history inside a launcher you'll also use for other things.
- Alfred Powerpack: best one-time purchase for power users who also want snippets and workflows.
- Paste: best if you want a visual history that syncs between your Mac and iPhone through iCloud.
- Gubb: best if you mainly want a notes scratchpad and clipboard history is a bonus.
We make Gubb, so weigh our view accordingly. We've tried to be fair to every app here. As a standalone clipboard manager, Gubb is not our top pick.
What a clipboard manager does
macOS normally remembers only the last thing you copied. When you copy something new, the previous item is gone. A clipboard manager keeps a running history of what you copy, so you can search it and paste an older item. For a longer explanation, see what a clipboard manager is.
Built-in options:
- macOS 14 Sonoma and 15 Sequoia: there is no history. In Finder, Edit ▸ Show Clipboard shows only the current item.
- macOS 26 Tahoe: Spotlight now includes a clipboard history. If you can't find it, open System Settings and search for "Spotlight" to check its options. Our guide to seeing clipboard history on Mac covers it step by step.
If the built-in history does what you need, stop there. The apps below add longer history, pinning, search, filters, sync or a launcher to paste from.
How we picked the best clipboard managers for Mac
We compared the apps on what affects you every day:
- How you reach the history: from a hotkey or launcher over the app you're in, or from a separate window.
- What it keeps: text only, or also images and files, and for how long.
- Privacy: where the history is stored, whether it syncs to a cloud, and whether it skips passwords.
- Price model: free, one-time or subscription.
- Extras: whether clipboard history is the whole app or part of something bigger.
Facts about other apps come from their official pages and listings. Where a fact comes from a third-party review, we say so. Where our sources didn't confirm a feature, we say "not confirmed" instead of guessing.
Summary table
Prices as of November 2026.
| App | Best for | Price | Free option | Standout limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maccy | A free, focused clipboard history | $9.99 one-time on the Mac App Store | Yes, build it from source on GitHub | Clipboard only, Mac only |
| Raycast | Clipboard history inside a launcher | Free; Pro $10/month | Yes, with 3 months of history | Unlimited history and cloud sync need a subscription |
| Alfred Powerpack | Power users who want a one-time price | £34 or £59 one-time | Alfred is free, but clipboard history needs the Powerpack | No trial found; Mac only |
| Paste | Visual history synced with iPhone | Subscription (check pasteapp.io) | Not confirmed | Subscription only |
| Gubb | Notes first, clipboard history as a bonus | $59 one-time | 7-day trial (no free tier) | Text only, no paste popup, no password filtering |
Maccy: best free clipboard manager for Mac
Maccy is a lightweight, open-source clipboard manager. Its App Store tagline is "Clipboard manager. No fluff.", which describes it well.
What it's good at:
- It keeps a searchable history of what you copy and lets you paste from it.
- It opens from the menu bar or with a hotkey. The default hotkey is reported as ⌘⇧C (Command-Shift-C).
- It supports Shortcuts actions, so you can use it in automations (per its App Store listing).
- It is open source under the MIT license.
What it lacks: it is only a clipboard manager, with no notes, to-dos or other tools, and it is Mac only. Our sources didn't confirm image support or password filtering, so check its settings if those matter to you.
Price (as of November 2026):
- Free if you build it from the source code on GitHub.
- $9.99 one-time on the Mac App Store. The listing says this version is sold to support development.
- One review says the developer's site sells it on a pay-what-you-like basis (minimum $4.99). We couldn't confirm that on the official site.
The GitHub README warns about fake websites that pretend to be Maccy. Get it from maccy.app, its GitHub page or the Mac App Store.
Pick Maccy if you want a clipboard history and nothing else, for free or a small one-time price. For other options, see Maccy alternatives.
Paste: best visual history with sync
Paste is a visual clipboard manager for Mac and iOS that syncs your history through iCloud. That combination is the main reason to choose it: what you copy on one device can show up on the other.
What it lacks: it is sold as a subscription, and our notes show no one-time option. We don't have a verified current price, so check pasteapp.io before you decide.
Pick Paste if you often move text between iPhone and Mac and you're happy to pay monthly or yearly for that. If the subscription is the problem, see Paste alternatives without a subscription.
Raycast: best inside a launcher
Raycast is a keyboard launcher. It includes extensions, clipboard history, snippets, notes, a calculator, window management, dictation and AI. Clipboard history is one feature among many.
What it's good at:
- Clipboard history with pinning, filtering by type and paste as plain text.
- The free plan includes the launcher, extensions and 3 months of clipboard history.
- It runs on macOS, Windows and iOS, although some commands differ between macOS and Windows.
- It is actively developed. Version 2.12 came out on 12 November 2026.
What it lacks:
- Unlimited history, cloud sync, dictation and AI need a paid plan. Our sources show no one-time purchase.
- It's a launcher, not a window you keep open for notes or lists.
Price (as of November 2026):
- Free: $0.
- Pro: $10/month, per Raycast's blog. Reviews say $8/month when billed yearly ($96/year).
- Higher tiers: Pro+ ($20/month, with 3,000 AI credits) and Max ($50/month).
Pick Raycast if you'd use a launcher anyway and either 3 months of history is enough or you're happy to pay for Pro. If you want something lighter, see Raycast alternatives.
Alfred Powerpack: best for power users
Alfred is a Mac launcher. The free version handles app launching, web search and calculations. Clipboard history, Snippets and workflows come with the paid Powerpack.
What it's good at:
- One review says the clipboard history keeps plain text, images and file references.
- The same review says you can keep history for 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month, 3 months or without a limit. We saw this only in that review, not on Alfred's site.
- Snippets and workflows let you build on the clipboard history.
- The Powerpack is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
What it lacks:
- Clipboard history isn't in the free version.
- It is Mac only, and our sources found no trial.
- The Single License covers only the current major version and two of your own Macs.
Price (as of November 2026):
- Single License: £34. One third-party review puts it at about $43.
- Mega Supporter: £59, with free lifetime upgrades.
- Both licenses are for personal use only.
Pick Alfred if you want a one-time price, control over how long history is kept, and automation, and you'll use the launcher too. For comparisons, see Alfred alternatives.
Gubb: clipboard history alongside your notes
Gubb is a notes scratchpad. It also has voice-to-text into notes, timers, break reminders, to-do lists and inline math. Clipboard history is one panel in that window. Gubb suits you if you want the notes app anyway. It is not the best standalone clipboard manager.
How to open it:
- Move the pointer to the right edge of the Gubb window.
- Click Clipboard History. A panel opens on the right.
- Copy text anywhere on your Mac. Each new item appears in the panel.
What it's good at:
- Search and filters: type in Search clipboard... to filter by text. The filter menu narrows the list to Text, Links or Code.
- Favorites: click Pin/Favorite item to pin an item. Pinned items appear under Favorites, sort first and are never removed automatically.
- Edit before reuse: Edit content lets you fix an item before you copy it again.
- Straight into a note: Paste to note puts an item into the current note. Paste All inserts every visible item, separated by blank lines. This is useful for collecting quotes or links into one note.
- Retention: Gubb keeps up to 1,000 unpinned items and removes the oldest unpinned items beyond that. The panel shows the newest 100, with pinned items first.
- Storage: history stays on your Mac in a local database. There is no account and no sync.
What it lacks:
- Text only. It does not capture images, files or rich text.
- No quick-paste popup and no global hotkey. To reuse an item in another app, click Copy to clipboard in the panel, switch apps and press ⌘V.
- Recording starts with the panel. Gubb records only while it is running, and only after you first open the Clipboard History panel in that session. Open the panel after you launch Gubb.
- No password filtering and no app exclusions. Text you copy from a password manager is stored as plain text in an unencrypted local database. To remove it, use Delete item or Clear History. Clear History has a Keep favorites switch, which is on by default.
Price (as of November 2026): $59 one-time at gubb.net for a lifetime license that activates on up to 3 devices. The direct download has a 7-day free trial and needs no account. Gubb is also on the Mac App Store and on the Microsoft Store for Windows.
Pick Gubb if you want a quick notes window with your copied text one click away. If you only want a clipboard manager, Maccy does that job better for less. To see whether the combination suits you, download the Gubb trial. The clipboard section of the help center explains every button.
Passwords and privacy: what to check
A clipboard manager stores everything you copy, including passwords, two-factor codes and private messages. Before you settle on one, check these points:
- Password filtering: does it skip items that password managers mark as concealed? Gubb does not. Our sources didn't confirm this for the other four apps, so look for it in their settings.
- App exclusions: can you tell it to ignore specific apps? Gubb can't.
- Where history lives: Gubb keeps it only on your Mac. Paste syncs through iCloud. Raycast's cloud sync is a paid feature.
- How long it keeps things: Raycast's free plan keeps 3 months. Alfred reportedly lets you choose. Gubb keeps up to 1,000 unpinned items with no time limit.
If your app has no password filtering, delete the item after you copy a secret, or clear the history. See how to clear clipboard history on Mac.
Feature comparison: images, access, privacy, price
"Not confirmed" means our sources didn't state it either way, as of November 2026.
| App | Images | How you open the history | Sync | Password filtering | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maccy | Not confirmed | Menu bar or hotkey | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Free from source; $9.99 App Store |
| Paste | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | iCloud, Mac and iOS | Not confirmed | Subscription |
| Raycast | Not confirmed | Inside the launcher | Cloud sync on paid plans | Not confirmed | Free; Pro $10/month |
| Alfred Powerpack | Yes (per a review) | Inside the launcher | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | £34 or £59 one-time |
| Gubb | No, text only | Panel in the Gubb window, no hotkey | None, local only | No | $59 one-time |
How to choose
- If you're on macOS 26 Tahoe, try Spotlight's clipboard history first. Install an app only if it falls short.
- If you want free and focused, pick Maccy.
- If you already use or want a launcher, pick Raycast (subscription for extras) or Alfred (one-time Powerpack).
- If you need images in your history, Alfred is the only app here where a source confirms it. Check the other apps' sites.
- If you copy on iPhone and paste on Mac, pick Paste.
- If you want a notes scratchpad with clipboard history built in and text only is fine, pick Gubb.
- If you want to avoid subscriptions, Maccy, Alfred Powerpack and Gubb are free or one-time purchases. There are more in Mac apps without a subscription.
FAQ
Does a Mac have clipboard history built in?
On macOS 14 and 15, no. The Mac keeps only the last item you copied, which you can see in Finder under Edit ▸ Show Clipboard. macOS 26 Tahoe adds a clipboard history to Spotlight.
What is the best free clipboard manager for Mac?
Maccy is free if you build it from its open-source code, or $9.99 on the App Store. Raycast's free plan is the other strong option, with 3 months of history. Alfred is free, but its clipboard history needs the paid Powerpack.
Can a clipboard manager see my passwords?
It can store anything you copy as text, including passwords. Gubb does not filter them out. In other apps, look for a setting that ignores concealed items or excludes your password manager.
Which of these work on both Mac and Windows?
Raycast runs on macOS, Windows and iOS. Gubb runs on Mac and on Windows through the Microsoft Store. Maccy and Alfred are Mac only, and Paste is Mac and iOS. On Windows, the built-in history opens with Win+V. See how to use clipboard history on Windows.