The best Paste app alternatives for Mac, compared on price, sync, and one-time vs subscription — including free clipboard managers. Honest 2026 guide.
02/07/2026 · The OwnKit team
Disclosure: OwnKit is our own app. We name the competitors’ real strengths first on purpose.
Pick Paste if visual pinboards and seamless iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad are worth a subscription to you. Pick OwnKit if you want fast, local-first clipboard history in one app you own once — plus screenshots and OCR — with no monthly fee for copy-paste.
Paste is the pretty, sync-heavy option, and it is genuinely good at it.
Fast, local-first clipboard history that is part of one app you buy once ($49), which also gives you screenshots and OCR. Honest limit: multi-device iCloud sync is not Paste’s equal at launch (sync-ready, v1.1+). If cross-device sync is your #1 need, Paste is stronger today.
Excellent free clipboard history — tiny and reliable. Honest limit: no rich previews or sync.
If you live in Raycast, its clipboard history is right there. Honest limit: it ties you into that ecosystem.
If you want the prettiest cross-device experience and the fee is fine, Paste is a fair choice.
| Feature | OwnKit | Paste |
|---|---|---|
| Clipboard history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image / rich preview | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pinning / pinboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-device sync | Limited at launch | ✓ iCloud |
| Local-first / private | ✓ | Cloud sync |
| Also screenshots + OCR | ✓ | — |
| Pricing model | $49 once | $29.99/yr or $89.99 |
| Ownership | Perpetual license | Subscription |
Comparison based on publicly listed features and prices, July 2026. We keep this honest — if we get something wrong, tell us.
If you're tired of renting utilities you use every day, that's the whole reason OwnKit exists.
Own vs rent: the case against subscriptions →Yes — Maccy is a great free, open-source clipboard manager. OwnKit also has a free tier with everyday clipboard history.
Paste is subscription-based ($3.99/mo or $29.99/yr), with a $89.99 lifetime option. OwnKit is a single $49 payment.
Not fully at launch — sync is limited and on the roadmap (v1.1+). If cross-device sync is essential today, Paste is stronger.
With OwnKit, yes — clipboard history is stored locally on your Mac. There is no account and nothing is uploaded.
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