# Paste vs Maccy vs NotchPad: Best Mac Clipboard Manager in 2026 Updated April 2026 · 8 min read If you've ever lost something you copied — a URL, a snippet of code, an address — you know why clipboard managers exist. On macOS, three apps cover different parts of the market: **Paste** (the polished subscription option), **Maccy** (the free open-source option), and **[NotchPad](/content/site-root.html)** (the private text inbox that combines clipboard history with notes, snippets, Apple Notes, and sensitive-text protection). Each takes a different approach to the same problem. Here's how they compare. ## Quick comparison | | NotchPad | Paste | Maccy | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Price** | Free / $7.99 Pro | $29.99/year | Free (open-source) | | **Clipboard history** | Yes | Yes | Yes | | **Notepad** | Yes (rich text) | No | No | | **Apple Notes sync** | Two-way sync | No | No | | **Snippets** | Yes | Pinboards | No | | **Encryption** | AES-256-GCM | No | No | | **Touch ID** | Yes | No | No | | **Cloud sync** | No (local only) | iCloud | No | | **Images/files** | File import (50+ types) | Yes | Text only | | **Access method** | Notch hover / ⌃⌃ | Menu bar / shortcut | Menu bar / shortcut | | **Password protection** | Auto-detect + encrypt | App exclusion rules | Respects clear signal | NotchPad's clipboard history — items from every app, with passwords automatically encrypted. ## Paste: the visual clipboard with sync Paste has been around since 2016 and is one of the most polished clipboard managers on macOS. Its standout feature is a visual timeline that shows your clipboard history as cards — including images, links, and rich text. You can organize items into Pinboards, search with OCR (text inside screenshots), and sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud. **Best for:** People who copy lots of images and files, need cross-device sync, and want a visual interface for browsing history. **Trade-offs:** - **$29.99/year subscription.** Over three years, that's $90 — nearly 10x the one-time cost of NotchPad or the free cost of Maccy. - **No encryption.** Clipboard data is stored unencrypted and synced to iCloud. If you copy a password, it's stored in plaintext in Paste's history and potentially on Apple's servers. - **App exclusion as security model.** You can exclude specific apps (like 1Password), but you have to configure each one manually, and it's all-or-nothing per app. ## Maccy: the free, minimal option Maccy is free, open-source, and does exactly one thing: clipboard history. It lives in your menu bar, you press a shortcut to open it, type to search, and press Enter to paste. It's fast, lightweight, and has essentially zero learning curve. **Best for:** Users who want a simple, free clipboard manager with no frills. Developers who prefer open-source software. **Trade-offs:** - **Clipboard only.** No notes, no snippets, no rich text. If you need to store reusable text blocks or quick notes, you'll need a separate app. - **No encryption.** History is stored locally (good), but not encrypted (not as good). Anyone with access to your Mac can browse your clipboard history. - **Respects clipboard clearing but doesn't encrypt.** When a password manager clears the clipboard, Maccy clears it too. But during the window before clearing, the password is stored in plaintext. ## NotchPad: clipboard + notes + snippets + encryption NotchPad takes a different approach from both. Instead of being a standalone clipboard manager, it combines clipboard history, a notepad, and code snippets into a single interface that lives in your MacBook's notch. It also integrates with [Apple Notes via two-way sync](/content/blog/apple-notes-notch-access/index.html) — browse, search, and edit your Apple Notes from the notch without opening the Notes app. With [NotchLive voice-note handoff](/content/blog/voice-notes-with-notchlive/index.html), spoken thoughts can become saved notes too. Neither Paste nor Maccy offers that full text capture loop. The security differentiator is also unique: passwords are [automatically encrypted with AES-256-GCM](/content/blog/mac-clipboard-encryption/index.html) and can only be revealed with Touch ID. **Best for:** Users who want clipboard history _and_ quick notes _and_ snippets in one place, with automatic encryption for sensitive data. Developers who copy code, credentials, and terminal output throughout the day. **Trade-offs:** - **Text-focused clipboard.** NotchPad's clipboard history handles text and code (not images). However, you can **drag & drop 50+ file types** — including Word, PDF, RTF, Markdown, and code files — directly onto NotchPad to import them as notes with rich text preserved. - **No cloud sync.** Everything is local. If you need clipboard history on your iPhone, Paste's iCloud sync handles that. NotchPad's position is that your clipboard data [shouldn't leave your device](/content/privacy/index.html). - **$7.99 for Pro.** Notes are free forever. Clipboard history and snippets require a one-time Pro purchase — not free like Maccy, but no recurring fees. [See pricing details](/content/pricing/index.html). ## The security question This is where the three apps diverge the most. If you use a password manager — and you should — your clipboard regularly contains passwords, 2FA codes, and other credentials. - **Paste** stores everything in plaintext and syncs to iCloud. You can exclude specific apps, but you have to remember to configure this. - **Maccy** stores everything locally in plaintext. It respects the clipboard-clearing convention, which helps but doesn't fully protect the data at rest. - **NotchPad** auto-detects passwords from 1Password, Bitwarden, and Apple Passwords, encrypts them with AES-256-GCM on the fly, and requires Touch ID to reveal. The [v1.0.2 release](/content/releases/index.html) details how sensitive clipboard protection works. If clipboard security matters to you — and if you copy passwords, it should — NotchPad is the only one of the three that encrypts by default. ## The pricing question Over three years: - **Maccy:** $0 - **NotchPad:** $0 for notes, $7.99 for Pro (one-time, adds clipboard + snippets + encryption) - **Paste:** $89.97 ($29.99 × 3 years) NotchPad's [perpetual license](/content/terms/index.html) covers up to 3 Macs and includes all future updates. No subscription, no recurring charges. ## Which one should you pick? **Choose Paste if** you need cross-device clipboard sync, work heavily with images and files in your clipboard, and don't mind a subscription. **Choose Maccy if** you want the simplest possible clipboard manager, prefer open-source, and don't need notes, snippets, or encryption. **Choose NotchPad if** you want clipboard history with automatic encryption, a quick notepad for capturing thoughts, reusable snippets, Apple Notes access, and voice-note handoff with NotchLive — all accessible from your MacBook's notch or a keyboard shortcut. One purchase, no subscription, and your sensitive data stays encrypted on your Mac.