The best clipboard managers for Mac

Last updated November 1, 2026

A clipboard manager keeps everything you copy, so you can paste something from an hour ago. Here are the main options for Mac, what they cost and who each one suits. We make Helix, so take that pick with a pinch of salt; the rest are honest recommendations.

At a glance

	Price	Best for
Spotlight (macOS 26 Tahoe and later)	Built in	The basics, with nothing to install
Maccy	Free, open source	A small, fast, free history
Paste	$2.49 a month or $29.99 a year	Syncing across Mac, iPhone and iPad
Raycast	Free (3 months of history); Pro $10 a month	People who already use Raycast
Alfred	Powerpack £34 once	People who already use Alfred
Helix	$4.99₹399 once (early bird, $9.99₹899 regularly)	Clipboard plus other everyday tools in one ring

Spotlight (built in on macOS 26 Tahoe and later)

Press ⌘Space, then ⌘4, to see recent copies. It keeps them for 8 hours by default, and up to 7 days if you change it in System Settings → Spotlight. It needs Tahoe or later, so it isn't there on macOS 14 or 15. More on the built-in options in how to see your clipboard history on a Mac.

Maccy

A free, open-source clipboard manager that lives in the menu bar. Open it, type to search your history and press Return to paste. It runs on macOS 14 Sonoma and later. If you want a clipboard history and nothing else, start here.

Paste

A polished, visual clipboard history that syncs across your Mac, iPhone and iPad. It's a subscription, $2.49 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. Worth it if you copy on one device and paste on another.

Raycast

Raycast's launcher includes clipboard history on its free plan, kept for 3 months. Raycast Pro, $10 a month or $96 a year, keeps it without a limit and adds AI. A good choice if you already use Raycast to search.

Alfred

Alfred's clipboard history is part of its Powerpack, a one-time £34 licence. It's off by default for privacy; turn it on in Alfred's preferences. A good choice if Alfred is already your launcher.

Helix

Helix keeps your last 50 copies, text and images, for as long as you choose, and skips passwords from password managers. You open it by holding ⌥Space and pointing at Clipboard in a ring around your pointer. The same ring opens your favorite apps, controls your music and has notes and Ask AI, so it suits people who want more than a clipboard. It's $4.99₹399 once.

Prices are from each app's website in November 2026 and can differ by region.

Questions

What's the best free clipboard manager for Mac?

Maccy is free and open source. Raycast's free plan also has clipboard history, kept for 3 months. On macOS 26 Tahoe, Spotlight has a basic one built in.

Does macOS have a clipboard manager built in?

macOS 26 Tahoe added clipboard history to Spotlight: press ⌘Space, then ⌘4. It keeps copies for up to 7 days. Earlier versions only hold the last thing you copied.

Which clipboard managers skip passwords?

Password managers mark the passwords you copy as private. Helix never saves those copies, and Maccy removes a password from its history when your password manager clears it.

Which one syncs between Mac and iPhone?

Paste syncs your clipboard history across Mac, iPhone and iPad. Helix and Maccy keep it only on your Mac.

Helix is a one-time purchase for macOS 14 or later, with 16 tools in one ring. See how it works.

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