How we ranked them
Every clipboard manager records what you copy. What separates them is the stuff around that: how much history they keep, whether you can search it, whether it follows you to your other devices, and who can read it. We scored each tool on those, plus price and platform support.
- How much it keeps. The last few hundred items, or everything you ever copied.
- Search. A history you cannot search is just a longer list to scroll.
- Cross-device sync. Copy on your laptop, paste on your phone. This is where most managers stop.
- Privacy. Local-only, or end-to-end encrypted sync. Transport encryption alone is not the same thing.
- Price and platforms. Free vs paid, and which operating systems it actually runs on.
The comparison at a glance
| Relic | Ditto | Maccy | Paste | CopyQ | Win+V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps everything (no cap) | ||||||
| Search history | ||||||
| Syncs across devices | Apple only | |||||
| End-to-end encrypted | ||||||
| Reads text in images (OCR) | ||||||
| Works on Windows | ||||||
| Works on Mac | ||||||
| Works on phone | iPhone | |||||
| Free tier | ||||||
| Open source |
Two honest notes on that table. Relic’s free tier keeps a rolling 500 items and Pro keeps everything forever; the Mac and Linux desktop apps are still rolling out, and on phones Relic is a browse-and-search companion rather than a background recorder, because phone operating systems do not let apps capture the clipboard in the background. And CopyQ’s encryption is optional per-tab GnuPG rather than on by default.
The best clipboard managers, ranked
1. Relic, best for an encrypted history that syncs across devices
Relic keeps everything you copy, encrypts it on your device so only you can read it, and syncs it across your devices. Best for people who work across more than one machine and care about who can read their clipboard. It captures automatically, keeps everything on Pro (the free tier keeps a rolling 500 items, text is always unlimited), searches instantly, and reads the text inside your screenshots so you can find those too. Encryption is XChaCha20-Poly1305 with Argon2id, and the server only ever holds ciphertext.
The honest caveat: Relic’s live desktop client today is Windows. Mac and Linux are on the way, and on phones it is a browse-and-search lens rather than a background recorder. If you live entirely on one machine and never need sync, a free local tool below will serve you just as well.
2. Ditto, best free clipboard manager for Windows
Ditto is a free, open-source, battle-tested Windows clipboard manager. Best for people who live on Windows and want something proven with no subscription. It records what you copy, searches well, and can even sync between your own Windows PCs over your local network. The interface looks a little dated and it stays inside the Windows world, with no Mac, phone, or end-to-end encryption, but on price and reliability it is hard to beat. See our full Relic vs Ditto comparison.
3. Maccy, best lightweight free clipboard manager for Mac
Maccy is a fast, free, open-source clipboard manager for macOS. Best for Mac users who want something minimal that just works. It is quick, keyboard-driven, and stays out of your way. It keeps a local history on one machine with no sync and no encryption, so it is a single-device tool, but for that job it is excellent. See Relic vs Maccy.
4. Paste, best-designed clipboard manager for Apple users
Paste is a polished, paid clipboard manager for Mac and iPhone. Best for people all-in on Apple who want the nicest interface and are happy to pay. It syncs through iCloud across your Apple devices and feels genuinely lovely to use. It does not work on Windows or Android and is not end-to-end encrypted. See Relic vs Paste.
5. CopyQ, best for power users and Linux
CopyQ is a free, open-source, scriptable clipboard manager for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Best for power users who want tabs, custom commands, and deep control across desktops. It is the most flexible tool here and the strongest cross-desktop option. The tradeoffs are a steeper learning curve, no built-in cross-device sync, and encryption that is optional per-tab GnuPG rather than automatic. See Relic vs CopyQ.
6. Clipy, best minimal free option for Mac
Clipy is a simple, free, open-source Mac clipboard manager with snippet menus. Best for Mac users who want a no-frills local history and reusable snippets. Like Maccy, it is single-device with no sync or encryption. See Relic vs Clipy.
7. Flycut, best dead-simple text history for developers on Mac
Flycut is a free, open-source, plain-text clipboard history for Mac, descended from Jumpcut. Best for developers who want a fast, keyboard-driven history of copied text and nothing else. It handles plain text only, with no images, sync, or encryption. See Relic vs Flycut.
8. Windows Clipboard History (Win+V), the built-in baseline
Win+V is the clipboard history already built into Windows.Best for people who just need the last handful of copies and nothing more. Press Win+V and it is there, free, with emoji and GIF panels. But it keeps only about 25 items, clears on restart unless you sign in and enable cloud sync, has no search, and its synced version lives on Microsoft’s servers in a form they can read. It is a handy buffer rather than a memory you can trust. See clipboard history on Windows 11.
How to choose in one line
- Free on Windows: Ditto.
- Free and minimal on Mac: Maccy or Clipy.
- Nicest design, all-Apple, happy to pay: Paste.
- Power user across desktops: CopyQ.
- Encrypted history that syncs across your devices and reads your screenshots: Relic.
- Just the last few copies, nothing to install: Win+V.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best clipboard manager overall?
There is no single winner, because it depends on your platform and whether you need sync. On Windows, Ditto is the best free pick. On a Mac, Maccy is the best lightweight free one and Paste is the most polished paid one. If you want a permanent history that syncs across devices and stays end-to-end encrypted, that is what Relic is built for, with Windows live today and other platforms in beta.
What is the best free clipboard manager?
Ditto on Windows and Maccy on Mac are the two best free options, and both are open source. Ditto keeps a searchable history and can sync between your own Windows PCs over your local network. Maccy is fast, minimal, and stays out of your way. Relic also has a free tier that keeps a rolling 500 items with unlimited text.
Which clipboard manager is the most private?
For local-only privacy, Ditto, Maccy, and CopyQ keep your history on your own machine and never touch a cloud. The tradeoff is no sync. If you want your history synced across devices and still private, Relic encrypts every item on your device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before anything is saved or sent, so the server only ever holds ciphertext it cannot read. Cloud clipboards that are not end-to-end encrypted, including Windows Clipboard History, can be read on the server side.
Is there a clipboard manager that works on both Windows and Mac?
CopyQ runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux today and is a strong cross-desktop choice for power users. Relic is built to sync one encrypted history across Windows, Mac, and phones, with the Windows client live now and Mac, Linux, and mobile rolling out. Most other popular managers are single-platform.
Do I even need a clipboard manager, or is Win+V enough?
Windows Clipboard History (Win+V) is a genuinely useful buffer, but it keeps only about 25 items, clears on restart unless you sign in and enable cloud sync, and has no search. If you only ever need the last few things you copied, it is enough. If you want to find something you copied last week, keep images, or search your history, a dedicated clipboard manager is the upgrade.