--- title: Is Relic Safe? Open Source, Encryption, Price and Reviews | Relic description: Relic is an open-source clipboard manager that encrypts everything on your device before it syncs. What the encryption protects, what Relic can see, the price, and the audit status. canonical: https://relic.space/is-relic-safe source: https://relic.space/llms.txt --- Facts # Is Relic safe? The facts about the Relic clipboard manager Relic keeps everything you copy, so it is fair to ask whether you can trust it. This page answers the questions people ask about Relic: whether it is open source, what the encryption protects, what Relic can and cannot see, and what it costs. Quick answer Relic is an open-source clipboard manager for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone. Relic keeps everything you copy and makes it searchable. Relic encrypts each item on your device before it syncs, so the Relic server only stores data it cannot read. Relic’s apps, sync server and encryption code are public on [GitHub](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic) under AGPL-3.0\. No outside firm has audited Relic yet, and Relic cannot protect you from malware already on your device. ## Relic at a glance | | Relic | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What it is | A clipboard manager that keeps, searches and syncs everything you copy | | Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, and a web vault | | Open source | Yes: apps, sync server, AI and CLI (AGPL-3.0); encryption (Apache-2.0) | | Encryption | On your device, before anything syncs | | Self-hosting | Yes, free, one Docker command | | Price | Free plan. Pro $7/mo or $60/yr. Max $12/mo or $96/yr | | Independent audit | Not yet | | Made by | Ember Technologies, LLC, Kalispell, Montana | ## Is Relic open source? Yes. The Relic apps, the sync server, the on-device AI and the command-line tool are open source under AGPL-3.0 in one public repository, [github.com/RelicSync/relic](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic). The encryption package, relic\_crypto, is under Apache-2.0 so other projects can reuse it freely. Every part of Relic builds from that repository with no secret of ours. Official releases are built from tagged commits, and a public workflow builds the same version from the same tag, so anyone can confirm that a release builds from public code. Two exceptions. On Android, the QR scanner used to pair a new device relies on Google ML Kit, which is not free software. The scanner only runs on the pairing screen, and replacing it is planned. And the screens of the web vault at relic.space/vault are part of the website, which is not in the public repository. The web vault’s encryption code is public. ## Is Relic safe to use? Relic was built for the sensitive things people copy, like passwords, recovery codes and private messages. Here is what Relic’s encryption protects, taken from the threat model in Relic’s [SECURITY.md](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic/blob/main/SECURITY.md). * **A hacked or hostile server.** The Relic server, or your own server if you self-host, stores only encrypted items. Someone who takes over the server gets encrypted data and no content. * **A stolen backup or a legal demand.** Relic has no way to decrypt your data, so it has nothing readable to hand over. That also means Relic cannot reset your data if you lose your passphrase. * **Swapped or replayed data.**Each encrypted item is tied to its place in your vault, so a server cannot pass one item off as another. Relic’s tests check this. And here is what the encryption does not protect. * **Malware on your own device.** Relic decrypts your items on your device so search is instant and works offline. Malware running as you can read that local copy. Password managers have the same limit. * **A weak passphrase.** Relic makes passphrase guessing slow and expensive. A short or common passphrase can still be guessed. * **A lost passphrase and a lost recovery kit.** If you lose both, nobody can recover your data, including Relic. Keep the recovery kit Relic gives you at setup. * **Whatever is on your screen or clipboard right now.** Once you paste an item, other apps can read the clipboard. Relic marks pasted items as sensitive where the system allows it and clears them on a timer. For readers who want the details: Relic encrypts with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and turns your passphrase into a key with Argon2id (64 MiB of memory, 3 passes). The full design is in [docs/crypto.md](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic/blob/main/docs/crypto.md), and the [technology page](https://relic.space/technology) walks through how the pieces fit. ## Can Relic read what I copy? No. Relic encrypts each item on your device with a key only you hold, before anything leaves your device. The Relic server stores the encrypted copy. Nothing you copy leaves your device until you turn on sync. The server does see a few plain details it needs to sync and enforce plan limits: item ids, timestamps, sizes, which items you pinned, each device’s name, platform and app version, your plan, and your account email. On a computer, the device name is the computer’s name unless you rename it in Relic’s settings. The item fields are listed one by one in [docs/wire-format.md](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic/blob/main/docs/wire-format.md). ## Has Relic had an independent security audit? Not yet. No outside firm has audited Relic. Here is what you can check today instead. * Relic’s app and server code is public, including the code that encrypts your data. * The encryption package ships test vectors. Running `dart test` in Relic’s `crypto` folder checks them in a few seconds, with no app build needed. * The web vault’s encryption is a second, separate implementation in TypeScript, also public, and it is checked byte for byte against the first one. If you find a security problem, email [security@relic.space](mailto:security@relic.space). Relic has no bug bounty. ## Does Relic collect analytics or telemetry? The Relic apps include no analytics or crash-reporting libraries, because either one could carry what you copied off your device. The apps make two kinds of requests on their own. Relic checks relic.space for updates, and Relic downloads its on-device AI models the first time it runs. Neither request includes anything you copied. The relic.space website counts visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which sets no cookies. The [privacy policy](https://relic.space/legal/privacy) lists everything Relic collects. ## Is Relic free? Relic has a free plan. The free plan syncs across 3 devices with up to 250 MB, keeps your last 100 copies and up to 100 pinned items. Pro is $7 a month or $60 a year and keeps everything. Max is $12 a month or $96 a year and adds more storage. Running your own Relic sync server is free, and you can move between your own server and Relic Cloud whenever you like. The [pricing section](https://relic.space/#pricing) has the details. ## Who makes Relic? Relic is made by Ember Technologies, LLC in Kalispell, Montana. Jordan Gibbs is the founder and builds Relic. Subscriptions are Relic’s only income. Relic shows no ads and sells no data. More on the [about page](https://relic.space/about). ## Where can I read reviews of Relic? Relic is young, so there are only a few independent reviews so far. Relic is listed on [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/relic-copy-vault), [AlternativeTo](https://alternativeto.net/software/relic/about/) and [SaaSHub](https://www.saashub.com/relic), where anyone can leave a review. Bug reports and feature requests are public on [GitHub](https://github.com/RelicSync/relic/issues). ## How does Relic compare with other clipboard managers? Ditto, Maccy and CopyQ are free, open-source clipboard managers that keep your history on one computer. They are a good fit if you never need sync. Relic is for people who want the same history on every device, encrypted before it syncs. The side-by-side pages go into the details. ## Frequently asked questions Is Relic safe?+ Relic is built to be safe for the things people copy, including passwords and private messages. Relic encrypts every item on your device before it syncs, so the Relic server only holds data it cannot read. Relic's apps, sync server and encryption code are open source on GitHub, so anyone can check how the encryption works. Relic cannot protect you from malware already running on your own device, and a weak passphrase weakens the encryption. Is Relic open source?+ Yes. The Relic apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, the sync server, the on-device AI and the command-line tool are all open source under AGPL-3.0 at github.com/RelicSync/relic. The encryption package, relic\_crypto, is under Apache-2.0\. Every part builds from that public repository. Can Relic read what I copy?+ No. Relic encrypts each item on your device with a key only you hold, and the Relic server stores the encrypted copy. The server can see item ids, timestamps, sizes, which items you pinned, each device's name, platform and app version, your plan and your account email. On a computer the device name is the computer's name unless you change it in settings. The server cannot see the content of anything you copied. Has Relic had an independent security audit?+ Not yet. No outside firm has audited Relic. The code is public, the encryption settings are published, and the encryption package ships test vectors anyone can run in a few seconds. Security reports go to security@relic.space. Does Relic collect analytics or telemetry?+ The Relic apps include no analytics or crash-reporting libraries. The apps check relic.space for updates and download their AI models on first run, and neither request includes anything you copied. The relic.space website uses Cloudflare Web Analytics, which sets no cookies. Is Relic free?+ Relic has a free plan that syncs across 3 devices with up to 250 MB, keeps your last 100 copies and up to 100 pinned items. Pro is $7 a month or $60 a year. Max is $12 a month or $96 a year. Running your own Relic sync server is free. Who makes Relic?+ Relic is made by Ember Technologies, LLC in Kalispell, Montana. Jordan Gibbs is the founder and builds Relic. Where can I read reviews of Relic?+ Relic is young, so there are only a few independent reviews so far. Relic is listed on Product Hunt, AlternativeTo and SaaSHub, where users can leave reviews. Bug reports and feature requests are public on GitHub. Keep reading [Best clipboard managersthe full ranked list](https://relic.space/best-clipboard-managers)[Best clipboard manager for privacylocal-only or encrypted sync](https://relic.space/best-clipboard-manager-for-privacy)[Relic vs Dittothe free Windows favorite](https://relic.space/vs/ditto)[Relic vs Maccythe light Mac favorite](https://relic.space/vs/maccy)[Relic vs CopyQthe scriptable one](https://relic.space/vs/copyq)[Self-host Relicone Docker command](https://relic.space/self-host)[How Relic's encryption worksin plain words](https://relic.space/technology)[Press kitfacts, logo and screenshots](https://relic.space/press)