--- title: Relic vs CopyQ: Clipboard Managers Compared | Relic description: CopyQ is a powerful, scriptable clipboard manager for power users. Relic trades scripting for encrypted cross-device sync and a simpler everyday experience. canonical: https://relic.space/vs/copyq source: https://relic.space/llms.txt --- Compare # Relic vs CopyQ CopyQ is the power user’s clipboard manager: cross-platform, scriptable, and endlessly customizable. Relic trades that depth for encrypted sync and a simpler everyday feel. Here is an honest, fair comparison. Quick answer CopyQ is a free, open-source clipboard manager that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux today, with tabs, scripting, and optional per-tab GnuPG encryption. Relic skips the scripting in favor of automatic end-to-end encryption with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id, built-in cross-device sync, and a permanent history out of the box. Pick CopyQ if you want deep customization and local control across desktops now. Pick Relic if you want encrypted sync that just works. CopyQ is a remarkable piece of free, open-source software. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, organizes your history into tabs, and can be scripted to do almost anything you can imagine, from custom commands to automated transforms on what you copy. If you want a clipboard manager you can bend to your exact workflow, nothing here beats it, and we respect that. Relic comes at the problem from the opposite direction. Instead of maximum power and configuration, it aims for a clean default experience that keeps everything forever, encrypts it so only you can read it, and syncs it across your devices without you scripting anything. Both are cross-platform in spirit, but they feel very different to live with. ## At a glance | | Relic | CopyQ | | -------------------- | ------- | ------- | | Keeps everything | Yes | Yes | | Search | Yes | Yes | | Syncs across devices | Yes | No | | Works on Windows | Yes | Yes | | Works on Mac | Yes | Yes | | Works on Linux | X11 | Yes | | Works on phone | Partial | No | | End-to-end encrypted | Yes | Partial | | Open source | Partial | Yes | | Free tier | Yes | Yes | Two fair notes. CopyQ can encrypt individual tabs with a GnuPG plugin, so it is not a flat no on encryption, but it is opt-in per tab rather than automatic end-to-end encrypted sync. And Relic’s Linux desktop app is built for X11, where CopyQ also runs happily on Wayland. Mobile is browse-and-search only. More below. ## When CopyQ is the better pick For power users and tinkerers, CopyQ is often the right answer, and here is when. * **You want maximum control.**CopyQ’s scripting and commands let you automate and customize far beyond what Relic exposes. If you love building your own workflow, this is your tool. * **You live on Linux and want the veteran option.** Relic runs on Linux now too, so this is no longer an availability argument. But CopyQ has been packaged for every distro for years, and it fits the no-account, no-cloud way a lot of Linux desktops are set up. If that is your world, it is a very safe pick. * **You want free, open source, and offline.** CopyQ is fully open source and runs entirely locally, with no account and no cloud involved. * **You like organizing with tabs.**CopyQ’s tabbed history is great for separating different kinds of content, and you can encrypt sensitive tabs with the GnuPG plugin. Give your clipboard a memory. Relic keeps everything you copy, makes it searchable on every device, and seals it with end-to-end encryption so only you can read it. The free plan holds 250 MB and 100 saved items across 3 devices. [Download forWindows](https://relic.space/download/windows)[Download formacOS](https://relic.space/download/macos)[Download forLinux](https://relic.space/download/linux)[Download forAndroid](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=relic.space.app&referrer=utm%5Fsource%3Drelic.space%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dwebsite%26utm%5Fcampaign%3Dcontent)[Download foriPhone](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/relic-clipboard-vault/id6800556025) ## When Relic is the better pick Relic wins when you want encrypted sync and a simple default experience without assembling it yourself. * **You want sync that just works.** CopyQ has no built-in encrypted cloud sync. Relic syncs your history across devices out of the box, with no scripting or shared folders to wire up. * **You want encryption on by default.**Relic encrypts every item on device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id and stores only ciphertext we cannot read. CopyQ’s encryption is an optional, per-tab plugin rather than the default for everything. * **You want simple, not a toolkit.** CopyQ is powerful but has a steep learning curve. Relic is built to be useful the moment you install it. * **You want screenshot search and a phone lens.** Relic runs OCR on device and offers a browse-and-search lens on mobile so you can reach your history from your phone. In fairness: Relic runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux today, but its Linux build wants an X11 session for its hotkey and paste-back, so on a Wayland desktop CopyQ still has the wider footprint. On phones, Relic is a browse-and-search lens rather than a background recorder, because phone operating systems block background clipboard capture. And Relic never writes to your clipboard on its own. It only puts something back when you pick it. Short version: choose CopyQ if you want maximum power, scripting, and local control across desktops. Choose Relic if you want encrypted sync, a permanent history, and a simple experience that works the moment you open it. ## FAQ Is CopyQ free?+ Yes. CopyQ is free and open source, and it runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is probably the most powerful clipboard manager out there, with tabs, scripting, and deep customization. Relic has a free tier too, plus an optional Pro plan at 7 dollars a month, or 5 a month billed annually. Can CopyQ sync across my devices?+ Not in the way Relic does. CopyQ is local and does not include built-in encrypted cloud sync. People sometimes script their own sync or point it at a synced folder, but there is no turnkey cross-device feature. Relic is built around encrypted sync out of the box. Is CopyQ encrypted?+ CopyQ has an optional plugin that can encrypt individual tabs using GnuPG, which is genuinely useful. It is not the same as automatic end-to-end encrypted sync, though. Relic encrypts every item on your device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id by default and stores only ciphertext. Which is more powerful?+ CopyQ, without question, if you measure power by scripting and customization. You can automate almost anything with it. Relic deliberately trades that depth for a simpler everyday experience, encrypted sync, and a permanent history. It depends on whether you want a toolkit or an appliance. 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