--- title: Relic vs Paste: Clipboard Managers Compared | Relic description: Paste is a polished clipboard manager for Apple devices. Relic works on Windows too and encrypts everything end to end. Here is how they stack up. canonical: https://relic.space/vs/paste source: https://relic.space/llms.txt --- Compare # Relic vs Paste Paste is the most polished clipboard manager in the Apple world, with pinboards and a genuinely beautiful interface. Relic trades some of that shine for end-to-end encryption and true cross-platform reach. Here is the honest comparison. Quick answer Paste is a paid, Apple-only clipboard manager that syncs through iCloud across Mac and iPhone with a beautifully designed interface. Relic adds end-to-end encryption with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id, a free tier, and support beyond the Apple ecosystem. Pick Paste if you are all-Apple and want the most polished experience available. Pick Relic if you use Windows or mixed devices, or want true encryption with a free starting point. Paste is lovely. If you have seen a clipboard manager with elegant visual pinboards and smooth animations, it was probably Paste. It runs on Mac and iPhone, syncs your history through iCloud across your Apple devices, and is clearly built by people who care about design. For someone who lives entirely inside Apple, it is one of the nicest experiences you can buy. Relic is built for a wider and more private world. It works beyond Apple, it keeps everything you copy forever, and it encrypts every item on your device so only you can read it. The two apps look most different on two questions: do you use anything other than Apple gear, and how much do you care that your synced clipboard is unreadable to everyone but you. ## At a glance | | Relic | Paste | | -------------------- | ------- | ---------- | | Keeps everything | Yes | Yes | | Search | Yes | Yes | | Syncs across devices | Yes | Apple only | | Works on Windows | Yes | No | | Works on Mac | Yes | Yes | | Works on Linux | X11 | No | | Works on phone | Yes | iPhone | | End-to-end encrypted | Yes | No | | Open source | Partial | No | | Free tier | Yes | No | To be fair to Paste, its iCloud sync across Apple devices works beautifully, so the “Apple only” note is about reach, not quality. Relic covers the Apple side too now, with a Mac app for Apple Silicon and an iPhone app on the App Store, though on phones it is a browse-and-search lens rather than a background recorder. More on that below. ## When Paste is the better pick If your whole life is Apple and you value design, Paste makes a strong case. * **You are all-Apple.** Mac plus iPhone plus iPad, all signed into the same iCloud account, is exactly the setup Paste was made for, and it shines there. * **You want the most polished experience.**Paste’s pinboards and visual history are best in class. If you reuse a curated set of snippets and want them to look great, it is hard to top. * **You do not mind a subscription for craft.** Paste is paid, but it earns it with consistent attention to detail and a mature, stable product. * **You only need Apple sync.** If you never touch Windows or Android, the lack of those clients is not a downside for you. 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 your devices are not all Apple, or when encryption and a free tier matter to you. * **You use Windows, or a mix.** Paste cannot help you on a PC or an Android phone. Relic is built to span platforms, with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone all out today. * **You want true end-to-end encryption.** Relic encrypts each item on device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id and stores only ciphertext. We genuinely cannot read your clipboard. Paste syncs through iCloud and is not marketed as end-to-end encrypted. * **You want a free option.**Relic’s free tier keeps the last 500 copies inside 250 MB, and Pro keeps everything forever inside 25 GB. Paste requires a subscription to keep using it. * **You want to search screenshots.** Relic runs OCR on device so you can find the text inside an image, not just typed snippets. Being honest about how it behaves: Relic covers the Mac as a signed and notarized download for Apple Silicon, and the iPhone app is on the App Store, so an all-Apple user is covered. The real difference is the model. On phones, Relic is a browse-and-search lens rather than a background recorder, because phone operating systems block background clipboard capture, so you push items up with the share sheet or the Action Button instead. Paste leans on the tighter Apple integration it was designed around. And Relic never writes to your clipboard on its own. It only puts something back when you pick it. Short version: choose Paste if you are all-Apple and want the prettiest experience money can buy. Choose Relic if you want encrypted, permanent history that also works beyond Apple, with a free tier to start. ## FAQ Is Paste free?+ No. Paste is a paid subscription app. There is a trial, but ongoing use needs a plan. It is one of the most polished clipboard managers out there, with pinboards and a beautiful interface. Relic has a free tier plus an optional Pro plan at 7 dollars a month, or 5 a month billed annually. Does Paste work on Windows or Android?+ No. Paste is Apple only. It runs on Mac and iOS and syncs through iCloud across your Apple devices. If you use Windows or Android, Paste is not an option, which is one of the main reasons people look at Relic instead. Is Paste end-to-end encrypted?+ Paste syncs through iCloud and relies on Apple’s storage, but it is not marketed as end-to-end encrypted clipboard sync. Relic encrypts every item on your device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id, so we hold only ciphertext we cannot read. Which looks and feels nicer?+ Paste is gorgeous. Its pinboards and visual history are some of the best design in this category, and we will happily give it that. Relic focuses on encrypted, permanent, cross-platform history. If you live entirely in Apple’s world and want the prettiest experience, Paste is a strong pick. 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