# Best free Mac clipboard managers, compared

> Free Mac clipboard managers compared by what stays free, history limits and macOS support, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-free-mac-clipboard-managers/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

## At a glance

| App | Price | Requirements | Good fit for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Maccy](https://maccy.app) | Free, MIT open source | macOS 14 Sonoma | Free, open source clipboard history you search by typing. |
| [Flycut](https://github.com/TermiT/Flycut) | Open source MIT; App Store price not stated | Current macOS minimum not stated | Open source clipboard stack from the developer community. |
| [Raycast](https://www.raycast.com/core-features/clipboard-history) | Free plan, 3 months of history; Pro $10 a month or $96 a year | macOS minimum not stated on the pages read | Clipboard history in the Raycast launcher, free for 3 months of history. |
| [Klipto](https://klipto.me) | Free keeps 100 copies and five snippets; Pro $19.99 one time | macOS 14 Sonoma | Native clipboard app, free for the last 100 copies, with a 14 day Pro trial. |
| [PastePal](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pastepal-clipboard-manager/id1503446680?mt=12) | Free download; Pro $14.99 in app purchase | macOS 14.0 | Free download with a $14.99 Pro purchase and opt in iCloud sync. |
| [NotchPop](https://notchpop.pages.dev) | Free, MIT open source, no login | macOS 14, Apple silicon and Intel | Free, MIT licensed notch app with a clipboard widget, shelf, music, calendar, timers and system stats. |
| [OneNotch](https://www.tryonenotch.com/) | Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026 | macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon Macs | Notch app with a free tier: clipboard search, filters and transforms, 50 items for 24 hours. |
| [NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/) | $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | Notch clipboard history for $4 once after a 7 day trial; included here to show where a paid option sits. |

Prices and availability were checked on 4 November 2026. Verify the linked product page before buying.

The best free Mac clipboard manager depends on what you need to stay free. Maccy is free and open source with no paid tier. Raycast and Klipto have free plans with limits. PastePal has a free download with a Pro purchase. NotchPop is a free notch option. Prices as of 4 November 2026.

## How we checked

Each entry comes from the maker's own pages, read on 4 November 2026: websites, pricing pages, GitHub pages and Mac App Store listings. Nothing was tested by hand for this list, so it says what each maker states and no more. Where a page did not state a price or a macOS version, this list says so instead of guessing. Prices as of 4 November 2026. "Free" here means a price or a free plan the maker states, and each entry says what is capped.

## At a glance

| App | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Maccy | free with no paid tier | Free, MIT open source |
| Flycut | an open source, minimal stack | Open source MIT; App Store price not stated |
| Raycast | a free plan inside a launcher | Free plan, 3 months of history; Pro $10 a month or $96 a year |
| Klipto | a free tier with search filters | Free keeps 100 copies and five snippets; Pro $19.99 one time |
| PastePal | trying a full app before paying once | Free download; Pro $14.99 in app purchase |
| NotchPop | a free notch widget set | Free, MIT open source, no login |
| OneNotch | a free tier with filters and transforms | Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026 |
| NotchStar | a cheap paid option, not a free one | $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund |

## Free clipboard managers, one entry each

### Maccy

**Best for:** free with no paid tier.

Maccy states it is and will always be free, and it asks for nothing else. It is keyboard driven, keeps everything on your computer and ignores copies marked confidential or temporary by default. It is offered on the Mac App Store, as a direct download and through Homebrew per GitHub. Its pages do not document history size or sync, and it needs macOS 14.

**Price:** Free, MIT open source. **Requires:** macOS 14 Sonoma.

### Flycut

**Best for:** an open source, minimal stack.

Flycut is MIT licensed and keeps the items you copy so you can paste earlier ones with Shift Command V. Its last GitHub release is from December 2020, so treat it as lightly maintained. The README mentions an optional donation link and App Store builds without prices, so free is inferred from the licence.

**Price:** Open source MIT; App Store price not stated. **Requires:** Current macOS minimum not stated.

### Raycast

**Best for:** a free plan inside a launcher.

The free Raycast plan includes clipboard history for text, images, colors and links, with pinning and keyboard shortcuts. Passwords from password managers are ignored by default. The cap is 3 months of history on Free, and unlimited on Pro. It is a full launcher, so the install is bigger than the job. The pages read do not say whether the free plan needs an account.

**Price:** Free plan, 3 months of history; Pro $10 a month or $96 a year. **Requires:** macOS minimum not stated on the pages read.

### Klipto

**Best for:** a free tier with search filters.

Klipto's free tier keeps the last 100 copies and five snippets, with search and type filters. The paste queue, screen text capture, transforms and translation are Pro. Everything is stored in a local database, and no account is required. AlternativeTo says the free tier keeps 25 items, but the maker's own site says 100, and that is the figure used here.

**Price:** Free keeps 100 copies and five snippets; Pro $19.99 one time. **Requires:** macOS 14 Sonoma.

### PastePal

**Best for:** trying a full app before paying once.

PastePal downloads for free and sells a one time Pro upgrade of $14.99, plus optional tips. The listing does not itemise what stays free, so install it and check before you rely on it. iCloud sync is opt in. No standalone website was read, so the App Store page is the only source.

**Price:** Free download; Pro $14.99 in app purchase. **Requires:** macOS 14.0.

### NotchPop

**Best for:** a free notch widget set.

NotchPop says it is free forever with no subscription or login, and its page lists a clipboard widget next to a shelf, music, calendar, timers and system stats. The download is about 1.9 MB. The limits: no privacy policy page is linked, the maker is not named on the page, and the last release was 13 May 2026. The site shows an older version than the GitHub release.

**Price:** Free, MIT open source, no login. **Requires:** macOS 14, Apple silicon and Intel.

### OneNotch

**Best for:** a free tier with filters and transforms.

OneNotch's free tier keeps 50 clipboard items for 24 hours, and Pro raises that to 1,000. It offers search, filters and transforms. It needs macOS 15 and an Apple silicon Mac, which rules out Intel and macOS 14. See the [OneNotch comparison](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/onenotch/) for how it differs from NotchStar.

**Price:** Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026. **Requires:** macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon Macs.

### NotchStar

**Best for:** a cheap paid option, not a free one.

NotchStar is not free: it has a 7 day trial, then $4 once for all ten tools on up to 3 Macs, with a 7 day refund. Its clipboard keeps 50 items in memory only and clears on quit. If your goal is free, Maccy or the free plans above come first. If a few dollars once is fine and you want the notch, it is worth a look.

**Price:** $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund. **Requires:** macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.

## How to choose

- Want nothing to pay for, ever: Maccy has no paid tier.
- Want long free history: compare Raycast (3 months) against Klipto (100 items) and OneNotch (50 items for 24 hours).
- Want a notch app that costs nothing: NotchPop is free, and OneNotch has a free tier on macOS 15.
- Use Intel or macOS 14: OneNotch will not run, so look at Maccy, Klipto or NotchPop.
- Want a persistent paid history: see the [paid clipboard manager list](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-clipboard-managers/).

## Left out

CopyClip 1 is free on the App Store, but its notes point to the paid CopyClip 2 and it is not listed. Alfred's clipboard history needs the paid Powerpack. For how macOS handles history, read the [guide to Mac clipboard history](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-clipboard-history-in-the-notch/) and [NotchStar Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/).

## Sources

Official pages, read on 4 November 2026. Prices as of 4 November 2026.

- [Maccy](https://maccy.app)
- [Flycut](https://github.com/TermiT/Flycut)
- [Raycast](https://www.raycast.com/core-features/clipboard-history)
- [Klipto](https://klipto.me)
- [PastePal](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pastepal-clipboard-manager/id1503446680?mt=12)
- [NotchPop](https://notchpop.pages.dev)
- [OneNotch](https://www.tryonenotch.com/)
- [NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/)

## Quick answers.

### Is Maccy really free?

Yes. maccy.app says it is and will always be free, and it is MIT licensed open source. It requires macOS 14.

### How much does the Raycast free plan keep?

Raycast says the free plan keeps 3 months of clipboard history. Pro makes it unlimited.

### Is NotchStar free?

No. NotchStar has a 7 day trial and then costs $4 once. It is on this list only so you can see where a cheap paid option sits.

## Keep reading.

- [Best Mac clipboard managers, compared by need](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-clipboard-managers/): Nine Mac clipboard managers compared by price, history length and macOS support, from the makers' own pages, checked 4 November 2026.
- [Mac clipboard history in the notch: how to use it well](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-clipboard-history-in-the-notch/): Why a clipboard history helps, how to search it, what it should never record, and how NotchStar's notch version handles privacy.
- [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again.
- [How long clipboard history lasts on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-long-mac-clipboard-history-lasts/): On macOS 27, Spotlight clipboard history is kept for 30 minutes, 8 hours or 7 days, your choice. What Apple says for macOS 26 and 15.
- [NotchStar vs OneNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/onenotch/): OneNotch is a Mac notch app built around clipboard boards, screenshots and window snapping. Compare it with NotchStar on price, macOS support and features.
- [Mac notch apps you can buy once, with no subscription, priced](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-one-time-purchase-mac-notch-apps/): Which Mac notch apps cost one payment instead of a subscription? Prices, Mac counts, trials and macOS versions from official pages, checked 4 November 2026.

## More in Mac apps by job.

- [Best Mac clipboard managers, compared by need](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-clipboard-managers/): Nine Mac clipboard managers compared by price, history length and macOS support, from the makers' own pages, checked 4 November 2026.
- [Best Mac file shelf apps for drag and drop](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-file-shelf-apps/): Eight Mac file shelf and drag and drop apps compared by price, macOS support and AirDrop, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.
- [Best Mac screenshot apps, compared by need](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-screenshot-apps/): Seven Mac screenshot apps compared by price, recording and sharing, from official pages checked 4 November 2026, with honest limits.
- [Best Mac teleprompter apps, compared by need](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-teleprompter-apps/): Ten Mac teleprompter apps compared by price, voice scrolling and screen share hiding, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.
- [Best Mac Pomodoro apps, compared by need](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-pomodoro-apps/): Eight Mac Pomodoro and focus timer apps compared by price, blocking and sync, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.
- [Best Mac timer apps for countdowns and stopwatches](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-timer-apps/): Seven Mac timer and stopwatch apps compared by price, macOS support and how they show time, from official pages checked 4 November 2026.