NotchPad vs Paste vs Maccy: Which Mac Clipboard Manager?
If you've ever lost something you copied — a URL, a snippet of code, an address — you know why clipboard managers exist. On macOS, three apps cover most of the market: Paste (the polished subscription option), Maccy (the free open-source option), and NotchPad (the security-focused option that also handles notes and snippets). Each takes a different approach to the same problem.
Here's how they compare.
Quick comparison
| NotchPad | Paste | Maccy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 one-time | $29.99/year | Free (open-source) |
| Clipboard history | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notepad | Yes (rich text) | No | No |
| Snippets | Yes | Pinboards | No |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM | No | No |
| Touch ID | Yes | No | No |
| Cloud sync | No (local only) | iCloud | No |
| Images/files | File import (50+ types) | Yes | Text only |
| Access method | Notch hover / ⌃⌃ | Menu bar / shortcut | Menu bar / shortcut |
| Password protection | Auto-detect + encrypt | App exclusion rules | Respects clear signal |
NotchPad's clipboard history — items from every app, with passwords automatically encrypted.
Paste: the visual clipboard with sync
Paste has been around since 2016 and is one of the most polished clipboard managers on macOS. Its standout feature is a visual timeline that shows your clipboard history as cards — including images, links, and rich text. You can organize items into Pinboards, search with OCR (text inside screenshots), and sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud.
Best for: People who copy lots of images and files, need cross-device sync, and want a visual interface for browsing history.
Trade-offs:
- $29.99/year subscription. Over three years, that's $90 — nearly 10x the one-time cost of NotchPad or the free cost of Maccy.
- No encryption. Clipboard data is stored unencrypted and synced to iCloud. If you copy a password, it's stored in plaintext in Paste's history and potentially on Apple's servers.
- App exclusion as security model. You can exclude specific apps (like 1Password), but you have to configure each one manually, and it's all-or-nothing per app.
Maccy: the free, minimal option
Maccy is free, open-source, and does exactly one thing: clipboard history. It lives in your menu bar, you press a shortcut to open it, type to search, and press Enter to paste. It's fast, lightweight, and has essentially zero learning curve.
Best for: Users who want a simple, free clipboard manager with no frills. Developers who prefer open-source software.
Trade-offs:
- Clipboard only. No notes, no snippets, no rich text. If you need to store reusable text blocks or quick notes, you'll need a separate app.
- No encryption. History is stored locally (good), but not encrypted (not as good). Anyone with access to your Mac can browse your clipboard history.
- Respects clipboard clearing but doesn't encrypt. When a password manager clears the clipboard, Maccy clears it too. But during the window before clearing, the password is stored in plaintext.
NotchPad: clipboard + notes + encryption
NotchPad takes a different approach from both. Instead of being a standalone clipboard manager, it combines clipboard history, a notepad, and code snippets into a single interface that lives in your MacBook's notch. The differentiator is security: passwords are automatically encrypted with AES-256-GCM and can only be revealed with Touch ID.
Best for: Users who want clipboard history and quick notes and snippets in one place, with automatic encryption for sensitive data. Developers who copy code, credentials, and terminal output throughout the day.
Trade-offs:
- Text-focused clipboard. NotchPad's clipboard history handles text and code (not images). However, you can drag & drop 50+ file types — including Word, PDF, RTF, Markdown, and code files — directly onto NotchPad to import them as notes with rich text preserved.
- No cloud sync. Everything is local. If you need clipboard history on your iPhone, Paste's iCloud sync handles that. NotchPad's position is that your clipboard data shouldn't leave your device.
- $9.99 after trial. Not free like Maccy, though it's a one-time purchase with no recurring fees. See pricing details.
The security question
This is where the three apps diverge the most. If you use a password manager — and you should — your clipboard regularly contains passwords, 2FA codes, and other credentials.
- Paste stores everything in plaintext and syncs to iCloud. You can exclude specific apps, but you have to remember to configure this.
- Maccy stores everything locally in plaintext. It respects the clipboard-clearing convention, which helps but doesn't fully protect the data at rest.
- NotchPad auto-detects passwords from 1Password, Bitwarden, and Apple Passwords, encrypts them with AES-256-GCM on the fly, and requires Touch ID to reveal. The v1.0.2 release details how sensitive clipboard protection works.
If clipboard security matters to you — and if you copy passwords, it should — NotchPad is the only one of the three that encrypts by default.
The pricing question
Over three years:
- Maccy: $0
- NotchPad: $9.99 (one-time, includes notes + snippets + encryption)
- Paste: $89.97 ($29.99 × 3 years)
NotchPad's perpetual license covers up to 3 Macs and includes all future updates. No subscription, no recurring charges.
Which one should you pick?
Choose Paste if you need cross-device clipboard sync, work heavily with images and files in your clipboard, and don't mind a subscription.
Choose Maccy if you want the simplest possible clipboard manager, prefer open-source, and don't need notes, snippets, or encryption.
Choose NotchPad if you want clipboard history with automatic encryption, a quick notepad for capturing thoughts, and reusable snippets — all accessible from your MacBook's notch or a keyboard shortcut. One purchase, no subscription, and your sensitive data stays encrypted on your Mac.
Related articles
Why Your Mac Clipboard Needs Encryption
How to Use Your MacBook's Notch for Productivity
$9.99 one-time purchase after trial. Up to 3 Macs. See pricing.