ClipSave vs Paste
Both keep clipboard history across Mac, iPhone, and iPad — but one is the feature-rich subscription benchmark and the other is a focused, one-time-purchase alternative. Here is an honest, feature-by-feature comparison.
The short version
Paste is the right choice if you want the most polished clipboard manager available, with rich media, collections, and years of refinement, and you are fine paying roughly $5/month or about $30/year (or using it via Setapp). ClipSave is the right choice if your clipboard is mostly text and links, you want private cross-device sync with no account, and you would pay once ($5.99 lifetime) rather than subscribe forever.
You want the full toolkit
Images and files, pinning and collections, the most refined UI in the category, and an app with years of polish — and the subscription is comfortably in your budget.
You want text + links, synced, paid once
A searchable cross-device history, private iCloud sync with no account, automatic secret filtering, and a price that ends at $5.99.
Side-by-side comparison
| ClipSave | Paste | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad (iOS 18+/iPadOS 18+/macOS 15+) | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Capture on Mac | Automatic | Automatic |
| Capture on iPhone | Paste Button, Share Sheet, Shortcut | System-approved extensions + keyboard integration |
| Text & links | Yes (focus) | Yes |
| Images & files | Not yet | Yes |
| Organization | Searchable list | Pin, collections, type filters, cards |
| Sync | Private iCloud (CloudKit) container | iCloud sync |
| Account required | No | Subscription identity required |
| Sensitive content | Codes, card numbers, keys blocked by default | Per-app ignore rules and settings |
| Encryption claims | iCloud-protected; no end-to-end claim | See Paste’s current documentation |
| Pricing | Free tier; $0.99/mo or $5.99 lifetime (universal) | ~$5/mo or ~$30/yr, or Setapp |
| Maturity | Newer, focused MVP | Long-established category leader |
Where Paste is genuinely ahead
We have no interest in pretending this is a tie. Paste is a more complete product:
- Rich media. It keeps images, files, and multiple content types; ClipSave currently stores plain text and a single HTTP/HTTPS link per clip.
- Organization. Pinning, collections, stacks, and visual cards make heavy libraries manageable.
- Refinement and age. Years of design iteration show in animations, interactions, and edge-case handling.
- Feature breadth. Paste is a vault; ClipSave is a fast list.
Where ClipSave is deliberately different
1. The price ends
At roughly $30/year, Paste costs more in a year than ClipSave costs ever — ClipSave’s lifetime Pro tier is a single $5.99 universal purchase across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The free tier (latest 5 clips, 3 days) makes the comparison cheap to test. We expand on the math and other options in five Paste app alternatives.
2. No account, no developer server
ClipSave has no sign-up. Clips live on your devices and in your private iCloud database. There is no ClipSave-operated server holding your history and no advertising profile.
3. Secret filtering by default
Verification codes, bank card numbers, API keys, access tokens, and PEM private keys are blocked from saving automatically. Paste offers ignore rules; ClipSave treats exclusion as the default rather than a configuration project. The thinking behind that is in our clipboard manager privacy checklist.
4. A smaller, calmer surface
ClipSave deliberately avoids collections and media vaults. For users who only ever copy words and URLs, the focused interface is faster and the app asks for less attention.
Migration reality check
There is no standard clipboard-history import format, so you cannot one-tap move a Paste database into ClipSave (or any other manager). In practice people run both for a few days, confirm the new workflow captures what they need, cancel Paste in their Apple ID subscriptions, and start fresh — clipboard history depreciates quickly, and last week’s snippets rarely matter.
Who should pick which?
Pick Paste if clipboard history is daily infrastructure, rich media is non-negotiable, or collections genuinely structure your work.
Pick ClipSave if you want a quiet, fast, cross-device text-and-link history, private iCloud sync without an account, and a price you never see again. Both apps coexist fine during a trial, so there is no reason to cancel before testing.
Compare them on your own devices
ClipSave is free to try; the lifetime upgrade is a single $5.99 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClipSave cheaper than Paste?
Dramatically over time. Paste is roughly $5/month or $30/year, while ClipSave Pro is $0.99/month or a one-time $5.99 lifetime purchase covering all three platforms. Paste costs more in under a year than ClipSave costs ever.
Does ClipSave have all of Paste’s features?
No, and the comparison is honest about it. Paste supports images, files, and rich organization; ClipSave is a focused MVP for plain text and a single link per clip with searchable, synced history. Choose Paste if rich media and collections are essential.
Can I import my Paste history into ClipSave?
There is no industry-standard clipboard database format, so no direct one-tap import exists. Most users run both apps briefly, then start fresh in ClipSave; historical snippets quickly become irrelevant.
Does ClipSave require an account like Paste’s subscription login?
No. ClipSave has no registration and operates no content server; history syncs through your private iCloud database. Nothing ties your clips to a ClipSave identity.
Which app is better for privacy?
Both avoid unnecessary data collection, but their models differ: ClipSave stores nothing on developer-operated servers and blocks secrets by default; Paste provides granular ignore rules and a broader settings model. Evaluate each against the privacy checklist. ClipSave uses Apple’s iCloud encryption but does not claim end-to-end encryption.