A paste flow tuned to one keystroke
⇧⌘V, type a few letters, ⏎ — the panel is built around getting a clip back into your document, not just browsing history. ⌘1–9 pastes your most recent clips instantly.
DittoClip vs Maccy
Two keyboard-first clipboard managers, compared honestly.
Maccy is the best free, open-source clipboard manager on the Mac — full stop. DittoClip is for people who want the same keyboard-first speed wrapped in a more polished paste flow, with hover image previews and ⌘1–9 quick paste, for two coffees a year.
| Feature | DittoClip | Maccy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for your last 20 clips · $7.99/year for the full history (first month free) | Free download (GitHub/Homebrew); $9.99 one-time on the App Store to support the developer |
| Open source | No | Yes — MIT licensed, source on GitHub |
| Keyboard workflow | ⇧⌘V panel, type-to-filter, ⏎ pastes, ⌘1–9 quick paste | ⇧⌘C popup (customizable), search, full keyboard navigation |
| Search | Instant filter as you type | Fast history search |
| Images | Captured with thumbnails + hover preview | Captured with thumbnail previews |
| Auto-paste | Optional: ⏎ pastes into the active app (Accessibility permission), otherwise ⌘V | “Paste automatically” option (Accessibility permission) |
| Pinned items | Not yet | Pin favorites to the top |
| Privacy / local-only | 100% local SQLite — no cloud, accounts or telemetry | Everything stored on your Mac |
| Password safety | Never records items marked concealed by password managers | Ignores sensitive/transient clipboard types |
| Sync / iOS app | No — local-only by design | No |
| Native vs Electron | Native Swift menu-bar app | Native Swift |
| macOS requirement | macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later | macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later |
Maccy details from maccy.app and the project's GitHub README, June 2026. Tell us if something is out of date.
Where DittoClip wins
Image previews on hover
Screenshots show as thumbnails and expand to a full preview on hover, so you can confirm it's the right one before pasting.
App Store install and updates
One-click install, automatic updates, a real free trial, and a subscription you can cancel in App Store settings — no Homebrew or Gatekeeper steps.
Where Maccy wins
It's free and open source
Maccy is MIT-licensed and free to download from GitHub or Homebrew. You can read every line of the code — the strongest privacy guarantee there is. If $0 is your budget, get Maccy.
Pinned items
Maccy lets you pin frequently used snippets so they stay at the top of the list. DittoClip doesn't have pins today.
Deeper configuration
Configurable history size, ignored apps and pasteboard types, paste-without-formatting tweaks — Maccy exposes more knobs for tinkerers.
FAQ
Quick answers
Why pay for DittoClip when Maccy is free?+
You don't have to pay to try it: your last 20 clips are free with no time limit. Paying gets you the full searchable history plus a more polished paste experience — hover image previews, ⌘1–9 quick paste, and a maintained App Store app at $7.99/year. If Maccy already does everything you need, keep using Maccy — it's excellent.
Do both apps keep my clipboard data on my Mac?+
Yes. Both DittoClip and Maccy store history locally and make no cloud sync. DittoClip keeps everything in a local SQLite database — the only network use is Apple's App Store, for the subscription itself; Maccy is open source, so its local-only behavior is publicly verifiable.
Do both handle images and screenshots?+
Yes. Both capture images alongside text. DittoClip shows thumbnails with a larger hover preview; Maccy shows thumbnail previews too.
Will either app record my passwords?+
No. Both respect the macOS password-manager conventions (nspasteboard.org), so items marked as concealed or transient — like copies from 1Password or Apple Passwords — are never stored.
⇧+⌘+V
Try the $7.99/year alternative
One month free on the Mac App Store. If it doesn't beat your current setup, cancel in two clicks and keep using Maccy — no hard feelings.
Start your free month1 month free · then $7.99/year