Compare the current options
Paste offers subscriptions and a lifetime purchase. Its published annual price is 29.99 USD before tax; prices vary by country and region. We have not verified the lifetime checkout amount, so check its pricing page for your location. Clivra costs 15 USD once for up to 2 Macs, with taxes shown at checkout.
| Decision | Paste | Clivra 1.2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | Subscription or lifetime purchase | 15 USD once; up to 2 Macs |
| Devices | Mac, iPhone and iPad | Mac; macOS 14 or later |
| Between devices | iCloud history and pinboard sync | Separate local libraries; iCloud and Dropbox disabled |
| Organise copies | History, search and pinboards | Visual history, app/type search, collections and screenshot text |
| Try the workflow | Seven-day native trial | Browser demo with content you add; native capture requires activation |
Choose around your everyday devices
Paste’s help describes iCloud sync for history and pinboards across Mac, iPhone and iPad. If retrieving the same saved copy on a phone is essential, that is a practical reason to evaluate Paste. Its lifetime option also means that avoiding subscriptions alone does not decide this comparison.
Clivra fits a Mac library organised around copied text, links, images and screenshots. Search can narrow to a source app or type, and collections keep related clips together. Recognised screenshot text can be searched and copied. A two-Mac licence allows two activations; it does not sync the two libraries. Choose against the release available now rather than a planned integration.
Review privacy and permissions before copying
Clivra asks you to allow automatic capture. You can exclude source apps and content types, pause capture or save manually. Its sensitive-content detector is a heuristic, not a guarantee that every secret will be caught. Stable version 1.2.5 does not upload the library through iCloud or Dropbox, but activation and periodic licence checks go online. Optional link-preview requests also contact the linked website.
For either app, read its current privacy settings and test with invented content first. Direct insertion into another Mac app needs Accessibility permission; a clipboard-copy workflow lets you switch to the destination and paste with Command + V. Local storage, sync, clipboard access and licence verification are different decisions, so review each rather than treating one privacy label as the whole answer.
You may already have enough with Spotlight or Maccy
On macOS 26 Tahoe and later, Spotlight can search clipboard history with Command + Space followed by Command + 4. Try the built-in option if finding recent copies is your main need. Earlier macOS versions do not offer that Spotlight history feature.
Maccy is another option for a smaller local clipboard workflow on macOS 14 or later. Its official site describes keyboard-led search, local storage and MIT-licensed open source. The source is free; this comparison does not establish the current App Store price. Use maccy.app to find the official downloads and documentation.
Use a small checklist before you buy
A few ordinary tasks reveal more than a long feature list. Use the same harmless samples when evaluating an app. Clivra’s website demo is useful for its library layout, but it only handles content you add and does not test native clipboard monitoring, global shortcuts or macOS permissions. Testing those Clivra features requires the installed, activated app.
If you already use Paste, keep it available while evaluating an alternative. We have not verified importing a Paste history into Clivra and do not promise that migration. Do not use your only copy of important information as a test sample.
- List the devices that need access to the same history. Check whether sync is required or separate local libraries are sufficient.
- Check the current price, tax, licence limits and trial terms on the official purchase pages for your country.
- Try finding a made-up sentence, a copied link and an image containing harmless text. Check app filters and the destination’s pasted formatting.
- Review capture exclusions, retention and permissions before using real work content.