A Paste alternative for people who would rather buy once.
Paste has been a capable Mac clipboard manager since 2015 and it is genuinely mature. If you are reading this, the subscription is probably why. Here is a straight comparison, including the places where Paste is still ahead.
Competitor details checked in September 2026. Plans and prices change - follow the links to each vendor for the current terms.
Where Paste is ahead.
Three things Paste does that we are not going to talk around.
- Cross-device sync that ships todayPaste syncs your clipboard across Mac, iPhone and iPad right now. Pastilo's iOS app is not in the App Store yet, so on this point Paste simply wins today.
- Pinboards and a long track recordYears of refinement and a visual organization model many people prefer.
- Included with SetappIf you already pay for Setapp, Paste comes with it, which is hard to beat on price.
Where Pastilo is different.
Pastilo is a local-first Mac app sold as a one-time purchase, with a developer-shaped feature set.
Compare editions- One purchase, not a subscriptionThe Mac editions are bought once with free updates, so there is nothing to renew and nothing to lose access to.
- Local by defaultNo account and no cloud sync are required on Mac. The history lives in Application Support on your machine.
- Developer transforms on deviceFormat JSON, convert YAML, decode Base64, create hashes and strip invisible characters without sending anything to a service.
- Sequential PasteQueue several items and paste them in order, with the queue previewed in the Notch.
- Secure itemsTouch ID protection, a deletion lock and an expiry timer for things that should not linger.
Keep comparing.
The rest of the comparison set and the guide behind it.
Paste alternative questions
Is Pastilo a subscription?
No. The Mac editions are one-time purchases with free updates within the edition you bought.
Does Pastilo sync to iPhone the way Paste does?
Not yet. Cloud Sync is built and covered in the terms, but the iOS app is not on the App Store yet. For now, treat Pastilo as a Mac app. If cross-device sync is the reason you are looking, Paste is the safer choice today.
Can I try Pastilo before buying?
Yes. There is a Free edition and a 14-day free trial that unlocks every Dev feature without a card.
What happens to my history if I stop paying?
There is nothing to stop paying. Pastilo is a purchase rather than a rental, and the history is local either way.
Buy once, keep the clipboard.
Start on Free or unlock everything for 14 days.