Alfred vs Paste

Alfred

• Mac users who want a keyboard launcher without a subscription
• People who automate repetitive tasks with their own workflows
• Buyers who want to pay once, with optional lifetime upgrades

Paste

• People who copy and reuse text, links and images all day on a Mac
• Moving copied items between a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad
• Setapp subscribers, since the Mac app is included at no extra cost
• Giving AI coding tools access to things you copied earlier

Alfred

• macOS only (10.14 or later). Alfred Remote for iOS is a separate purchase on the App Store.
• Clipboard history, snippets, workflows and file actions all require the paid Powerpack.
• Prices are shown in pounds sterling only; the vendor's site gives no US dollar price.
• The Single License is tied to Alfred 5; moving to a later major version is a discounted paid upgrade unless you hold Mega Supporter.

Paste

• There is no free version; after the 7-day trial a plan is needed, though your saved history is kept.
• Apple platforms only. The App Store listing requires macOS 14 or later and iOS or iPadOS 26 or later.
• The Family plan is sold only on the App Store, and the Teams plan only on the website at a per-seat price that is not published.
• The pricing page showed only the annual price as text; the monthly, Family and Lifetime prices come from the US App Store listing.

Alfred

App, file and web search

Launch apps, find files on your Mac and search websites with default or custom search keywords, all from one search bar.

Workflows

A Powerpack feature that connects triggers and actions like building blocks to automate tasks without code. Thousands of community workflows can be imported.

Clipboard History

With the Powerpack, Alfred keeps the text, images and file links you copy for 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months, so an earlier item can be found and pasted again.

Snippets and text expansion

With the Powerpack, saved snippets expand automatically when you type a short keyword.

File actions and Terminal commands

The Powerpack adds actions on files, such as emailing, moving, copying and revealing in Finder, and runs Terminal commands and scripts from Alfred.

System commands and hotkeys

Sleep the Mac, empty the Trash or start the screensaver with a keyword. The Powerpack adds custom hotkeys and keywords for apps and sites.

Paste

Unlimited clipboard history

Everything you copy is saved with no limit on age or count, and the whole history can be searched.

Pinboards

Pin the snippets, links, colors and templates you use regularly to pinboards. Pinboards can be shared to keep a team in sync.

Sync through iCloud

Clipboard history follows you across Mac, iPhone and iPad. The vendor says the data stays on your devices and in your private iCloud, not on its servers.

Privacy rules

Set rules so that Paste ignores passwords and anything copied in apps you mark as sensitive.

Paste MCP for AI tools

Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf can search your clipboard history and pinboards after you approve access. The server runs locally on the Mac.

Suggestions with Apple Intelligence

Paste suggests what you are likely to paste next based on what you are working on, processed on the Mac by Apple Intelligence.

Alfred

• Alfred (free)£0

  The core launcher for searching your Mac and the web. Free to use in a personal, educational or business setting.

• Powerpack Single License£34

  one-time purchase, license for Alfred 5

  Unlocks the Powerpack for one user on Alfred 5: workflows, clipboard history, snippets, file actions, themes and settings sync.

• Powerpack Mega Supporter£59

  one-time purchase, free lifetime upgrades

  The same Powerpack features for one user, with free upgrades to future versions of Alfred.

Paste

• Personal (annual)$2.49

  per month, billed annually ($29.99)

  Unlimited clipboard history, pinboards, search and sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad.

• Personal (monthly)$3.99

  per month, billed monthly (US App Store price)

  The same features paid month to month.

• Family$59.99

  per year (US App Store price)

  Paste for up to six people in an Apple Family Sharing group. Sold only through the App Store and billed annually.

• Lifetime$99.99

  one-time purchase (US App Store price)

  Pay once and use Paste on your personal devices with no recurring charge, including future updates.

Alfred

• Lifetime license

  Mega Supporter license with free lifetime upgrades

  The £59 Mega Supporter license includes free upgrades to future versions of Alfred. The £34 Single License covers Alfred 5.

• Other savings

  Upgrade discount for older licenses

  Holders of a Single User or Family license for an earlier version of Alfred can upgrade to the current Powerpack at a discount.

Paste

• Annual discount

  Annual plan saves 37%

  The pricing page marks the annual Personal plan, $29.99 a year, as saving 37% compared with paying monthly.

• Education

  30% off the first year for students and educators

  Students and educators get 30% off the first year of an annual plan by contacting Paste before buying through its website.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime plan with future updates

  A one-time Lifetime purchase unlocks Paste for good, including all future updates. The US App Store lists it at $99.99.

• Other savings

  Included with a Setapp subscription

  Paste for Mac is included in a Setapp subscription at no extra cost. Setapp does not offer the Lifetime or Family plans.