ClipClip vs CopyQ

ClipClip

• Windows users who want clipboard history with built-in editing
• Personal, school or hobby use at no cost
• People who also want screenshots and screen recordings in the same app

CopyQ

• People who want the same clipboard manager on Windows, macOS and Linux
• Users who script or automate what happens to copied content
• Keeping clipboard history on the device, with nothing sent over the network

ClipClip

• Windows only: the help center describes ClipClip as a Windows desktop application and lists other platforms only as future plans.
• Free use covers personal, school and hobby work; commercial use calls for the $49 per-user license.
• Clipboard history holds up to 1,000 clips, and the site says reaching that depends on the device's memory.
• Syncing and backup across devices are described as working through a connected cloud drive such as Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox.

CopyQ

• Under Wayland on Linux, pasting from CopyQ, global shortcuts and clipboard monitoring depend on the desktop environment and can need workarounds.
• The macOS build is unsigned: the docs say Accessibility access must be granted again after each install or update. macOS 13 or later is required.
• Tab data is stored unencrypted in the configuration directory unless encryption is turned on.
• Clips do not travel between devices on their own; a tab can only be mirrored to files in a folder on disk, such as a Dropbox folder.

ClipClip

Clipboard history

Automatically saves the latest 1,000 clips, covering plain text, rich text, HTML, CSV, images and files. The site notes that the limit depends on the device's memory.

Paste Menu

A hotkey, Ctrl + Alt + V by default, opens a menu to search, preview and paste latest and saved clips into the current app without opening the main window.

Pinned clips and folders

Frequently used clips can be pinned for quick pasting, and clips can be grouped into custom folders, including folders added from the local file system and password-protected ones.

Clip editors

Built-in editors handle plain text, rich text, HTML and images. The image editor can resize, draw, blur and annotate a clip without leaving the app.

Converters and actions

One-click tools change case, strip formatting, encode or decode Base64, URLs and HTML, create MD5 hashes, extract text from images and translate through Google Translate or DeepL.

Screenshots and screen recording

Captures the full screen, a window or a custom area, and records the screen with audio. Captures are saved to the clipboard and the clip manager for editing.

CopyQ

Clipboard history in tabs

Saves copied text, HTML, images and custom formats as items in tabs. Items can be sorted, edited, removed and moved by drag and drop, and they are restored the next time the app starts.

Filter and paste

The history can be browsed and filtered, and Enter pastes the selected item into the previously active window once that option is on. Items can also be pasted from the tray menu.

Custom commands and global shortcuts

The Command dialog (F6) adds predefined or custom actions that run from the menu, on a system-wide shortcut or automatically whenever the clipboard changes.

Command line and scripting

A copyq command-line tool and a scripting API can add, read and write items and clipboard content. The main application has to be running for commands to work.

Tags, notes and pinned items

Items can carry notes and tags. Pinned items keep their row and are not removed when a tab reaches its item limit. On Windows, tags and pinning come from plugins.

Encryption and secret handling

Built-in encryption, available since version 14.0.0, protects all stored tabs with a password. Clipboard content that password managers mark as secret is ignored by default.

ClipClip

• Personal License$0

  For personal productivity, schoolwork and hobby or side projects. No purchase, registration or credit card is needed.

• Commercial License$49

  one-time payment per user

  For client work, use inside a company or team, and any commercial or income-generating work. Lifetime access with no recurring fees.

CopyQ

• CopyQ$0

  The complete clipboard manager as a Windows installer or portable zip, a Homebrew cask for macOS, and Linux packages, AppImage or Flatpak.

ClipClip

• Lifetime license

  One-time commercial license

  The pricing page describes the $49 Commercial License as one payment per user with lifetime access and no recurring fees.

CopyQ

No public discounts listed.