Paste vs PasteNow (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PasteNow grades higher than Paste: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Paste grades higher on features. PasteNow grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paste
Clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad with pinboards
PasteNow
Clipboard manager for macOS and iOS with iCloud sync
Which one is for you
Pick Paste if
- Fits if you copy and reuse text, links and images on a Mac and an iPhone
- Works for people who want their clipboard history kept in their own iCloud
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free clipboard manager, as there's no free version after the 7-day trial
- Not for you if you use Windows or Android, or devices older than macOS 14 and iOS 26
- Pricey if you'd rather pay once: Lifetime is $99.99 on the US App Store, over three years of the yearly plan
- Watch out: the Family plan ($59.99 a year) is App Store only, and Teams is sold per seat at a price that isn't published
- Watch out: the pricing page shows only the yearly price; the monthly, Family and Lifetime prices come from the App Store
Pick PasteNow if
- Fits if you want clipboard history on both a Mac and an iPhone
- Works for people who sort clips into lists
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as it is Apple only
- Watch out: it needs macOS 14.6 or iOS 17.6 or later
- Watch out: iOS cannot record the clipboard in the background, according to a user review
- Watch out: the website's license price loads by script, so only the App Store price is certain
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPasteFair | 2.4GPAPasteNowFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29.99 a year, which the pricing page shows as $2.49 a month, or $3.99 paid monthly. That lands mid-table for utilities here, which sit at $2.99 a month in the middle. Lifetime is $99.99 on the US App Store, a bit over three years of the yearly plan. | C$7.99 as an in-app purchase, but the listing does not show whether it is one-time or recurring, so it sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free version. You get a 7-day trial with every feature, and the direct Mac download needs no account or card. After that you need a plan, though your saved history is kept. | C14-day trial, then paid. No free plan, and the listing does not say whether a card is needed. |
| Features | BIt covers the clipboard job: unlimited searchable history, pinboards you can share with a team, iCloud sync, and rules that make it ignore passwords and apps you mark sensitive. It also connects to Claude, Codex and Cursor. | CLists, iCloud sync, keyboard control, exclusion rules and editing. A review says iOS cannot record the clipboard in the background. |
| Ease of use | C4.2 from 1,326 App Store ratings, below the 4.5 a B needs. It saves what you copy with nothing to set up, but the App Store listing asks for macOS 14 or later and iOS 26 or later, so older devices are out. | BNo rating on record that counts, but you install it and use it. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone and iPad, synced through your own iCloud, and it connects to Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf. That's one family of devices, though: nothing for Windows or Android. | BMac and iPhone, with iCloud sync. No Windows, Android or web. |
| Best for | a clipboard history shared by your Mac and iPhone | a clipboard manager across Mac and iPhone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Paste and PasteNow. How we grade
Where they differ
- Paste can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- PasteNow also covers templates and menu bar app.
At a glance
| Paste | PasteNow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $2.49 / month, billed annually ($29.99) | $7.99 (PasteNow Pro, App Store in-app purchase) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with every feature; the direct Mac download needs no account or card | 14-day free trial |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Paste Team ApS | Tutu Studio |
| Price read from | pasteapp.io | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
PasteNow
- Requires macOS 14.6 or iOS 17.6 or later, with an older version offered for older Macs.
- A user review on the App Store says iOS cannot record the clipboard in the background.
- The website's license price loads by script and could not be read; only the App Store price is shown.
Key features
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.
PasteNow
- Lists and smart lists
- Organize clippings into lists, or use Smart Lists with conditions to sort what you collect automatically.
- iCloud sync
- Syncs clipboard records between macOS and iOS devices through iCloud.
- Keyboard control
- Full keyboard operation with custom shortcuts in settings; the App Store listing says the paste shortcuts are macOS only.
- Exclusion rules
- Exclude chosen apps, or use other rules, so only data you want to keep is collected.
- Preview and edit
- Press Space to preview the original content, and right-click to edit it before pasting.
Plans
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.
PasteNow
PasteNow Pro$7.99
App Store in-app purchase; billing period not shown
Unlocks the app after the trial; the website license covers up to 5 devices for one user.
Ways to pay less
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.
PasteNow
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Paste or PasteNow?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Paste starts at $2.49 / month, billed annually ($29.99), and PasteNow starts at $7.99 (PasteNow Pro, App Store in-app purchase).
Which has a free plan, Paste or PasteNow?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Paste nor PasteNow has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.