Paste vs TextExpander

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

TextExpander

• Support and sales teams that send the same replies many times a day
• Individuals who retype the same emails, addresses or code fragments
• Teams that need the same approved wording on Mac and Windows

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.

TextExpander

• The free plan keeps only 5 snippets active at a time, with 1 swap every 2 weeks.
• Pro is limited to 5 users; larger teams need Business at $10 per user a month billed annually.
• The download page lists Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and a Chrome extension; no Android or Linux app is listed.
• Single sign-on starts on Business with Google only; other SSO providers and SCIM need Enterprise.

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.

TextExpander

Snippets and abbreviations

Save text you type often as a snippet, then insert it by typing its abbreviation or by searching snippet titles and content inline.

Fill-ins and dynamic content

Snippets can prompt for fill-in-the-blank fields and nest other snippets. Date and time math and JavaScript snippets are part of the paid plans.

Rich text snippets

Snippets can carry images, fonts, colors and links, or take on the formatting of the place where they expand.

Shared snippet groups

Share groups of snippets with a team and set who can view, edit or manage them. Free and Pro allow 5 team members; Business removes the limit.

AI Recommendations

In the Chrome extension, TextExpander suggests relevant snippets from your library based on what you are working on.

Statistics

Reports snippets expanded and an estimate of hours and dollars saved. Organization-wide statistics come with Business and Enterprise.

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.

TextExpander

• Free$0

  5 active snippets, unlimited stored snippets, 1 snippet swap every 2 weeks, and up to 5 team members across 3 teams.

• Pro$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($60), or $6 billed monthly

  Unlimited active snippets for up to 5 users, unlimited teams, and dynamic content such as date math and JavaScript snippets.

• Business$10

  per user / month, billed annually ($120), or $12 billed monthly

  Unlimited team members, organization statistics, 7 days of snippet activity history, Google SSO and guest sharing.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Business features plus advanced security and admin controls, unlimited activity history, all SSO providers with SCIM, and custom reporting.

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.

TextExpander

• Annual discount

  Two months free with annual billing

  Pro is $60 per user a year when billed annually, against $6 per user a month on monthly billing. Business is $120 a year against $12 a month.