Loading…
CopyQ vs Maccy
Which is the better clipboard managers for Mac in 2026?
We compared CopyQ and Maccy across 5 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Both CopyQ and Maccy are excellent clipboard managers. Read our full breakdown below.
CopyQ
Clipboard manager with advanced features
FreeOpen Source
VS
Maccy
Lightweight clipboard manager for macOS
FreeOpen Source
Visual Comparison
CopyQ
CopyQ — Official Website
Maccy
Maccy — Official Website
Our Verdict
Both CopyQ and Maccy are excellent clipboard managers. CopyQ is better for users who prefer open source solutions, while Maccy excels for those who value transparency.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CopyQ | Maccy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly Installs | N/A | N/A |
| GitHub Stars | N/A | N/A |
| Category | System Utilities | System Utilities |
Quick Install
CopyQ
brew install --cask copyqMaccy
brew install --cask maccyLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is CopyQ?
CopyQ is a free, open-source, cross-platform clipboard manager that provides an advanced clipboard history with powerful scripting, editing, and automation capabilities far beyond what any basic clipboard tool offers. Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux, CopyQ stores every item you copy—text, images, HTML, files, and custom data formats—in a searchable, persistent history that survives application restarts and system reboots. What distinguishes CopyQ from simpler clipboard managers is its depth: it includes a built-in text editor for modifying clipboard items before pasting, support for custom commands and scripts (written in JavaScript) that can transform, filter, or process clipboard content automatically, tabbed clipboard organization for categorizing items into separate groups, and a powerful command-line interface for integration with shell scripts and automation tools. CopyQ's tab system allows you to create named clipboard categories—for example, keeping code snippets, URLs, email templates, and image assets in separate, organized tabs that you can switch between quickly. The scripting engine is CopyQ's most distinctive feature: you can write JavaScript functions that automatically process items as they're copied (for example, automatically stripping formatting from HTML, extracting URLs from text, converting currencies, or generating checksums), create custom keyboard shortcuts that trigger complex clipboard operations, and build fully automated workflows that respond to clipboard events. The interface uses a traditional desktop application window with a searchable list view showing your clipboard history, tabs for organization, and a command editor for creating custom scripts. On macOS, CopyQ runs as a menu bar application with a global hotkey for quick access, though its interface feels more at home on Linux and Windows where it was originally designed. CopyQ is actively maintained on GitHub with over 8,000 stars and supports extensive keyboard shortcut customization, item tagging, notes attached to clipboard items, and export/import of clipboard history. For power users who want their clipboard manager to be a full-featured text processing and automation tool, CopyQ is unmatched in the open-source space.
What is Maccy?
Maccy is a free, open-source clipboard manager built exclusively for macOS with a singular design philosophy: be lightweight, fast, and native. Created by developer Alex Rodionov, Maccy does one thing exceptionally well—it keeps a searchable history of everything you copy and lets you paste any previous item with a keyboard shortcut. That's it. And that simplicity is exactly what makes it beloved by tens of thousands of Mac users who want clipboard history without complexity, configuration overhead, or learning curves. Maccy lives in your menu bar and activates with a customizable keyboard shortcut (Shift+Cmd+C by default). Press the shortcut, and a clean, native dropdown appears showing your recent clipboard items with fuzzy search—start typing to instantly filter the list, then press Enter to paste the selected item. The experience is fast enough to feel instantaneous on any Mac, and the interface is clean enough to look like a native macOS feature that Apple simply forgot to build. Under the hood, Maccy stores clipboard history in a local SQLite database with configurable retention (number of items, storage duration). It supports text, images, files, and rich text, with options to ignore specific applications (useful for excluding password managers), pin frequently-used items for permanent quick access, and configure the number of items retained in history. Maccy is written entirely in Swift and uses native macOS APIs for everything—the search, the menu, the hotkey handling, and the data storage. This native architecture means it uses negligible system resources: typically under 20MB of RAM and essentially zero CPU when idle. The app starts instantly at login and never noticeably affects system performance or battery life. Maccy is available via Homebrew (brew install --cask maccy) or direct download from GitHub where it has accumulated over 14,000 stars. The app is MIT-licensed and completely free, though a paid version is available on the Mac App Store for users who want automatic updates and want to support the developer. For Mac users who want simple, fast, reliable clipboard history that feels native to macOS, Maccy is the gold standard.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Simplicity and Ease of Use
CriticalCopyQFair
CopyQ has a learning curve. The main window, scripting engine, tabs, tags, and custom commands are powerful but not immediately intuitive. New users may feel overwhelmed by the number of features.
MaccyExcellent
Maccy is immediately intuitive. Press a shortcut, type to search, press Enter to paste. There's no learning curve. Even non-technical users can use it effectively within seconds.
Verdict: Maccy's simplicity is its greatest strength. CopyQ's power comes at the cost of approachability.
Scripting and Automation
MediumCopyQExcellent
CopyQ's scripting engine is uniquely powerful among clipboard managers. Write custom commands to transform text (uppercase, slugify, encode/decode), filter clipboard content, chain operations, and integrate with external tools. The scripting API is comprehensive.
MaccyPoor
Maccy has no scripting or automation capabilities. It stores and retrieves clipboard items—nothing more.
Verdict: CopyQ's scripting is a killer feature for power users and developers who automate text processing.
macOS Native Feel
HighCopyQPoor
CopyQ uses the Qt framework and looks like a cross-platform application on macOS. The interface doesn't follow macOS design conventions, uses non-standard controls, and feels foreign compared to native Mac apps.
MaccyExcellent
Maccy is built with Swift and AppKit. It looks and behaves like a native macOS application—system font, proper Dark Mode support, standard keyboard shortcuts, menu bar integration. It feels like a missing macOS feature.
Verdict: Maccy feels like part of macOS. CopyQ feels like a Linux app running on Mac.
Search and Retrieval
CriticalCopyQGood
CopyQ provides searchable history with filtering by content type, tab, and tags. Search is functional but navigating results requires using the full CopyQ window.
MaccyExcellent
Maccy's fuzzy search is fast and accurate. The popup search interface appears instantly, and results narrow in real-time as you type. Finding and pasting a previous clip takes under a second.
Verdict: Maccy's popup fuzzy search is faster and more convenient than CopyQ's windowed search.
Content Editing
MediumCopyQExcellent
CopyQ lets you edit any clipboard item's content directly. You can modify text, strip HTML formatting, add notes, and save edited items back to the clipboard. This is useful for building a library of reusable text snippets.
MaccyPoor
Maccy is read-only for clipboard history. You can view and paste items but cannot edit their content within the app.
Verdict: CopyQ's content editing transforms it from a clipboard history into a snippet manager.
Organization (Tabs, Tags)
MediumCopyQExcellent
CopyQ supports tabs for categorizing clips, tags for labeling, and pinned items. You can organize frequently used content into named categories for quick access.
MaccyFair
Maccy supports pinned items but has no tabs, tags, or organizational categories. All items live in a single chronological list.
Verdict: CopyQ's organizational features are comprehensive. Maccy keeps things flat and simple.
Resource Usage
HighCopyQGood
CopyQ uses 40-80MB RAM with the Qt framework. Not heavy, but noticeably more than Maccy. CPU usage is low when idle.
MaccyExcellent
Maccy uses 10-20MB RAM. It's one of the lightest clipboard managers available. Negligible impact on battery and system performance.
Verdict: Maccy uses a fraction of CopyQ's resources while providing a faster user experience.
Cross-Platform Support
MediumCopyQExcellent
CopyQ works on Windows, macOS, and Linux with consistent behavior. Ideal for users who work across multiple operating systems and want the same clipboard manager everywhere.
MaccyPoor
Maccy is macOS-only. No Windows or Linux versions exist. It's designed exclusively for Mac users.
Verdict: CopyQ is the only option for users who need cross-platform consistency.
Who Should Choose Which?
1The Everyday Mac User
Maccy
You want clipboard history that's fast, simple, and feels like part of macOS. Maccy adds this missing feature perfectly.
2The Developer/Automation User
CopyQ
CopyQ's scripting engine lets you automate text transformations, build snippet libraries, and integrate clipboard management into your development workflow.
3The Cross-Platform User
CopyQ
Working across Windows, macOS, and Linux, CopyQ provides consistent clipboard management everywhere.
4The Minimalist
Maccy
Maccy's 10MB footprint, instant popup, and zero-configuration approach align perfectly with a minimal Mac setup.
5The Support/Documentation Writer
CopyQ
CopyQ's content editing and tab organization help manage frequently used text snippets, code blocks, and response templates.
Migration Guide
Copyq → Maccy
If CopyQ feels like overkill for your needs, Maccy is the natural simplification. Install via Homebrew (brew install --cask maccy), set your preferred hotkey, and you're done. You'll lose CopyQ's tabs, scripting engine, and custom commands, but gain a native Mac experience that's faster and simpler. Export any important CopyQ snippets or scripts before switching. Maccy's pinned items can partially replace CopyQ's tabbed organization for frequently-used content.
Maccy → Copyq
If you've outgrown Maccy's simplicity and need clipboard automation, scripting, or organization, CopyQ is the power upgrade. Install CopyQ and configure the global hotkey to match your Maccy shortcut. Start by using it as a simple clipboard history, then gradually explore tabs for organization and custom commands for automation. The learning curve is steeper but the capabilities are dramatically broader.
Pro Tips
Don't run both simultaneously—they'll both capture clipboard events and create a confusing duplicate experience. If you're unsure which to choose, start with Maccy (simpler, faster, more Mac-native) and only switch to CopyQ if you find yourself needing features Maccy can't provide.
Final Verdict
Overall Winner
Maccy
9/10
Winner
7.5/10
Runner-up
Maccy wins as the superior clipboard manager for most Mac users. Its native macOS design, instant performance, fuzzy search, zero-configuration simplicity, and lightweight resource usage deliver the core clipboard history functionality that 95% of users need—and it delivers it perfectly. CopyQ is the better tool for the 5% who need clipboard automation, JavaScript scripting, tabbed organization, cross-platform support, or advanced text processing capabilities. Both are free and open source, so the choice is about complexity tolerance: Maccy for those who want simplicity and speed, CopyQ for those who want power and programmability.
Bottom Line: Choose Maccy for the best native Mac clipboard manager—fast, simple, beautiful, and free. Choose CopyQ if you need clipboard scripting, automation, tabbed organization, or cross-platform support. Most Mac users should start with Maccy.
Video Tutorials
CopyQ: A Clipboard Manager That Does Everything??
Brodie Robertson • 47.5K views
Install CopyQ (Clipboard Manager) on Omarchy Linux in Minutes!
Puru Tuladhar • 2.1K views
5 Ways to Use a Mac Clipboard App
Stephen Robles • 65.7K views
Apple just copied @mkbhd’s fav app Raycast on Mac’s Spotlight – WWDC 25🤯
Singular Podcast • 146.8K views
Frequently Asked Questions
For most Mac users, yes. Maccy is simpler, faster, lighter, and feels native. CopyQ is better only if you need scripting, content editing, or cross-platform support.
About the Author
Explore More on Bundl
Browse clipboard managers apps, read our complete guide, or discover curated bundles.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Qt FrameworkSwiftAppKitPasteClipboard HistoryHomebrewFuzzy SearchMIME Types
Qt Framework (Cross-platform UI framework CopyQ is built with.), Swift (Programming language Maccy is built with.), AppKit (macOS native UI framework Maccy uses.), Paste (Premium Mac clipboard manager in the same category.), Clipboard History (Core functionality both apps provide.), Homebrew (Package manager where both apps are available.), Fuzzy Search (Maccy's fast approximate text matching for clipboard items.), MIME Types (Content type system CopyQ uses for clipboard items.)
Related Topics
Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Feb 15, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- Maccy has 13,000+ stars on GitHub.[cite-maccy-github]
- CopyQ has 8,000+ stars on GitHub.[cite-copyq-github]
- CopyQ includes a JavaScript-like scripting engine.[cite-copyq-github]
- Maccy uses approximately 10-20MB of RAM.[cite-maccy-github]
- 1Maccy GitHub Repository
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 2CopyQ GitHub Repository
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 3Maccy Official Site
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 4CopyQ Documentation
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 5Qt Framework
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Research queries: CopyQ vs Maccy Mac 2026; Maccy clipboard manager GitHub; CopyQ scripting; best Mac clipboard manager