QuietClip vs Maccy — Which clipboard manager is right for you?
Both are privacy-focused and local-only. Maccy is free and open source. QuietClip adds image support, a modern UI, and features that go beyond plain text.
TL;DR
- Choose Maccy if you only copy text, prefer open-source software, and want a free dropdown-style menu.
- Choose QuietClip if you copy images, files, or rich text and want a polished floating panel with visual previews.
- Both store data locally with zero telemetry. The difference is what they can store and how they show it.
Same privacy philosophy. Different capabilities.
| Feature | QuietClip | Maccy |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free + $8.99 once | Free (open source) |
| Images & files | — | |
| Visual previews | — | |
| Rich text support | — | |
| Search | ||
| Local-only storage | ||
| Zero telemetry | ||
| Modern UI (SwiftUI) | — | |
| Keyboard shortcuts | ||
| Pin favorites | — | |
| Source app tracking | — | |
| Under 5 MB | ||
| Open source | — | |
| Floating panel UI | — |
Maccy is text-only. Your clipboard isn't.
Maccy was built for developers who copy code and URLs. It does that well. But if you copy a screenshot, a design asset, or a file from Finder, Maccy can't help you — it only handles plain text.
QuietClip's Pro tier stores images, files, and rich text alongside your text history. Copy a screenshot from your design tool, paste it five clips later. Drag a file into QuietClip and retrieve it when you need it.
The free tier is text-only (like Maccy), so you can try QuietClip without paying. If you need image and file support, Pro is a one-time $8.99.
A floating panel vs an NSMenu dropdown.
Maccy uses macOS's native NSMenu API — the same dropdown used for right-click context menus. It's functional but cramped: no previews, no visual hierarchy, and it struggles with long text snippets.
QuietClip uses a custom SwiftUI floating panel. You get visual previews for images, syntax-highlighted text, source app icons, and a clean layout that makes scanning your history effortless. It's the kind of UI you'd expect from a modern Mac app.
Maccy is great. QuietClip is different.
Maccy is a genuinely good open-source project maintained by a solo developer. If you want a minimal, free, text-only clipboard tool and you value open source, Maccy is an excellent choice.
QuietClip isn't trying to replace Maccy for everyone. It's for users who've outgrown a text-only clipboard manager and want image support, pinning, source tracking, and a more visual interface — while keeping the same local-only privacy stance.
What you actually pay.
Free / $8.99 once
Free tier with 25 items. One-time $8.99 Pro upgrade for unlimited history, images, files, and pins.
Free
Free and open source. Text-only clipboard history. No image, file, or rich text support. NSMenu-based interface.
Privacy-first, with room to grow.
If plain text is all you need, Maccy is free and it works. No argument there.
But if you've ever copied a screenshot and wished your clipboard manager caught it, or wanted to see where you copied something from, QuietClip is the upgrade that doesn't compromise on privacy.
macOS 14+ (Sonoma and later) · Apple Silicon & Intel · Under 5 MB