Mac clipboard managers: Scrap, Maccy or Raycast?

A clipboard manager answers “what did I copy earlier?”, but the apps differ in what they keep, how you search it and what they need from your Mac. On macOS Tahoe, the first answer may already be in Spotlight.

Quits publishes Scrap. This review compares our catalog with the documentation of Apple, Maccy and Raycast, checked 19 October 2026. The judgments below are about documented capabilities; they are not hands-on benchmarks or speed tests.

Which approach fits?

Choice	Consider it when	Check before choosing
Spotlight clipboard history	You occasionally need to find something you copied	Requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later
Scrap	You want searchable cards, text found inside images and pinboards	macOS 14 or later; pasting into your app needs Accessibility
Maccy	You want a free, open-source, keyboard-first history	Download it only from its official site or GitHub
Raycast	You already use Raycast as a launcher	Free history is kept for 3 months; the current version requires macOS Tahoe on Apple silicon

Start with Spotlight

Apple documents clipboard history in Spotlight on macOS Tahoe 26. Press Command-Space, then Command-4 or the Clipboard button, search, select an item and copy it with Command-C. To wipe it, click More next to the search field and choose Clear History. Apple’s page warns that sensitive information may appear on the clipboard.

If you only retrieve an item now and then, this built-in history may be all you need. Apple’s page does not describe pinning items or pasting them without formatting, so check those needs before deciding.

Scrap reviewed: a shelf of searchable cards

Scrap keeps the text, links, images, colors and files you copy. Press Shift-Command-V and a shelf of cards slides up over the app you are in. Type to search, including the words inside images, which are read on your Mac, and filter by item type or by source app.

Pasting is keyboard-driven: Return pastes the selected card, Shift-Return pastes plain text, and Command-1 to 9 pastes one of the first 9. Space opens a card in Quick Look, where you can edit its text, open the link or show the file in the Finder. Cards you want to keep go on a pinboard: they never expire and stay when you clear the history.

Scrap leaves password managers out from the start and never saves anything marked private. That is not a guarantee that every secret copied from every app will be recognized. Scrap requires macOS 14 or later, so it also covers Macs without Tahoe’s Spotlight history, and it asks for Accessibility permission to paste straight into the app you are typing in. It is a one-time purchase; the current price and the House Rules are shown below.

When Maccy is the right starting point

Maccy is free and open source under the MIT license, and requires macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Its README documents a keyboard-first workflow: type to filter, Option-Return to paste, Option-Shift-Return to paste without formatting, and Option-P to pin an item with a permanent shortcut. It can also ignore the next copy or custom pasteboard types you choose.

Its latest GitHub release, 2.7.1, is from August 2026. If a no-cost, inspectable clipboard manager is your priority, start here. Like Scrap, automatic pasting needs Accessibility permission. The README warns that maccyapp.net and maccyapp.com distribute malware: maccy.app is the only official site.

When Raycast deserves a closer look

Raycast’s Clipboard History stores text, images, colors and links, lets you search and pin entries, and ignores passwords from password managers by default. It is a core feature of a wider launcher. According to Raycast’s plans, the free plan keeps 3 months of history and Pro removes that limit.

If you already open Raycast many times a day, keeping your clipboard there avoids another app. Check the system first: Raycast’s current version requires macOS Tahoe and Apple silicon, while its older-systems page lists earlier releases for Intel Macs and previous macOS versions.

Choose around your need

Write down what you actually do with copied items. If it is finding yesterday’s link, try Spotlight first. If you want snippets kept on boards, text found inside copied screenshots and plain-text paste from a shelf, try Scrap’s browser Demo. If free and open source matters most, install Maccy from its official site; if Raycast is already your launcher, try its history before adding anything.

Our clipboard history guide covers the setup step by step. Maccy and Raycast belong to their respective developers; Quits is not affiliated with them.