MacPaste vs Pastebot:
modern or time-tested?
Pastebot is Tapbots' clipboard manager — solid, priced at $19.99, and mature since 2017. MacPaste brings what Pastebot still lacks: Mac ↔ iPhone iCloud synchronization.
You want iPhone synchronization
- You switch between Mac and iPhone throughout the day
- You want color tags (not available in Pastebot)
- You want a 2026 UI (Pastebot looks slightly dated)
- You want to try for free before buying
You want powerful filters
- You perform bulk copy-pasting and want automation (regex filters, transformations)
- You are already a fan of the Tapbots ecosystem (Tweetbot, Ivory)
- You want the official Mac App Store version
- You do not care about Mac ↔ iPhone sync
| MacPaste | Pastebot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro $49 lifetime | $19.99 one-time (Mac App Store) |
| Free trial | Free unlimited (without sync) | No free version |
| Unlimited history | Yes | Yes |
| Color tags | Yes · 7 colors | No |
| Filters / regex | Text search | Highly advanced |
| iCloud Sync Mac ↔ iPhone | Yes (Pro) | No |
| iPhone App | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Pinned boards | Yes | Yes ("Pasteboards") |
| Hover preview | Yes (scrollable) | Quick look |
| Exclusion of sensitive apps | Auto | Auto |
| Global shortcut | ⌘⇧V | ⌘⇧V |
| Modern 2026 UI | Yes | Solid but aging |
| Disk footprint | 5.9 MB | ~25 MB |
Pastebot is built solid.
Tapbots is one of the most respected Mac/iOS studios of the past decade (Tweetbot, and now Ivory for Mastodon). Pastebot benefits from this expertise: excellent performance, polished design, and most notably, a very powerful system of filters and rules to automatically format or transform your clips (uppercase, trim, regex replace, etc.).
If you are a power user performing bulk copy-pasting with recurring text transformations, Pastebot is likely more capable than MacPaste on that specific front.
What is missing in Pastebot
- iCloud Sync: Requested on their forums since 2018, yet never delivered. Pastebot remains a Mac-only product. MacPaste features native Mac ↔ iPhone sync (Pro).
- iPhone App: Does not exist for Pastebot. MacPaste Pro includes the iOS app and a keyboard extension.
- Color tags: Pastebot has Pasteboards (pinned lists) but lacks color tagging on individual clips.
- Free Version: You must pay upfront to try Pastebot. MacPaste is free for unlimited local use — you only pay if you need sync.
Cost calculation over 5 years
- Pastebot: $19.99 one-time. No device synchronization included.
- MacPaste Pro: $49 one-time. Mac ↔ iPhone sync + iOS app included.
Pastebot is more affordable if you only need a Mac clipboard. MacPaste becomes more appealing if iPhone sync is important to you — Pastebot simply does not do it.
Try MacPaste for free.
iPhone sync + color tags — features Pastebot never delivered.
Download MacPaste