CLCL vs PastePaw
CLCL
nakka.comPastePaw
pastepaw.comSide by side
| Figure | CLCL | PastePaw |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Clipboard Manager Software | 8.5 (#4) | 7.7 (#22) |
| Spec score · Clipboard Managers | 8.2 (#10) | 8.2 (#9) |
| Purpose | CLCL is a clipboard caching utility. | PastePaw is a native macOS clipboard history app with a local MCP server that lets agents search, read, and write clipboard clips. |
Plans
PastePaw
- Free (macOS)Free
- Pro (monthly)$2.99 a month
- Pro (yearly)$19.99 a year
- Pro (lifetime)$29.99, paid once
In their own words
CLCL
CLCL is a freeware Windows clipboard caching utility. Press Alt+C to open its customizable pop-up menu, then choose a history item or registered item to paste into the active editor. You can register frequently used text as templates, select which clipboard formats to retain or save, and specify windows to ignore. Pictures and tooltips can appear in the menu, and a different paste key can be configured for each window. The maker says CLCL supports all clipboard formats and Unicode. Plug-ins can extend it with tools for text conversion or clipboard clearing, plus formats such as RTF and Windows metafiles. The English page states that it works with Windows XP and later. The download page lists CLCL version 2.1.3 dated 2022/12/1, with executable and ZIP archives, and links to source code on GitHub. A download directory also lists clcl220.zip dated 2026-08-21.
PastePaw
PastePaw is a clipboard history application for macOS with a local MCP server that lets compatible agents search, read and write clips. Search checks the first 300 characters of each clip and any note attached to it. Eighteen clip tools cover formats and tasks including JSON, Base64, URL, YAML, XML, Markdown, HTML, JWT, QR and OCR. The macOS interface provides horizontal and vertical layouts, 20 themes, 29 looks, and light or dark modes. Clipboard history remains in a local SQLite database and is not uploaded, although anonymous usage statistics are enabled by default and can be disabled. Secure Collections encrypt stored clips, unlock with Touch ID or a Mac password, and stay unavailable to MCP clients; the main history database is not encrypted. Triggered AI features send selected content to the chosen provider. macOS requires version 14 or later on Intel or Apple Silicon. A separate Windows app is free and open source but omits several macOS features.