ClipboardlyAlfred Clipboard History Alternative: Clipboardly vs Alfred
Alfred’s clipboard history is part of the paid Powerpack (£34) and keeps text, images and file links for up to 3 months, opened with ⌥⌘C. Clipboardly is a free alternative built only for the clipboard: it keeps clips as long as you choose, files them into project boards and opens with ⌘⇧X. Own the Powerpack already? Alfred may be enough.
- Alfred’s clipboard history needs the Powerpack; Clipboardly is free to download and use.
- Alfred keeps history for 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months; Clipboardly keeps it as long as you choose.
- Alfred adds snippets with text expansion and a whole launcher; Clipboardly adds boards, 12 clip types and PIN-locked clips.
At a glance
| Clipboardly | Alfred (Powerpack) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Powerpack £34 (v5 license) |
| Default shortcut | ⌘⇧X Quick Paste, ⌘⇧V panel | ⌥⌘C |
| How long history is kept | As long as you choose | 24 h, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months |
| Text, images and files | Yes | Text, images and file links |
| Boards / projects | Boards with an active board | No |
| Snippets with text expansion | No | Yes |
| Lock sensitive clips | 4-digit PIN | No |
| Ignore password apps | Pause, PIN-locked clips | Ignores Keychain and 1Password by default |
| Also a launcher | No | Yes |
Where Alfred is the better choice
If you already use Alfred as your launcher and own the Powerpack, its clipboard history costs nothing extra and sits behind a shortcut you know. It also does things Clipboardly doesn't: snippets that expand as you type, merging several copies into one, and workflows that can act on what you copied.
Alfred also skips popular password apps such as Keychain Access and 1Password by default, and you can add more apps to ignore.
Where Clipboardly is the better choice
- You don't want to pay for a launcher just to get clipboard history. Clipboardly is free.
- You need more than 3 months. Keep clips as long as you like and pin the ones you reuse.
- You work in projects. Make a board per client or launch and set it active; every copy lands there.
- You copy sensitive things. Lock clips behind a PIN, or pause saving with one click.
- You want a visual history. The Clipboard panel (⌘⇧V) shows previews of links, images, screenshots and colors.
Can you use both?
Yes. Keep Alfred as your launcher and turn off its Clipboard History in Alfred's preferences (Features → Clipboard History), so two apps aren't saving the same copies. Clipboardly's shortcuts (⌘⇧X and ⌘⇧V) don't clash with Alfred's defaults.
Switching from Alfred’s clipboard
- Download Clipboardly and move it to Applications.
- In Alfred's preferences, turn off Clipboard History, or leave it on if you still want snippets.
- Create a board, make it active and copy as usual. Press ⌘⇧X to search and paste from any app.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alfred’s clipboard history free?
No. Clipboard History is a Powerpack feature. At the time of writing the Powerpack costs £34 for a single v5 license, or £59 with free lifetime upgrades.
How long does Alfred keep clipboard history?
You can choose 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months in Alfred’s preferences. Clipboardly keeps clips for as long as you choose.
What is the Alfred clipboard shortcut?
Alfred opens its clipboard history viewer with ⌥⌘C (Option-Command-C) by default. You can change it in Alfred’s preferences.
Is there a free alternative to Alfred’s clipboard history?
Yes. Clipboardly and Maccy are both free clipboard managers for Mac. Clipboardly adds boards, PIN-locked clips and iCloud Sync; Maccy is minimal and open source.
Sources
Checked September 2026. Prices and features of other apps can change; check each app’s site for the latest.
Written by Sheikh Saadi, founder of Growbig100. Updated .