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Utilities · head to head

AutoHotkey vs Paste

AutoHotkey logo

AutoHotkey

Utilities

Windows scripting language for hotkeys, text expansion and desktop automation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paste logo

Paste

Utilities

Subscription clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad with iCloud sync between devices

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only AutoHotkey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AutoHotkey version 2 is a different language rather than a new release, so v1 scripts must be rewritten and the conversion script handles only routine cases, leaving years of accumulated internal automation stranded.; Paste it is an ongoing subscription, unlike the free, one-time-cost alternatives Maccy and the built in macOS clipboard, so the cost compounds every year it is used.
  • They diverge on capability: AutoHotkey covers Hotkeys and hotstrings, Paste covers Clipboard history.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AutoHotkey and Paste actually diverge.

Attributes where AutoHotkey and Paste differ
AttributeAutoHotkeyPaste
Starting priceFree$29.99/year
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindowsMac, iOS

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AutoHotkey

  • Hotkeys and hotstrings
  • Synthetic input
  • Window and control access
  • COM and DLL calls
  • Built-in GUI toolkit
  • Script compilation

Only in Paste

  • Clipboard history
  • iCloud sync
  • Pinboards
  • Rich content support
  • Search and filter
  • Setapp availability

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AutoHotkey

  • Remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers nonenot Paste
  • Automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no API or command linenot Paste
  • Standardising clinical, legal or insurance text snippets across a team through hotstringsnot Paste
  • Driving a vendor application through its interface as part of a nightly unattended processnot Paste

Paste

  • Someone who regularly copies something on their iPhone, such as an address or code, and needs it moments later on their Macnot AutoHotkey
  • A user organising reusable snippets like email signatures or boilerplate text into named pinboardsnot AutoHotkey
  • A team member already paying for Setapp who wants Paste included rather than purchased separatelynot AutoHotkey
  • Anyone who has outgrown a local-only clipboard manager because they now work across multiple Apple devicesnot AutoHotkey

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AutoHotkey

  • Version 2 is a different language rather than a new release, so v1 scripts must be rewritten and the conversion script handles only routine cases, leaving years of accumulated internal automation stranded.
  • Version 1.1 receives no active development, so teams that decline the rewrite are running an interpreter that will not get fixes for future Windows changes.
  • Antivirus and EDR products frequently quarantine the interpreter and compiled scripts because the same capabilities are used by keyloggers, which turns deployment into a security exception request.
  • Automation depends on window titles, control classes and screen positions, so a vendor application update can break every script overnight with no compile-time warning.
  • It is Windows only with no path to macOS or Linux, so any process automated with it cannot follow the organisation if it moves platforms.

Paste

  • It is an ongoing subscription, unlike the free, one-time-cost alternatives Maccy and the built in macOS clipboard, so the cost compounds every year it is used.
  • Sync depends on iCloud, so a user without a reliable iCloud connection or who disables iCloud for privacy reasons loses the entire reason to pay for it over Maccy.
  • It has no Windows or Android app, so sync only works within the Apple ecosystem.
  • Because it preserves rich content and images, the synced history can grow large enough to be noticeable in iCloud storage use over time.
  • A user who only ever uses one Mac gets no benefit from the subscription cost over a free local-only tool like Maccy.

Pricing, plan by plan

AutoHotkey

Free
  • AutoHotkeyFree
    • GPLv2 licence with no paid edition
    • v2 and legacy v1.1 branches both downloadable
    • Script compiler included

Paste

$29.99/year
  • Paste$2.49/month
    • Billed annually at roughly 29.99 USD per year
    • Covers Mac, iPhone and iPad apps under one subscription
    • iCloud sync between all devices

Which should you pick?

Choose AutoHotkey if

  • You need hotkeys and hotstrings.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want synthetic input.
AutoHotkey review

Choose Paste if

  • You need clipboard history.
  • You work on Mac, iOS.
  • You also want icloud sync.
Paste review

Questions people ask

Is AutoHotkey or Paste better?
Neither clearly leads. AutoHotkey starts at Free and Paste at $29.99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AutoHotkey or Paste?
AutoHotkey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for AutoHotkey and $29.99/year for Paste.
Does AutoHotkey or Paste run on more platforms?
AutoHotkey runs on Windows. Paste runs on Mac, iOS.
Can I use AutoHotkey for free?
Yes. AutoHotkey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paste starts at $29.99/year.
What is AutoHotkey best used for?
AutoHotkey is most often used for remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers none, automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no api or command line, standardising clinical, legal or insurance text snippets across a team through hotstrings, driving a vendor application through its interface as part of a nightly unattended process. Of those, remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers none and automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no api or command line are not what Paste is typically brought in for.
What can AutoHotkey do that Paste cannot?
AutoHotkey covers Hotkeys and hotstrings, Synthetic input, Window and control access, COM and DLL calls. Paste covers Clipboard history, iCloud sync, Pinboards, Rich content support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AutoHotkey: Should a new project start on v1 or v2?

Version 2. Version 1.1 is not actively developed and every new script written against it adds to a future rewrite.

Paste: Is Paste free?

No. It is a subscription, priced around 2.49 to 3.99 US dollars a month or roughly 30 dollars a year, though it is also available through the Setapp bundle.

AutoHotkey: Will compiled scripts trigger antivirus?

Often yes. Compiled AutoHotkey executables are a known malware pattern and usually need to be allowlisted by hash or signed with your own certificate.

Paste: Does Paste sync between my Mac and iPhone?

Yes, that is its main differentiator, using iCloud to sync clipboard history across Mac, iPhone and iPad.

AutoHotkey: Can it automate a web application?

It can drive a browser as a user would, but it has no page object model, so a CSS change breaks it. Use a browser automation framework where one is available.

Paste: Is there a free alternative that does not sync?

Yes, Maccy is free, open source and Mac-only with no sync, for users who do not need cross-device history.

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