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Utilities · head to head

McDonalds vs Paste

McDonalds logo

McDonalds

Utilities

McDonald's mobile ordering and MyMcDonald's Rewards app used to drive app-exclusive deals and first party data

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 McDonalds has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: McDonalds many of the best prices are app-exclusive, so customers who avoid the app or its data collection systematically pay more than app users for the same items.; 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: McDonalds covers Mobile order and pay, Paste covers Clipboard history.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which McDonalds and Paste actually diverge.

Attributes where McDonalds and Paste differ
AttributeMcDonaldsPaste
Starting priceFree$29.99/year
Pricing modelFree app, revenue from purchasesPer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidMac, 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 McDonalds

  • Mobile order and pay
  • MyMcDonald's Rewards
  • App-exclusive deals
  • Geofenced drive-thru timing
  • Delivery ordering
  • Order customisation and favourites

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.

McDonalds

  • A customer wanting the best available deal price, since many discounts are app exclusivenot Paste
  • Skipping the counter or drive-thru queue by ordering aheadnot Paste
  • Accumulating Rewards points toward free menu items through regular visitsnot Paste
  • Ordering delivery through an integrated third party partner from inside the appnot Paste

Paste

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

Where each one falls short

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

McDonalds

  • Many of the best prices are app-exclusive, so customers who avoid the app or its data collection systematically pay more than app users for the same items.
  • It uses location tracking to time drive-thru food preparation, which means granting fairly precise location access for the feature to work as intended.
  • Points values and redemption thresholds are set by McDonald's and its franchisees and can change without the transparency of a fixed loyalty currency.
  • App-exclusive promotions are often only available at participating locations, which is not obvious until checkout, since franchise ownership varies by store.
  • Delivery ordered through the app still routes through third party delivery partners, so delivery fees and reliability issues are unchanged from ordering those platforms directly.

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

McDonalds

Free
  • MyMcDonald's RewardsFree
    • Free to join
    • 100 points per dollar spent
    • No cost beyond items ordered

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 McDonalds if

  • You need mobile order and pay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want mymcdonald's rewards.
McDonalds review

Choose Paste if

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

Questions people ask

Is McDonalds or Paste better?
Neither clearly leads. McDonalds 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, McDonalds or Paste?
McDonalds has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for McDonalds and $29.99/year for Paste.
Does McDonalds or Paste run on more platforms?
McDonalds runs on iOS, Android. Paste runs on Mac, iOS.
Can I use McDonalds for free?
Yes. McDonalds has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paste starts at $29.99/year.
What is McDonalds best used for?
McDonalds is most often used for a customer wanting the best available deal price, since many discounts are app exclusive, skipping the counter or drive-thru queue by ordering ahead, accumulating rewards points toward free menu items through regular visits, ordering delivery through an integrated third party partner from inside the app. Of those, a customer wanting the best available deal price, since many discounts are app exclusive and skipping the counter or drive-thru queue by ordering ahead are not what Paste is typically brought in for.
What can McDonalds do that Paste cannot?
McDonalds covers Mobile order and pay, MyMcDonald's Rewards, App-exclusive deals, Geofenced drive-thru timing. Paste covers Clipboard history, iCloud sync, Pinboards, Rich content support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

McDonalds: Is the McDonald's app free?

Yes, joining and using it costs nothing beyond what is ordered.

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.

McDonalds: Do I need the app to get the best prices?

Often yes; a significant share of current discounted and free-item offers are app exclusive and unavailable at the counter.

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.

McDonalds: Does the app track my location?

Yes, for drive-thru order timing and store locating; this can be limited in phone settings at the cost of that feature.

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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