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Utilities · head to head

Paste vs Rclone

Paste logo

Paste

Utilities

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

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rclone logo

Rclone

Utilities

Command line sync and mount tool for around 70 cloud storage providers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rclone has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Rclone sync deletes files at the destination to make it match the source, so one transposed argument between source and destination can wipe a backup and there is no undo.
  • They diverge on capability: Paste covers Clipboard history, Rclone covers Unified backend model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paste and Rclone actually diverge.

Attributes where Paste and Rclone differ
AttributePasteRclone
Starting price$29.99/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMac, iOSWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker

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 Paste

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

Only in Rclone

  • Unified backend model
  • Crypt overlay
  • FUSE mount
  • Bisync
  • Server-side transfers
  • rclone serve

What people use each for

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

Paste

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

Rclone

  • Migrating tens of terabytes between two object storage providers without staging on local disknot Paste
  • Encrypted offsite backup to a cheap provider that you do not want reading your filenamesnot Paste
  • Mounting an object bucket for a media server that expects a filesystem pathnot Paste
  • Nightly one-way sync from an on-premises NAS to cloud storage as a second copynot Paste

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Rclone

  • Sync deletes files at the destination to make it match the source, so one transposed argument between source and destination can wipe a backup and there is no undo.
  • Google Drive throttles the shared default OAuth client, so large jobs stall until you register a private API client ID, a step that is documented but easy to miss until a migration is already days behind.
  • Millions of small files hit per-provider request ceilings rather than bandwidth limits, which makes transfer time nearly impossible to estimate from data volume alone.
  • The FUSE mount is not a real filesystem; applications that expect POSIX locking, partial writes or fast directory listings will behave badly or corrupt state on network interruption.
  • Support is a community forum and a single principal maintainer, so an organisation that needs contractual response times on a data movement tool has no vendor to buy that from.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rclone

Free
  • RcloneFree
    • MIT licence with no paid edition
    • All backends and features included
    • Single static binary, no runtime dependencies

Which should you pick?

Choose Paste if

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

Choose Rclone if

  • You need unified backend model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker.
  • You also want crypt overlay.
Rclone review

Questions people ask

Is Paste or Rclone better?
Neither clearly leads. Paste starts at $29.99/year and Rclone at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paste or Rclone?
Rclone has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/year for Paste and Free for Rclone.
Does Paste or Rclone run on more platforms?
Paste runs on Mac, iOS. Rclone runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker.
Can I use Rclone for free?
Yes. Rclone has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paste starts at $29.99/year.
What is Paste best used for?
Paste is most often used for someone who regularly copies something on their iphone, such as an address or code, and needs it moments later on their mac, a user organising reusable snippets like email signatures or boilerplate text into named pinboards, a team member already paying for setapp who wants paste included rather than purchased separately, anyone who has outgrown a local-only clipboard manager because they now work across multiple apple devices. Of those, someone who regularly copies something on their iphone, such as an address or code, and needs it moments later on their mac and a user organising reusable snippets like email signatures or boilerplate text into named pinboards are not what Rclone is typically brought in for.
What can Paste do that Rclone cannot?
Paste covers Clipboard history, iCloud sync, Pinboards, Rich content support. Rclone covers Unified backend model, Crypt overlay, FUSE mount, Bisync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Rclone: Does rclone cost anything at scale?

The software does not. Your storage provider bills egress and API requests, and a failed transfer that retries pays those charges twice.

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.

Rclone: Can I use it as a backup tool?

It copies and syncs but does not do versioned incremental backup by default. Use it under a backup tool, or use its own crypt and backup-dir options deliberately.

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.

Rclone: Why is my Google Drive transfer so slow when my link is fast?

You are almost certainly rate limited on the shared OAuth client. Create your own client ID in Google Cloud Console and configure the remote to use it.

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