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Utilities · head to head

Paste vs WinDirStat

Paste logo

Paste

Utilities

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

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WinDirStat logo

WinDirStat

Utilities

Windows disk usage analyser that shows where space went as a colour-coded treemap

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only WinDirStat 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.; WinDirStat it walks the directory tree rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a full scan takes minutes where WizTree takes seconds on the same drive.
  • They diverge on capability: Paste covers Clipboard history, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paste and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where Paste and WinDirStat differ
AttributePasteWinDirStat
Starting price$29.99/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMac, iOSWindows

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 WinDirStat

  • Treemap visualisation
  • Three linked views
  • Multithreaded scanning
  • Cleanup actions
  • Any filesystem
  • GPL licensed

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 WinDirStat
  • A user organising reusable snippets like email signatures or boilerplate text into named pinboardsnot WinDirStat
  • A team member already paying for Setapp who wants Paste included rather than purchased separatelynot WinDirStat
  • Anyone who has outgrown a local-only clipboard manager because they now work across multiple Apple devicesnot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

  • Finding what filled a Windows system drive when the usual suspects are not responsiblenot Paste
  • Auditing a shared or network drive where files are spread across thousands of foldersnot Paste
  • Environments where licence terms forbid personal-use-only freeware on company machinesnot Paste
  • Explaining disk usage visually to someone who will not read a list of folder sizesnot 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.

WinDirStat

  • It walks the directory tree rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a full scan takes minutes where WizTree takes seconds on the same drive.
  • The version most users have installed is the 2007 build, and because it was dormant for so long, search results and download mirrors still point at it.
  • It is Windows only, so a mixed estate needs a different tool for macOS and Linux machines.
  • There is no scheduling, reporting or export for fleet use, so it answers a question on one machine at a time rather than monitoring storage across an organisation.
  • Hard links, junctions and deduplicated volumes can be counted in ways that make the totals disagree with what Windows reports, which causes confusion on servers.

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

WinDirStat

Free
  • WinDirStatFree
    • GPL licensed
    • Commercial use permitted
    • No paid edition or feature gating

Which should you pick?

Choose Paste if

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

Choose WinDirStat if

  • You need treemap visualisation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want three linked views.
WinDirStat review

Questions people ask

Is Paste or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. Paste starts at $29.99/year and WinDirStat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paste or WinDirStat?
WinDirStat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/year for Paste and Free for WinDirStat.
Does Paste or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
Paste runs on Mac, iOS. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
Can I use WinDirStat for free?
Yes. WinDirStat 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 WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can Paste do that WinDirStat cannot?
Paste covers Clipboard history, iCloud sync, Pinboards, Rich content support. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

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.

WinDirStat: Is WinDirStat still maintained?

Yes. It was dormant from around 2007 until new maintainers resumed development and released the 2.x line with multithreaded scanning and current Windows support.

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.

WinDirStat: Can I use it at work?

Yes. It is GPL licensed with no personal-use restriction, which is the practical advantage over free-for-personal-use alternatives in this category.

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.

WinDirStat: Why is it slower than WizTree?

Different method. WizTree reads the NTFS master file table directly; WinDirStat traverses directories, which is slower but works on any filesystem, including network shares.

WinDirStat: Does it run on macOS or Linux?

No. Separate projects exist with similar treemap interfaces, but WinDirStat itself is Windows only.

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