Free Pasta Alternative for Mac
Pasta charges for premium features. Notchy delivers 100% of clipboard history tools for free.
Does Notchy store sensitive clipboard data online?
Never. All clipboard history is stored encrypted 100% locally on your Mac's hard drive.
Quick Setup Guide
- 1Install Notchy
Download Notchy from notchy.dev. It installs in seconds and runs from your menu bar.
- 2Grant Accessibility Permissions
Allow Accessibility access so Notchy can handle keyboard shortcuts, window snapping, and notch interactions.
- 3Open the Island
Hover over the notch at the top of your screen to reveal the interactive island and its built-in widgets.
What you get with Notchy
- Mac clipboard history shelf (password-manager safe)
- Searchable clipboard — filter by text, file name, or OCR'd words
- On-device OCR — copy a screenshot, get its text (Apple Vision)
- Text snippets — TextExpander-style pastes from the ⌘K palette
- Fluid Dynamic Island animations on the Mac notch
- Native SwiftUI, tuned for Apple silicon
- 134 languages, fully localized
- Command palette (⌃⌥K) — every action one keystroke away
- Now Playing music controls (Apple Music & Spotify)
Why Notchy leads the pack
While single-purpose utilities charge expensive subscription fees or license costs, Notchy gives you a completely free, native SwiftUI Dynamic Island. It integrates window snapping, clipboard history, Pomodoro timers, file drop shelves, and AI usage tracking directly into your Mac's notch.
Notchy vs Pasta
An honest look at how a free all-in-one notch app compares to a dedicated clipboard manager app.
| Feature | Notchy | Pasta |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | $8 |
| Clipboard history | ✓ Visual shelf | ✓ Core feature |
| OCR text from images | ✓ Included | — |
| Image previews | ✓ Included | Varies |
| Pomodoro focus timer | ✓ Included | — |
| File drop shelf | ✓ Included | — |
| Notch widgets & HUDs | ✓ 20+ built in | — |
Where Pasta shines: bigger clip databases, merge and paste-queue power features, and years of single-purpose refinement — fair is fair. Notchy just happens to bundle clipboard manager tools with 20+ other utilities, free forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Notchy store sensitive clipboard data online?
Never. All clipboard history is stored encrypted 100% locally on your Mac's hard drive.
Is Notchy free to use?
Yes, Notchy is 100% free with no subscription, no ads, and no data tracking. It is supported purely by optional user coffee donations.
Does it drain my Mac's battery?
No. Because Notchy is built natively in SwiftUI, it stays light on CPU and battery. It runs no web views or Electron in the background.