Shortiz vs Paste
Paste is a paid clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone, and iPad: infinite searchable history, pinboards, and iCloud sync, from $2.49 a month after a 7-day trial. Shortiz is a free iOS keyboard where recent clips surface on a hold and phrases fire from a long-press. Archive versus reflex — different jobs, real overlap.
| Feature | Shortiz | Paste |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ✓Free — no subscription, no paywall at launch. | $2.49/mo, $29.99/yr, or a one-time lifetime license; free 7-day trial, no free tier listed. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Platforms | iPhone at launch; a Mac companion is the fast-follow. | ✓Mac, iPhone, and iPad — the Mac app is the core product. source · 2026-07-21 |
| History depth | A tray of your recent clips — a reflex surface, not an archive. | ✓Infinite clipboard history with search across devices. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Where you paste from | ✓The keyboard you're already typing on — hold the tray key, tap a clip. | The Paste app, a Mac menu-bar window, or its separate iOS keyboard. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Text expansion | ✓Bind a phrase to a letter; long-press types it — bindings work without Full Access. | Not a text expander — saved items live on pinboards you open and pick from. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Images in clips | ✓Yes — the tray holds text and image clips. | ✓Yes — copied images and files, with preview and editing. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Organization & sharing | None — recent clips, in order. No boards, no team sharing. | ✓Pinboards for saved items, shareable with other people. source · 2026-07-21 |
| Where clips live | On your device, and nowhere else — v1 has no sync and no iCloud storage. | On device and in the user's private iCloud — "private by design". source · 2026-07-21 |
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When Paste is the better choice
- You live on a Mac — Paste's desktop app is its core product, and Shortiz starts on iPhone with the Mac companion as a fast-follow.
- You need an archive, not a tray — Paste keeps infinite searchable history; Shortiz deliberately surfaces only your recent clips.
- You organize and share clips — Paste's pinboards can be shared with other people; Shortiz has no boards and no team features.
- You want your clips on more than one device — Paste syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac through iCloud, while Shortiz v1 doesn't sync at all: what you copy stays on the phone you copied it on.
The verdict
If your clipboard is a filing cabinet — months of history, pinboards, a Mac at the center, teammates who need the same clips — Paste is built for that and worth its subscription. Shortiz is for the other clipboard problem: the thing you copied ninety seconds ago, needed in the app you're typing in right now, without leaving the keyboard. Free, iPhone-first, recent clips only. Pick by which problem you actually have; some people have both.
Questions people actually ask
- Is Shortiz a free alternative to Paste?
- Partly. Shortiz is a free iOS keyboard whose tray surfaces your recent clips — text and images — to paste without leaving the keyboard, which covers the everyday recall part of what Paste does on iPhone. It does not replace Paste's infinite searchable archive, pinboards, sharing, or Mac app; if you rely on those, Paste remains the tool for the job.
- What does Paste cost compared to Shortiz?
- As of July 2026, Paste is $2.49 a month or $29.99 a year, with a one-time lifetime license also offered, and every plan starts with a free 7-day trial — there's no listed free tier. Shortiz is free at launch with no subscription; its core loop of binding phrases and pasting recent clips is not paywalled.
- Does Shortiz keep clipboard history like Paste does?
- Shortiz keeps a tray of your recent clips, not an infinite history — hold the tray key on the keyboard and your latest text and image clips surface to paste. Paste keeps an unlimited, searchable history with pinboards across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. On iOS, reading the clipboard from a keyboard requires Apple's Full Access permission, which Shortiz asks for only to power the tray.
- Can Shortiz and Paste run on the same iPhone?
- Yes. Paste is an app (plus its own optional keyboard) and Shortiz is a keyboard, and iOS lets you install both and switch keyboards from the globe key. A workable split: Paste as your long-term archive and pinboards, Shortiz as the keyboard where recent clips and bound phrases are one hold away.