Pastyx vs Ditto
Ditto is a free, open-source extension to the Windows clipboard: no login, no cloud, no telemetry, and it can send clips to other machines on your local network. If you only use Windows, it is hard to beat. Pastyx is paid and closed source; what it adds is Mac, iPhone, the web and sync between devices.
Stay with Ditto if
- You only use Windows and want a free, open-source tool.
- You don’t want anything in the cloud, at most clips sent between machines on your own network.
- You need a portable build, scripting, or deployment through winget / Chocolatey.
Pastyx may suit you better if
- You use both Windows and a Mac and want one history on both.
- You want sync between devices on different networks, or your history in a browser.
- You want a card-based shelf with previews.
Side by side
| Item | Pastyx | Ditto |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac (macOS 14+), Windows 10 2004+ / 11 (x64), web; iPhone / iPad (iOS 17+) coming soon to the App Store | Windows (“an extension to the standard windows clipboard”)1 |
| Price | US$9.99 once for Mac and Windows (one license, up to 3 devices), 7-day trial; iPhone / iPad and web are free | Free download; donations accepted. Installer and portable builds, plus Chocolatey, winget and the Microsoft Store16 |
| Source code | Closed source | Open source under GPL-3.0, on GitHub2 |
| Where history lives | In a SQLite database on the Mac or PC; without signing in it never leaves the device | A SQLite database on the PC (AppData\Roaming\Ditto for the installed version); no login, no cloud, no telemetry13 |
| Sync between devices | Optional. After sign-in, clips sync through Pastyx’s server over HTTPS | No cloud sync. Options › Friends lets you name other machines on your local network and send clips to them3 |
| Organizing | Favorites, pinboards, custom titles; pinboards can’t be shared with other people | Groups: create groups, move clips into them and assign group hot keys4 |
| Editing and files | Text clips can be edited; copied files are recorded and only their names sync | Saves text, images, HTML and custom formats; Shift+Enter pastes as plain text14 |
| Other | Clipboard only. No snippets or text expansion, and no shared team pinboards | Scripting, command-line options and a portable mode; latest stable release 3.25.113.0 (2025-09-27)45 |
Moving from Ditto to Pastyx
- Install Pastyx for Windows (7-day trial; Windows 10 2004+ / 11, x64). The installer is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen shows a warning; choose More info › Run anyway. Keep Ditto installed and run both for now. Pastyx starts recording what you copy from the moment it is installed.
- In Pastyx open Settings › Import from another app…. It finds Ditto’s database (%APPDATA%\Ditto\Ditto.db) and shows how many clips it holds; for portable Ditto, use “Choose another file…” and pick the Ditto.db in its folder. This is available from the next Windows release.
- Text, HTML, RTF, images, copied files and the original copy dates come over, and Ditto’s groups become Pastyx pinboards. Ditto’s data is only read, never changed; clips already in Pastyx are skipped, so importing twice adds nothing.
- The same window can also import what is currently in the built-in Windows clipboard history (Win+V).
- The default shortcuts don’t clash: Ctrl+` for Ditto, Ctrl+Shift+V for Pastyx.
- Sign in from Settings to share the history with a Mac or a browser; without it the history stays on this PC.
Questions
Ditto is free and open source. Why switch?
If you only use Windows, you may not need to. Pastyx is US$9.99 once for Mac and Windows; what you get beyond Ditto is mainly the Mac app, the web app, sync across networks and a shelf with previews. Pastyx is closed source.
Does Ditto run on a Mac?
Ditto describes itself as an extension to the standard Windows clipboard, and every install option is for Windows. Pastyx has Mac (macOS 14+) and Windows apps.
How is Ditto’s network sending different from Pastyx sync?
Ditto sends clips straight to the machines you list under Friends on your local network, with no cloud involved. Pastyx syncs through its own server after sign-in, so devices don’t have to be on the same network, but the data passes through that server (over HTTPS).
Can I import my Ditto history?
Yes, from the next Windows release: Settings › Import from another app… reads Ditto.db and brings over text, images, copied files, the original dates and groups.
Sources
What this page says about Ditto comes from the pages below. Information checked on 2026-09-30. Later changes on their side are not reflected here; their own site is authoritative.
Try Pastyx
The Mac and Windows apps are free to try for 7 days, then US$9.99 once (one license, up to 3 devices). The web app is free; iPhone / iPad is coming soon.