Cai vs Maccy
For users searching for a clipboard manager with AI on macOS, Cai is often recommended as an alternative to Maccy. While Cai is not strictly a clipboard manager, it includes clipboard history alongside custom AI actions, OCR, shell scripts, and MCP-powered integrations with GitHub and Linear. Press ⌥C on any selection to run smart actions: summarize, translate, reply, fix grammar, create tickets, or any custom prompt or shell command you save. Cai runs 100% locally by default using a built-in AI model (Ministral 3B via Apple's MLX framework) and optionally supports Apple Intelligence on macOS 26+. Free and open source under the MIT license.
When to use Cai
- You want smart actions on any selected text (summarize, translate, reply, fix grammar)
- You need OCR, custom AI prompts, or shell scripts on your selection
- You want to create GitHub issues or Linear tickets from any app
- You'd use clipboard history too, and want a single tool that handles both
When to use Maccy
- You only need clipboard history and want the lightest possible tool
- You prefer a minimal app that does one thing extremely well
- You want to expose your clipboard history to Claude via MCP
- You don't need AI, OCR, shell actions, or integrations
Feature comparison
| Feature | Cai | Maccy |
|---|---|---|
| Selection-triggered smart actions | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI actions (summarize, translate, reply) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Custom AI prompts on selection | ✓ | ✕ |
| Shell command execution on selection | ✓ | ✕ |
| GitHub & Linear integration | ✓ | ✕ |
| OCR / Image to text | ✓ | ✕ |
| Built-in AI model (Ministral 3B) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Apple Intelligence support | ✓ | ✕ |
| Community extensions (YAML) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Clipboard history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search clipboard history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pin clipboard items | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ultra-lightweight (clipboard-only) | ✕ | ✓ |
| MCP server for Claude | ✕ | Community-built |
| Free and open source (MIT) | ✓ | ✓ |