# 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)                    | ✓   | ✓     |

## Compare Cai with other tools

[Cai vs BoltAI](/content/vs/boltai/index.html) [Cai vs Raycast](/content/vs/raycast/index.html) [Cai vs ChatGPT](/content/vs/chatgpt/index.html)