Android Mac clipboard sync apps: which one fits how you copy

No app can honestly be called the best clipboard sync for an Android phone and a Mac, because we have not tested them side by side and the answer depends on what you copy. Links are covered by Chrome for free. Plain text is covered by KDE Connect for free, with a tap on the phone. Pushbullet describes copy and paste through an account. The Relay syncs text, images, and links both ways in one paid app. Below, each option comes with a "choose it if" line, and there is a ten-minute test so you can decide on your own devices.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What is the bar to compare against?

Apple's Universal Clipboard lets you copy "text, images, photos, and videos" on one Apple device and paste on another. Apple lists the conditions: the devices are near each other, each is signed in with the same Apple Account, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on, and Handoff is on. An Android phone cannot sign in to an Apple Account, so none of the options below is that feature. They are workarounds, and each one makes a different trade.

The trade to watch is the Android side. Google's Android 10 privacy changes say an app cannot read clipboard data unless it is the default keyboard or the app currently on screen. KDE's wiki says this directly and calls the clipboard plugin "uncomfortable to use" on Android 10 and later. So how an app gets around that rule decides whether copying feels automatic or takes an extra tap. We describe The Relay's feature only as it is: it syncs the clipboard in both directions.

Which option should I choose?

When should I use Chrome or a note instead of an app?

Choose Chrome if what you move is almost always a page. Google's Share tabs in Chrome page describes Send to your devices. You sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account on both devices, send the tab, and "the tab will also open automatically in Chrome on your chosen device." That is a handoff of a page, not a clipboard, so it will not carry a paragraph or an image. The steps are in sending a link from Android to a Mac.

Choose a note to yourself if you paste across devices a few times a month. A synced notes app with a web version, or a chat with yourself, costs nothing and needs no pairing. The cost is steps, and a trail of fragments in your notes. It is a poor place for a password.

When is KDE Connect the right choice?

Choose KDE Connect if you want free and are happy with one extra tap. Its download page lists a stable macOS release, and also says the nightly builds for Apple silicon and Intel are untested. Its wiki describes the Clipboard plugin as sharing the clipboard between devices, and adds "This does not work with images though." For the phone-to-computer direction on Android 10 and later, the wiki describes a Send Clipboard button in the persistent notification, and on Android 14 and later a tile called "Send clipboard" that you can place in the pull-down menu.

So the routine is copy, pull down the shade, tap. For Mac to phone, the wiki says text copied on the computer is "immediately available to paste on your phone." Both devices need to be on the same network. The project's README says platforms other than Linux are not officially supported, so try it on your Mac before you rely on it. More in KDE Connect on a Mac.

What about Pushbullet, AirDroid, and Quick Share?

Pushbullet. Its API documentation says the Pushbullet apps use ephemeral messages "for notification mirroring and universal copy/paste", and that end-to-end encryption can be enabled for universal copy and paste. It works through a Pushbullet account, so your clipboard goes through its service. Its pages did not settle whether a current Mac app exists, so check its site before counting on it. Choose it if you already have an account and it works for you. See Pushbullet alternatives for Mac.

AirDroid Personal. Its product page lists file transfer, screen mirroring, notifications and SMS, and calling. The word clipboard does not appear in the list we read, so we cannot say it syncs one.

Quick Share. Google's Quick Share help page says that on select devices with Android 13 and above you can share content from the clipboard with Quick Share, and it describes that between Android devices. The page does not describe it as a Mac clipboard. For a one-off item to a Mac, you can send the text or image as a file instead, if your phone is on Google's AirDrop list. See AirDrop from Android to a Mac.

scrcpy. Its README lists "copy-paste in both directions". It applies while scrcpy is running and mirroring the phone, and it needs USB debugging. Choose it if you already mirror the phone. See mirroring Android to a Mac.

Where does The Relay fit?

The Relay syncs the clipboard both ways, for text, images, and links. Your clipboard travels directly between your phone and your Mac over your local network, and it is not uploaded to The Relay's servers. See the privacy policy. You pair by scanning a QR code on the Mac, and it needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later. The same app also does files, incoming texts and codes, notifications, calls, and the phone as a webcam; see the clipboard sync page.

It is the wrong choice if you only move links, if you paste across devices rarely, or if the phone and Mac are not on the same network, because it does not work across the internet. If you want free, start with KDE Connect. If you want the clipboard alongside the rest, The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial at /download.

How do I test any of these in ten minutes?

1. Copy a sentence on the Mac and paste it on the phone.
2. Copy a sentence on the phone and paste it on the Mac. Note whether you had to tap anything first.
3. Turn the phone's screen off for ten minutes and repeat step 2.
4. Copy an image on the phone and paste it into a document on the Mac.
5. Copy something from your password manager and decide whether you are comfortable with where it travelled.

Step 3 is the one that separates the options.

Questions people ask

Is there an Android app that works exactly like Apple's Universal Clipboard?

No. Apple's page ties Universal Clipboard to devices signed in with the same Apple Account. Apps for Android work around it with their own pairing, and each differs on direction, images, and whether a tap is needed.

Which clipboard app handles images between Android and a Mac?

KDE's wiki says its clipboard plugin does not work with images. The Relay lists text, images, and links. For the others, check the maker's page, then run the image step in the test above.

Is it safe to sync a clipboard that holds passwords?

A shared clipboard carries whatever you copy to a second device. Prefer a tool that keeps the data between your own devices, lock both devices, and use your password manager's own apps for passwords. No tool can promise an outcome.

Does clipboard sync work when the phone is away from the Mac?

Not with the local tools here, which need the same network. Chrome's tab sending and an account-based tool such as Pushbullet go through an online account instead.