Pushbullet alternatives for Mac: what replaces each feature

For a Mac with an Android phone, the closest free Pushbullet alternative is KDE Connect, which mirrors notifications, shares files and links, and syncs clipboard text on your own network. Google Messages for web replaces Pushbullet's texting, and LocalSend or NearDrop replace its file pushes without a size cap. The Relay is the paid option built only for Android and macOS: notifications, clipboard, files, incoming texts, calls, and link handoff in one Mac app, for a one-time price. Pushbullet remains the better pick if you want the same thing across Windows, several browsers, and devices in different places.

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 1 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does Pushbullet offer today?

Everything below comes from the two places where Pushbullet sets out the detail in writing: its API documentation and its Help Central. Neither gives the current list of apps or the Pro price, so check pushbullet.com for those before deciding.

What those pages describe:

• Pushes. The API documents three kinds: a note, a link, and a file. You send one from a device and it arrives on your others.
• Notification mirroring. The docs say "Mirrored notifications are notifications sent from android devices (currently the only source of mirrored notifications) to other devices."
• Universal copy and paste. "The Pushbullet apps can monitor the clipboard and send out a message each time the user copies a new text selection, sending it to all the user's devices".
• Texting from the computer. The API can "Send text messages (SMS) to one phone number or group messages (MMS)" through your Android phone. The docs add that a message is cancelled if the phone "does not come online and sync within 1 hour".
• Optional end-to-end encryption. "We support end-to-end encryption for Notification Mirroring, Universal Copy & Paste, and SMS", if you enable it in the Pushbullet client.

Everything goes through a Pushbullet account. That is how a push reaches a device on another network, and it is also why the service works when the phone is not at home.

What are the limits Pushbullet states?

Does Pushbullet have a Mac app?

We could not confirm one. Help Central links to an Android app and an iPhone app. Its articles refer to a browser extension, with instructions for Chrome, and one article says "check out our desktop apps" on Pushbullet's Apps page without naming the platforms. The API documentation lists "mac" and "safari" among device type values, which shows such clients have existed, not that they are offered now.

So the safe assumption for a Mac user is: Pushbullet runs as a browser extension or on its website, and anything more needs checking on the Apps page. If you want notifications to arrive as native macOS notifications from a Mac app, that uncertainty is a fair reason to look at the alternatives. We go into this in Pushbullet for Mac.

Which Pushbullet alternative fits each job?

KDE Connect

The nearest free match. Its home page promises phone notifications "instantly synced to your desktop", replies to text messages from the computer, and files and links shared between devices. It is open source and free, and its download page lists a stable macOS release that can also be installed with Homebrew.

Two documented caveats. Its wiki says the devices must be on the same network. And on Android 15 or later, the wiki says notifications that Android treats as sensitive show as "Sensitive notification content hidden" unless you grant an extra permission with a developer command. More in KDE Connect on a Mac.

Google Messages for web

If you used Pushbullet mostly to text from the keyboard, this replaces it outright. Google's help page says it works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge, needs Android 5.0 or higher, and sends through a connection to your phone. It handles texts and nothing else. Steps are in Android messages on a Mac.

LocalSend and NearDrop

For files, both keep the transfer on your local network. LocalSend's README says it works "without needing an internet connection" and is encrypted with HTTPS. NearDrop makes the Mac a Quick Share target so the phone needs no extra app. See NearDrop or LocalSend.

AirDroid

The account-based alternative. AirDroid's product page lists a macOS client, notifications, SMS replies, and file transfer on local and remote networks, and its pricing page lists a free plan and a paid plan at $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year as of 1 October 2026. Compare them in AirDroid vs Pushbullet.

Where does The Relay fit?

The Relay covers the Pushbullet jobs that happen at your desk, as a Mac app. The phone's notifications appear as Mac notifications. The clipboard syncs both ways, with text, images, and links. A page shared from the phone opens in the Mac's default browser, and the other way round. An SMS that arrives on the phone shows on the Mac, and a login code in it is copied to the Mac's clipboard. Files move through a window that browses the phone's storage, with no size limit set by the app. It also shows incoming calls and turns the phone into a webcam.

Your clipboard, files, texts, and notifications travel directly between the phone and the Mac over your local network and are not uploaded to The Relay's servers. The privacy policy has the detail. It costs $19.99, paid once, and needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Where Pushbullet or a free tool is the better choice:

• You want to send texts from the Mac. The Relay shows incoming texts only. Use Google Messages for web.
• You use Windows, Linux, or an iPhone as well. The Relay is Android and Mac only. Pushbullet's browser extension or KDE Connect travels further.
• Your devices are on different networks. The Relay needs the same network or Bluetooth range. Pushbullet's account model handles this.
• You use Pushbullet's channels. The Relay links your own phone and your own MacBook, nothing else.
• You want it free. KDE Connect.

How do I move off Pushbullet cleanly?

1. Decide which features you use each week. Most people use two.
2. Set up the replacement for each and run both side by side for a few days.
3. If login codes matter, test them specifically on your phone. KDE's wiki notes that on Android 15 or later the system hides sensitive notification content from apps, so check that your new setup delivers the codes you rely on.
4. When you are settled, Pushbullet's help page says you can delete your account from Settings, then Account, on its website, and suggests exporting your push history first.

Questions people ask

What is the best free Pushbullet alternative for Mac?

KDE Connect for notifications, clipboard text, files, and links together. Add Google Messages for web for sending texts. Both are free.

Is Pushbullet still free?

Its API documentation says free accounts, without a Pro subscription, are limited to 500 pushes per month, and its help page says free file pushes must be under 25 MB. Neither page gives the Pro price. See Is Pushbullet free?.

Can I get Android notifications on a Mac without Pushbullet?

Yes. KDE Connect and The Relay both do it over your local network, and AirDroid does it through an account. The options are compared in Android notifications on a Mac.

Which alternative keeps data off a company's servers?

The local tools. KDE Connect, LocalSend, NearDrop, and The Relay are built to work between your own devices on the same network. Pushbullet and AirDroid work through an account, which is what lets them reach across networks.

Does universal copy and paste work with images in the alternatives?

KDE Connect's wiki says its clipboard plugin does not work with images. The Relay's clipboard sync covers text, images, and links. Pushbullet's documentation describes copying a text selection.