ClipboardFusion vs Ditto: Macros or Lightweight History?

Choose Ditto if you want a free, open-source clipboard history you can search and keep across restarts. Choose ClipboardFusion if what you want is to change what you paste: strip formatting, replace text, or run C# macros, with Pro adding sync to other computers and phones. Note that ClipboardFusion's free edition is licensed for personal use only.

ClipboardFusion vs Ditto at a glance

ClipboardFusion details are from Binary Fortress's Free vs Pro page; Ditto details from its GitHub project and wiki. Prices were checked in October 2026 and may change.

What each tool is for

Ditto is an extension to the Windows clipboard. It saves each item you copy (text, images, HTML and custom formats) to a local SQLite database. Press Ctrl+` to open it, type to search, and press Enter to paste. The project lists no login, no cloud and no telemetry.

ClipboardFusion, from Binary Fortress Software, describes itself as a tool for removing clipboard text formatting, replacing clipboard text and running macros. It has a clipboard history too, but its centre of gravity is transforming what you paste.

Triggers: what's free and what needs Pro

Triggers are rules that act on clipboard text. The free edition already includes a useful set:

• remove whitespace from the start or end,
• remove HTML tags, or all non-text formats,
• text match and replace,
• match a trigger to the clipboard text or to the app that owns the clipboard,
• run triggers from a trigger command or a hotkey.

Pro adds the trigger events that make cleanup automatic, according to the compare page: run triggers when the clipboard changes, on a timer, when a window gets focus, when the desktop locks or unlocks, and when ClipboardFusion starts or exits. Pro triggers can also run a macro or a hotkey.

So the free edition can clean a paste when you ask it to. If you want every copy cleaned without pressing anything, that's Pro.

Ditto handles the most common cleanup by itself: Shift+Enter pastes plain text only. For anything more, it can run a short ChaiScript when an item is copied or pasted, such as removing a leading space before pasting. Those scripts handle plain ASCII text only, so ClipboardFusion's C# macros go much further.

Sync: three different models

• Ditto keeps clipboards in sync between computers you connect on a network, and its project page says the data is encrypted when sent. No account or cloud service is involved.
• ClipboardFusion Pro syncs through a Binary Fortress account, with apps listed for macOS, iOS, Android and Amazon devices, a Chrome extension and web access. It also adds online pinned items. Synced items are held by the vendor's service, so decide deliberately what you let it sync.
• Windows clipboard history can sync text between Windows PCs signed in to the same Microsoft or work account, with no extra software. What Microsoft's clipboard sync covers explains its limits.

If you need your clipboard on a phone, ClipboardFusion Pro is the only one of the three that offers it.

Licensing for work use

This is easy to miss. ClipboardFusion's compare page lists the free edition as Personal ONLY. For work use you need a Pro licence. The tiers listed in October 2026:

All are lifetime licences that include future versions, and each download includes a 30-day trial. Ditto is free under GPL-3.0 for any use, subject only to your organisation's own software policy.

Which one to pick

1. If Win+V already covers you, install neither. Ditto vs CopyQ vs Win+V helps you check.
2. If your problem is losing copies after a restart or past 25 items, install Ditto.
3. If your problem is messy pastes, try ClipboardFusion Free on a personal PC and set up one trigger, such as removing HTML tags. If you want it to fire on every copy, test Pro during the 30-day trial.
4. If you need your clipboard on your phone, trial ClipboardFusion Pro.
5. If you want free, open-source automation, look at CopyQ instead; CopyQ vs ClipboardFusion compares their scripting.
6. If what you reuse is mostly screenshots and copied files, neither is built around dragging them out; Edge Drop vs ClipboardFusion compares a drag-out shelf with ClipboardFusion's macros.

Whichever you choose, run one clipboard history at a time and keep password-manager copies out of it. Both tools can ignore chosen apps; how to stop clipboard managers from saving secrets shows how.

FAQ

Is ClipboardFusion free?

The free edition is free for personal use. Work use needs a Pro licence, which starts at $19 for one computer according to the vendor's compare page.

Does Ditto have macros?

Not in ClipboardFusion's sense. Ditto can run ChaiScript scripts on copy or paste and paste as plain text, but it has no macro editor or library.

Can I just paste without formatting instead?

Often, yes. Some apps support Ctrl+Shift+V, and Windows has other options; see how to paste without formatting on Windows. A tool is worth it when you do this all day.

Related reading

• CopyQ vs ClipboardFusion: Which Automates Copying Better?
• Ditto vs CopyQ vs Win+V: Which Should You Use?
• Free vs Paid Clipboard Managers: What You Actually Buy
• Best Clipboard Managers for Windows in 2026: 8 Compared

Sources

• ClipboardFusion Free vs Pro — feature split, trigger events, sync apps, licence tiers, prices and 30-day trial.
• ClipboardFusion features — C# macros and syncing through a Binary Fortress account.
• ClipboardFusion — vendor and product description.
• Ditto (GitHub) — formats, default shortcut, local-first policy, licence.
• Ditto wiki — plain-text paste, ChaiScript scripting, exclusion rules.
• Ditto project page (SourceForge) — SQLite storage and network sync with encryption.
• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — Windows clipboard history and text sync.

Copy. Stack. Drop.

Transform your clipboard into an interactive edge shelf. Stack, pin, and drag assets into any app with zero friction.

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How to Install Guide · First 10 Minutes Guide · Drag & Drop Guide · Edge Drop vs Win+V · Support