Can I buy Alfred once and keep workflows and clipboard history?
3 apps · 6 factors
Scored for the goal: Buy once and avoid a subscription, while keeping workflows and clipboard
Quick answer
From the sourced cells below · nobody pays for a position
Free to use
LaunchBar
Free on the official website
Compare
One judgement per cell. Click a row to read every app’s answer; click a cell to open that answer’s sources.
 100%fit | 100%fit | 100%fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase | |||
| Current priceNo subscription★ | £34 once +1 | $29 once +1 | $96/yr +5 |
| Launcher | |||
| Custom commands / workflowsYes★ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clipboard historyYes★ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Features | |||
| Clipboard retention | Powerpack required; disabled by… | History persists across app… | Free retention: 1 day,… |
| Workflow chainingYes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Product | |||
| What it does | MacOS launcher + automation… | Keyboard-driven launcher + file/action… | Keyboard-first launcher + productivity… |
Head to head
Two apps side by side, full answers, nothing truncated. Swap either side.
Website: Alfred core free; Powerpack Single License £34 once, single user, 2 Macs, current major version; Powerpack Mega Supporter £59 once, single user, own Macs, lifetime updates; Corporate License by email/checkout for 5+ device seats, 10%-40% discount from the Single User price, no monthly/annual recurring fees. Legendary+ upgrade exists for existing Alfred 5 Mega/Legendary supporters, but public price is not shown before license-code lookup. Mac App Store (US): Free Alfred 1.2; officialdocs
Website: Free unregistered use with occasional break prompts; Single License $29 once; Family License $49 once, up to 5 household computers, non-commercial. Reduced upgrades are offered after entering an existing license key, but current upgrade amounts were not visible. Mac App Store (US): no current official Objective Development LaunchBar listing found.
Yes — users can create workflows from blank/templates, connect objects, and trigger them by hotkey, keyword or Alfred Remote; workflows are a Powerpack feature.
Yes — searchable Clipboard History for text, images and file links; disabled by default, requires Accessibility permission, retention options 24h/7d/1mo/3mo (Powerpack).
Yes — searchable clipboard history is reported by a community source; official docs confirm Clipboard History for recent copies with hotkeys, copy/paste defaults, ClipMerge and delete, but do not document the search behavior or numeric retention limit. Available in LaunchBar, including free use after trial with occasional break prompts.
Powerpack required; disabled by default. Set retention per enabled history type to 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months. Configure maximum text-clip size and ignored apps; concealed data is ignored by default but can be enabled. Delete individual clips or clear the last 5 minutes, 15 minutes or all history. Save text clips as snippets for longer-term reuse. History is stored in a local database; explicit persistence across restarts and total item-count limit are unverified.
History persists across app restarts. Controls include individual deletion, Clear Clipboard History, paste-and-remove, and a customizable application ignore list. Official retention periods, item limits, defaults, automatic expiry, and persistence/clear-on-quit controls remain unknown. Available during the 30-day trial and continued unregistered use with occasional interruptions; no separate clipboard retention tier is documented.
Yes — Powerpack required. Visually connect workflow objects; utilities pass arguments between steps, and variables preserve inputs. Alfred 5 Automation Tasks enable code-free chains, such as listing files → filtering matching arguments → trashing files. Tasks must first be downloaded; some require configuration, and missing or outdated tasks need installation or updates.
Yes — build a Service workflow in Automator by adding library actions; pass text/files through it, invoke LaunchBar actions or services by name, and return results to LaunchBar. Requires Automator and matching input types; saved Service workflows are indexed automatically. All features are available unregistered, with occasional interruptions after the 30-day trial.
macOS launcher + automation utility
Keyboard-driven launcher + file/action utility
Cost over time
Plays from month 1 to year 10 when you scroll here. Each bar is split by year; a one-time purchase stays one block.
Every subscription now costs more than LaunchBar, the cheapest one-time purchase.
Releases
Each dot is a release. The hatched bar runs from the last release to today; its color says whether that gap is normal for the app.
1 of 3 apps with a dated changelog is behind its usual pace. Furthest behind: LaunchBar, 183 days since its last release (usually ~64).
Score
A reference score weighted by the priorities set for this research. Nobody pays for placement.
Sources
Where every claim comes from, when it was checked, and how to report an error.
How this report was made
Every cell links to the page it came from. Nobody pays to change a score.
- Report ID
- TMA-0WSLASF
- Sources
- 37
- Verified cells
- 18/18 (100%)
- Last checked
- Oct 18, 2026
- Reading saved
- ≈ 2.5 h
Scoring
Must-have factors weigh 5 and important ones 3; only these are scored, or the first five factors if none are marked. An app earns a factor's weight only when a cited source confirms it, and unknown cells count for no one. A pick is named only when the lead is larger than everything still unresolved could swing. Reading time assumes about 4 minutes per source. Full methodology
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