[2025 Edition] Clipboard Manager Showdown: Clibor vs. Ditto - Which is Best for You?
"Ugh, I have to copy and paste this code again..." "Where did that thing I just copied go?"
Have you ever felt this way while building a website or learning to code? I'm not ashamed to admit that was me just a few months ago. Every single day, I was stuck in "copy-paste hell."
Hello! I'm a creator who, just like you, started with zero programming knowledge and built a website from scratch with the help of AI. On this site, I share the actual points where I stumbled and the "I wish I'd done this!" discoveries I made, using as little jargon as possible.
This time, I'm going to thoroughly compare "Clibor" and "Ditto," two particularly popular "clipboard management tools" that literally supercharged my work efficiency. By the end of this article, you'll know which one will become your ultimate sidekick, and with sample code tailored for web developers that you can use today, you'll immediately see just how convenient they are!
First of all, what are clipboard managers? And why do you need one?
"Copy and paste" is an essential operation when using a PC. Normally, the Windows clipboard can only remember one item at a time. The moment you copy something new, the previously copied content is overwritten and disappears.
A clipboard management tool is a magic wand that overcomes this "can only remember one thing" weakness. It saves a history of dozens, even hundreds, of copied texts and images, allowing you to recall and paste them whenever you want.
For us web creators, in particular, they offer tremendous benefits:
- Increased Coding Speed: Instantly recall frequently used code snippets, color codes, URLs, and more.
- Reduced Errors: No more typos from manually retyping similar variable names.
- Faster Thinking: You can focus on the creative work instead of wasting time searching for "that one piece of code." When trying out multiple code snippets generated by AI, having a history makes the process incredibly smooth.
Now, let's take a look at the specific tools!
Simple is Best! The Lightweight Tool Born in Japan, "Clibor"
Clibor's Philosophy: A Thoughtful Tool That Scratches Every Itch
"Clibor" is a tool developed by the Japanese developer Chigusa, and it's truly filled with a spirit of "omotenashi" (hospitality). It was the first clipboard manager I ever used. Its greatest features are its overwhelming speed and simplicity. Unnecessary features have been stripped away, and it's designed with great care so that users can use it intuitively without confusion.
While feature-rich tools from overseas are great, the sense of security that comes from a tool made with a deep understanding of its users is irreplaceable. First, get a feel for its philosophy from the official website.
Clibor Official Website
What's So Great? Clibor's Key Features
- Clipboard History: Just press the `Ctrl` key twice, and a list of your saved history pops up right at your mouse cursor's position. This is incredibly convenient!
- Registering Snippets (Set Phrases): You can register frequently used code or text as "Set Phrases." Since they are managed separately from the history, you can call them up instantly at any time.
- FIFO/LIFO Functionality: This feature allows you to copy multiple items in order and then paste them in that same order (or in reverse). For example, you could copy a name, address, and phone number in succession and then paste them into a form all at once.
- Incremental Search: Even if your history or snippet collection becomes huge, it's no problem. Just start typing a keyword to instantly filter down to what you're looking for.
【OK to Copy & Paste】Clibor Snippet Samples for Web Developers
Seeing is believing. Here are some snippet samples that I've actually registered in Clibor, which have dramatically improved my work efficiency. Just registering these in your Clibor will change your coding workflow starting tomorrow!
Basic HTML Structure
This saves you the trouble of typing this out every time you create a new file.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>New Page</title>
<meta name="description" content="Enter the page description here">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
CSS Reset (Simple Version)
A minimal CSS reset to override browser default styles.
*,
*::before,
*::after {
box-sizing: border-box;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
img, picture, video, canvas, svg {
display: block;
max-width: 100%;
}
body {
line-height: 1.5;
}
`var_dump` in PHP
A piece of code you'll use over and over again for debugging to check the contents of a variable.
echo '<pre>';
var_dump($variable);
echo '</pre>';
exit;Feature-Rich and Powerful! The Open-Source Tool Loved Worldwide, "Ditto"
Ditto's Philosophy: The "Swiss Army Knife" Tool That Can Do Anything
"Ditto" is an open-source clipboard management tool that, in contrast to Clibor, pursues rich functionality and extensibility. Because developers from all over the world contribute to it, it's extremely powerful. Like a Swiss Army knife of tools, it's equipped with every feature imaginable.
A major feature is its ability to save not just text, but also images and file paths in the clipboard history. It's highly customizable, making it an irresistible tool for the inquisitive creator who wants to build their own ultimate environment.
Ditto Official Website
What's So Great? Ditto's Key Features
- Image & File History: Previews of copied images appear in the history and can be pasted directly. It's extremely useful for registering logos and icons used on your website.
- Network Sharing: You can sync your clipboard history with other PCs on the same network. This is incredibly effective for people who work on both a desktop and a laptop, or for teams who want to share snippets.
- Powerful Search: It supports advanced searching with regular expressions and case-sensitive searches, making it powerful for programmers.
- Groups Feature: You can organize your history and snippets into groups like "For HTML," "For CSS," or "For Blog Posts." This makes it easier to find what you're looking for.
- Rich Themes: A wide variety of themes are available to customize its appearance, allowing you to match it to your desktop environment.
【OK to Copy & Paste】How Web Developers Can Leverage Ditto
Because of its rich feature set, Ditto truly shines with slightly more advanced usage. Here are some techniques I've found to be incredibly useful.
Managing Prompts for AI (System Prompts)
Do you find yourself giving AI like ChatGPT the same role settings or prerequisites over and over? By saving them in Ditto, you can instantly transform the AI into a "master programmer" or a "brilliant writer."
# Instructions
You are a professional web developer. Based on the following constraints and my input, please output the best possible HTML code.
# Constraints
- The audience consists of web development beginners.
- Avoid jargon and add explanations in plain language.
- Specify appropriate text and background colors with inline CSS for use on a dark-mode website.
- Provide complete, ready-to-use code that can be copied and pasted immediately.
Code for Frequently Used SVG Icons
Ditto handles large amounts of text without issue, so for simple icons, registering the SVG code directly as a snippet is convenient and saves you the hassle of managing image files. This is an example of a download icon.
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-download"><path d="M21 15v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4"></path><polyline points="7 10 12 15 17 10"></polyline><line x1="12" y1="15" x2="12" y2="3"></line></svg>Head-to-Head Comparison! Clibor vs. Ditto: Which is Right for You?
So, we've looked at two excellent tools, but which one should you choose? Let's break down their features to help you find the perfect tool for you.
| Feature | Clibor | Ditto |
|---|---|---|
| Development Philosophy | Simple, Lightweight, Intuitive | Feature-Rich, Highly Extensible, Powerful |
| Performance | ◎ Extremely lightweight | ○ Fast, but a step behind Clibor |
| Image History | × Not supported | ◎ Supported |
| Network Sync | × Not supported | ◎ Supported |
| Unique Feature | FIFO/LIFO Functionality | Groups, Themes |
| Learning Curve | Low (Usable immediately) | Slightly High (Many features) |
| Developer | Japan (Individual Developer) | International (Open Source) |
"Clibor" is recommended for you if... ✅
- You want a tool that is, above all, simple and lightweight.
- You're not confident in your PC's specs and want to prioritize performance.
- You want to skip complex settings and experience the convenience right after installation.
- You primarily copy text-based data.
- The "FIFO/LIFO" feature for sequential copy-pasting appeals to you.
"Ditto" is recommended for you if... ✅
- You want to manage not just text, but also images and files in one place.
- You want to sync your clipboard across multiple PCs, like a desktop and a laptop.
- You want to finely tune settings to your liking and build the ultimate environment.
- You might potentially share snippets and templates with a team.
- You're a programmer who wants to perform advanced searches with regular expressions.
By the way, I switch between them depending on my mood and the task at hand! For casual blog writing and quick coding fixes, I use Clibor for its speed. For large-scale development or design work across multiple PCs, I fire up Ditto.
【My Mistakes】Pitfalls for Beginners and How to Solve Them
As useful as these tools are, I was a bit confused at first. I'm sharing my "stumbling points" so you don't make the same mistakes.
Clibor Stumbling Points
- Hotkey Conflicts: At first, the shortcut key to call Clibor conflicted with another app and didn't work properly.
Solution 👉 Open Clibor's settings screen, go to the "Hotkeys" section, and change it to a combination you're unlikely to use in other apps (e.g., `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `C`). This solved it for me. - Too Many Settings: It's a simple tool, but opening the settings screen reveals a surprising number of options, which can be a bit overwhelming.
Solution 👉 Don't worry! First, just decide on a hotkey in "Basic Settings" and register the samples from this article in the "Set Phrases" tab. That's all you need to do to start. You can look at the other settings later, when you start thinking, "I wish I could do this..."
Ditto Stumbling Points
- English UI: Right after installation, all the menus were in English, which was a bit intimidating.
Solution 👉 No problem, you can switch it to your language in a second. Right-click the Ditto icon in the system tray → `Options` → on the `General` tab, select your language from the `Language` dropdown and click OK. If there were an image here, I'd add a specific description like `alt="Selecting Japanese from the Language dropdown in Ditto's options screen"`. Now you can use it with confidence. - Too Many Features to Understand: With "Groups," "Advanced Settings," and more, I had no idea where to start.
Solution 👉 Just like with Clibor, start by only using the history recall and search functions. The true power of Ditto reveals itself as you use it and think, "Oh, I'd like to manage this too." Taking the next step to "Let's try the Groups feature" at that moment is the key to not getting discouraged.
Conclusion: Find Your Ultimate Sidekick and Accelerate Your Web Development!
In this article, I've compared the two giants of clipboard management, "Clibor" and "Ditto," based on my personal experiences.
If you want to work quickly with speed and simplicity, choose Clibor. If you want to work powerfully with image management and PC syncing, choose Ditto. Both are fantastic tools that will dramatically streamline your web development workflow. You don't have to choose just one. The best approach is to try both and see which one feels right.
Especially in modern web development, where we repeatedly have AI write code and then test and refine it, I am convinced that the ability to freely manipulate your clipboard history is an essential skill for maintaining an uninterrupted thought process.
If this article helps free you from "copy-paste hell" and contributes to creating an environment where you can focus on your creative work, I couldn't be happier.
🚀 To the Next Step
Go on, get your ultimate sidekick right now!