Best Pushbullet alternative — side-by-side comparison
Pushbullet bundled three jobs into one tool: notification mirroring, cross-device clipboard sync, and file transfer between phone and PC. The free tier shrunk over time and a Pro subscription absorbed most useful features. People reaching for replacements usually need only one or two of those three jobs — and that decides which alternative actually fits.
TL;DR. If clipboard sync + file transfer was the main job, Clipcroft is the cleanest replacement (browser-only, no account, real-time, files of any size, history, encryption). If notification mirroring is the load-bearing feature, Join (one-time payment) or KDE Connect (free, OSS, LAN-only) are the proper Pushbullet replacements. AirDroid is the closest match if you want the full phone-control suite.
Feature matrix
| Clipcroft | Pushbullet | Join | KDE Connect | AirDroid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-device clipboard sync | Yes (real-time) | Yes (Pro) | Yes | Yes (LAN) | Yes (Premium) |
| File transfer phone ↔ PC | Yes (no size limit, P2P) | Limited (Pro for large) | Yes | Yes (LAN) | Yes |
| Notification mirroring | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-device live sync (>2) | Up to 20 | Account-bound pool | Account-bound pool | LAN devices | Account-bound pool |
| Account required | No | Yes | Google account | No | AirDroid account |
| Browser-only on every platform | Yes | Apps + Chrome ext | Apps + Chrome ext | Native (Linux/Android first) | Native + web |
| Persistent clipboard history | Yes (7 days, configurable) | No | No | No | In-app history |
| Optional E2E encryption (user key) | Clipboard password | Yes (user password) | Yes (in their docs) | TLS (automatic) | Not documented |
| Open source | No | No | No | GPL | No |
| Cost | Free, ad-supported | Free + Pro subscription | One-time payment | Free forever | Free + Premium subscription |
Note: third-party feature details change. Pushbullet specifically has shifted its free / paid line several times — re-check their current page if it's load-bearing for your decision.
Quick picks by use case
- "I mostly used Pushbullet for clipboard sync between my phone and PC." Clipcroft. Browser-only on both sides, no account, real-time, includes files, plus a persistent history. The cleanest direct replacement for the clipboard half of Pushbullet.
- "Notification mirroring was the main thing." Join (one-time payment, mature) or KDE Connect (free, OSS, LAN-only). Clipcroft doesn't do notifications.
- "I want the full phone-control suite — SMS, calls, mirror, manage files." AirDroid. Closest in scope to Pushbullet's full suite. Different category from Clipcroft.
- "I'm already in the KDE / Linux ecosystem." KDE Connect. Free, open source, and excellent on Linux + Android. Limitation: LAN-only by design.
One-paragraph summaries
Clipcroft
Cross-device clipboard + file transfer in any browser, no account
Browser-only on every platform, real-time text and file sync, up to 20 devices on one clipboard with parallel WebRTC fan-out, persistent history with bulk export, multiple separate clipboards per device, optional per-clipboard end-to-end encryption. Free and ad-supported. Doesn't do notification mirroring — that's a different category.
Pushbullet
The original three-in-one (now thinly maintained)
Notification mirroring + clipboard sync + file transfer + SMS-from-PC. Native apps for Android and Windows, plus Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera browser extensions; Pro subscription $4.99/month (or $39.99/year). Free tier reduced over the years — a 25 MB file-size cap and a monthly message limit, with useful features (clipboard sync, 1 GB file sends, unlimited messages) moved behind Pro. The iOS app is no longer available on the App Store and the Chrome extension hasn't been updated since 2023, though the Android app is still maintained (last updated August 2025). Account-bound across all devices.
Join (joaoapps)
Pushbullet's most direct replacement — one-time payment
Single-purchase Android + Windows + Chrome extension. Notification mirroring, clipboard sync, file transfer, SMS forwarding. Tighter integration with Tasker for power users. Uses a Google account by default for sync.
KDE Connect
Free, open-source, LAN-only cross-device suite
GPL-licensed; first-class on Linux + Android, with official ports on Windows (Microsoft Store) and iOS (App Store) and a nightly build on macOS. Notification sync, clipboard sync, file transfer, remote trackpad, presentation remote, phone-find, battery display, browser integration. LAN-only by design (with optional OpenVPN). The strongest pick if you're on Linux + Android and want a free OSS replacement for Pushbullet.
AirDroid
Full phone-control suite
Native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, plus a web app. Phone mirroring, file management, notification mirroring, SMS, remote control. Free tier with an AirDroid account caps remote file transfers at 30 MB per file, with a 200 MB monthly remote-data quota; Premium ($3.99/month, or $2.50/month billed annually) lifts those caps to 1 GB per file and unlocks the broader all-in-one suite. The right pick if you want a wider feature suite than Pushbullet's, not just a replacement.
How we picked these four
Pulled from the top organic Google results for "pushbullet alternative" plus the canonical replacements that long-time Pushbullet users name in forum threads (Android Authority, Reddit, Unraid forums). Excluded enterprise push-notification SaaS (OneSignal, Opsgenie) since they're a different category. Cross-checked against the AlternativeTo and SaaSHub listings.
Frequently asked questions
Why look for a Pushbullet alternative?
Pushbullet's free tier was reduced over time — a monthly message limit, a 25 MB file-size cap, and many features (including clipboard sync) moved behind a paid Pro subscription. Long-time users who want notification mirroring + clipboard sync + file transfer in a free tool started looking elsewhere.
Which alternative has clipboard sync without an account?
Clipcroft. Open the URL on each device, type a clipboard name, and clipboard sync starts. KDE Connect also works account-free but requires both devices on the same LAN. Join uses a Google account by default. AirDroid requires its own account.
Which alternative does notification mirroring?
Join, KDE Connect, and AirDroid all do notification mirroring. Clipcroft does not — it's a clipboard / file-transfer tool, not a phone-control tool. If notification mirroring is the load-bearing feature, Pushbullet's actual replacements are Join (one-time fee) or KDE Connect (free, OSS, LAN-only).
Which alternative is open source?
KDE Connect is open source (GPL) and free forever. None of the others on this list are fully open source — Join and AirDroid are closed-source freemium tools.
Which alternative is browser-based on every platform?
Clipcroft is browser-only on every platform — iOS 15.4+, Android 8+, Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS — with no install. Pushbullet has Android, Windows, and browser extensions (its iOS app is no longer on the App Store). Join has Android + Windows + Chrome extension. KDE Connect is Linux + Android first-class with official Windows and iOS apps and a macOS nightly. AirDroid is mostly its native app on each platform.
Which one should I pick?
If your main job was clipboard sync + file transfer between devices, Clipcroft is the cleanest replacement: browser-only, no account, real-time, files of any size, history. If notification mirroring is the load-bearing feature, Join (one-time payment) or KDE Connect (free, LAN-only OSS) are the proper Pushbullet replacements. AirDroid is the choice if you want full phone control, screen mirroring, and a feature suite as wide as Pushbullet's was.
Try Clipcroft for cross-device clipboard sync without an account.
Open Clipcroft