Copsy vs OffShoot: the free OffShoot alternative for Mac
OffShoot is the current name for Hedge (it rebranded in 2024) and now costs roughly $169–$249. Copsy is a free Mac camera-offload app, and it's the closest free alternative. Plug in an SD, CFexpress or camera card and Copsy auto-detects it. It copies the footage to your drive and to Google Drive or Dropbox in parallel, verifies every file with ASC-MHL checksums, and pings you on Telegram when it's done.
If you're on a Mac and mainly need fast, verified offloads, Copsy does that part for free, with no card limit and no signup.
Download Copsy for Mac → · macOS 13+ · no account needed
Wait — OffShoot is Hedge?
Yes. If you searched "OffShoot alternative" and felt a flicker of déjà vu, that's because OffShoot is Hedge's offload app under a new name. Hedge rebranded the product to OffShoot in 2024 and split it into tiers: OffShoot Solo (around $49), OffShoot (around $169), and OffShoot Pro (around $249, which adds Amazon S3 cloud destinations). The older one-time Hedge license used to sit around $39, so the jump to $169+ is what sent a lot of shooters looking for something cheaper that still verifies properly.
To be fair to OffShoot: it's mature, runs on both Mac and Windows, uses ASC-MHL, and is trusted on big productions. It earned its reputation. The question is whether you need everything it charges for, or whether the core "copy a card safely and verify it" workflow is what you actually use every shoot. That core is exactly what Copsy does for free.
If "Hedge" is still the name in your head, we wrote a sibling page on the free Hedge alternative, same product under a different brand query. This page focuses on the OffShoot name and pricing tiers specifically.
Copsy vs OffShoot (formerly Hedge) — honest comparison
| Feature | Copsy | OffShoot (was Hedge) | MhlFileVerify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | FREE | ~$169–$249 (Solo ~$49) PAID | FREE |
| ASC-MHL checksum verification | ✓ built-in | ✓ | ✓ verify only |
| Auto-detect card type (Sony/ARRI/RED/BMD/Canon/drone/audio) | ✓ by content | manual source picks | verify only |
| Copy to a drive AND cloud in parallel | ✓ Drive / Dropbox, free | S3 on Pro (~$249) | — |
| Organize by date + source automatically | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Telegram notification when done | ✓ | — | — |
| No signup / no account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Platform | macOS 13+ | macOS / Windows | macOS |
Pricing and features change — OffShoot figures above were last verified in June 2026. Check Hedge's site for current details before buying.
Where OffShoot is genuinely better
No spin: there are real reasons to pay for OffShoot. It runs on Windows as well as Mac, which Copsy doesn't. OffShoot Pro adds Amazon S3 as a cloud destination for studios already on AWS. It's been hardened on large productions for years and slots into established Hedge-era workflows. If any of that is your daily reality, OffShoot is money well spent. Keep it.
Where Copsy wins
Copsy is the right OffShoot alternative if you…
- Offload SD / CFexpress / camera / drone / audio cards on a Mac and want it verified, not just dragged in Finder.
- Want a drive copy and a Google Drive or Dropbox copy from the same offload, without paying for the Pro tier to unlock cloud.
- Don't want to pay $169+ for the core "copy a card safely" workflow you run every shoot.
- Like getting a Telegram ping when a card is done so you can step away from the cart.
- Want a tool that auto-detects the card by its content (Sony, ARRI, Blackmagic/BMD, RED, Canon, drones, audio recorders, and any card it can read) instead of hand-picking a source.
Stick with OffShoot / a paid tool if you…
- Need Windows support today (Copsy is macOS-only for now).
- Require Amazon S3 as a cloud destination, or LTO/LTFS and large-studio pipeline integrations.
How Copsy offloads a card
- Plug in the card. Copsy detects it by content and recognizes the camera or source: a Nikon Z9 CFexpress full of N-RAW, a LUMIX SD card, a GoPro microSD with dozens of chaptered clips, a Fujifilm card.
- Pick destinations. An external drive, plus optionally Google Drive or Dropbox, copied in parallel.
- Walk away. Copsy copies, organizes by date and source, and verifies every file with ASC-MHL checksums.
- Get pinged. A Telegram message tells you it finished and verified, with nothing lost.
Frequently asked questions
Try the free OffShoot alternative
Copsy is a free Mac camera-offload app. Verified copies to a drive and the cloud, nothing lost.
⬇ Download Copsy for Mac