DaVinci Resolve Clone Tool vs Copsy: the free standalone alternative
Copsy is a free Mac camera-offload app and the simplest standalone alternative to DaVinci Resolve's Clone Tool. Both are free and both verify copies. The Clone Tool is excellent. But it lives inside Resolve, copies to one place, doesn't auto-detect your card, doesn't organize footage, and won't notify you.
Copsy runs on its own: plug in a card, it auto-detects the camera, copies to your drive and to Google Drive or Dropbox in parallel, verifies every file with ASC-MHL checksums, organizes by date and source, and pings you on Telegram when it's done. No Resolve, no signup, no card limit.
Download Copsy for Mac → · macOS 13+ · no account needed
What the Resolve Clone Tool actually does
DaVinci Resolve's Clone Tool (in the Media page) clones camera cards, mags and folders and makes bit-for-bit copies with checksum verification — including xxHash / xxHash64 — and writes an MHL file. It's available in the free version of Resolve, not just Studio, so it's a genuinely free, properly verified copier. Many DITs and editors already trust it on set, and there's nothing wrong with it.
The honest catch is simple: it's a feature buried inside a full editing application. You have to launch Resolve, switch to the Media page, point the Clone Tool at a source and a single destination, and start it. It doesn't recognize which camera the card came from, it doesn't copy to the cloud at the same time, it doesn't sort your clips into dated folders, and it won't tell you when it's finished. For a quick "copy this one card to one drive while Resolve is already open" job, that's fine. For a fast, repeatable, hands-off offload workflow, you end up doing the rest by hand.
Where Copsy fits
Copsy is built around the offload workflow itself (detect → copy → verify → organize) as a small standalone app instead of a panel inside an editor. Plug in an SD, CFexpress or camera card and Copsy detects it by content, recognizing Sony, ARRI, Blackmagic/BMD, RED, Canon, drones and audio recorders (and it reads any card or volume). It then copies to an external drive and, if you want, Google Drive or Dropbox in parallel, verifies each file with ASC-MHL checksums, and lays everything out in folders by date and source. When the card is done and verified, it sends a Telegram message.
That's the gap Copsy fills next to the Clone Tool: the same free, verified copy you'd get from Resolve, plus the auto-detect, parallel cloud, auto-organize and notification that a copy tool gives you and a card cloner inside an editor doesn't.
Resolve Clone Tool vs Copsy — honest comparison
| Feature | Copsy | Resolve Clone Tool | YoYotta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | FREE | FREE (in Resolve) | around $110/yr PAID |
| Standalone app — no editor to open | ✓ | needs Resolve open | ✓ |
| Checksum verification | ✓ ASC-MHL | ✓ xxHash / MHL | ✓ ASC-MHL |
| Auto-detect card type (Sony/ARRI/RED/BMD/Canon/drone/audio) | ✓ | — | partial |
| Copy to a drive AND cloud (Drive/Dropbox) in parallel | ✓ | one destination | drives / tape |
| Auto-organize footage by date + source | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Telegram notification when done | ✓ | — | — |
| LTO / LTFS tape archiving | — | — | ✓ |
| No signup / no account | ✓ | ✓ | license |
| Platform | macOS 13+ | macOS / Windows / Linux | macOS |
The Clone Tool ships free inside DaVinci Resolve (Free and Studio). YoYotta has a limited free "YoYottaID" tier and a fuller paid version around $110/yr. Pricing and features change — figures above were last verified in June 2026. Check each vendor's site for current details.
Who should use which — and who shouldn't
Copsy is the right free pick if you…
- Want a standalone offload app you can run without launching a full editor.
- Offload SD / CFexpress / camera / drone / audio cards on a Mac and want them auto-detected and verified.
- Want a drive copy and a Google Drive or Dropbox copy from the same offload, in parallel.
- Want footage sorted into dated, by-source folders automatically — and a Telegram ping when it's done.
Stick with the Resolve Clone Tool if you…
- Already live in DaVinci Resolve all day and just need a quick verified card copy to one drive.
- Need Windows or Linux today (Copsy is macOS-only for now), or want everything in one application.
Look at a paid tool like YoYotta if you…
- Need LTO/LTFS tape archiving or a large studio DIT toolchain — Copsy is built for the copy + verify + cloud core, not tape.
How Copsy offloads a card (without opening Resolve)
- Plug in the card. Copsy detects it by content and recognizes the camera or source.
- 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, nothing lost.
Frequently asked questions
Offload your next card for free — no editor required
Copsy — a free Mac camera-offload app. Auto-detected, verified copies to a drive and the cloud, organized by date, nothing lost.
⬇ Download Copsy for Mac