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aText vs Espanso

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

aText

6.0
Productivity

Tool to replace abbreviations while typing

Espanso

8.0
Productivity

Cross-platform Text Expander written in Rust

Metric aText Espanso
Category Productivity Productivity
AI Score 6.0 8.0
30-day Installs 30 998
90-day Installs 93 2.8K
365-day Installs 385 11.2K
Version 3.21 2.3.0
Auto-updates Yes No
Deprecated No No
GitHub Stars 5 13.4K
GitHub Forks 1 389
Open Issues - 488
License GPL-3.0
Language OCaml Rust
Last GitHub Commit 9y ago 1mo ago
First Seen May 31, 2013 Aug 9, 2023

Reviews

aText

aText is a lightweight text replacement tool that allows users to expand abbreviations into full phrases in real-time. It supports collaborative editing and works across applications, making it ideal for developers, writers, and anyone seeking efficient text expansion.

aText automates text expansion by replacing abbreviations with predefined phrases as you type.

Pros

  • + Lightweight and efficient text expansion
  • + Real-time collaborative editing
  • + Works across multiple applications

Cons

  • - Inactive development with no recent updates
  • - Unknown license status

Espanso

Espanso is a cross-platform text expander written in Rust, offering real-time keyword replacement and a focus on privacy. It allows users to customize shortcuts and expand them as they type, making it ideal for productivity-focused users on macOS and other platforms.

Espanso detects typed keywords and replaces them in real-time, acting as a powerful text expansion tool.

Pros

  • + Privacy-focused and open-source
  • + Cross-platform support
  • + Built with Rust for performance and security
  • + Highly customizable with support for custom shortcuts
  • + Real-time expansion as you type

Cons

  • - No automatic updates available
  • - Installation issues reported on some platforms
  • - High number of open issues may indicate areas needing attention