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TextExpander vs Espanso

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

TextExpander

7.5
Productivity

Inserts pre-made snippets of text anywhere

Espanso

8.0
Productivity

Cross-platform Text Expander written in Rust

Metric TextExpander Espanso
Category Productivity Productivity
AI Score 7.5 8.0
30-day Installs 44 998
90-day Installs 118 2.8K
365-day Installs 439 11.2K
Version 8.4.3,843.7 2.3.0
Auto-updates Yes No
Deprecated No No
GitHub Stars 26 13.4K
GitHub Forks 3 389
Open Issues - 488
License MIT GPL-3.0
Language AppleScript Rust
Last GitHub Commit 10y ago 1mo ago
First Seen May 18, 2013 Aug 9, 2023

Reviews

TextExpander

TextExpander is a text expansion tool that saves time by inserting pre-made snippets across applications. It's ideal for professionals who need efficiency, though its subscription model may be a drawback.

Inserts pre-made text snippets into any application.

Pros

  • + Saves time with customizable snippets
  • + Seamless macOS integration
  • + Regular updates

Cons

  • - Subscription-based pricing
  • - Inactive GitHub community

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