Alternatives to Espanso
A text expander that watches for a keyword you type and replaces it with whatever you set, in any program. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Espanso
A text expander that watches for a keyword you type and replaces it with whatever you set, in any program.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Espanso.
AutoHotkey
A Windows scripting language for hotkeys, text expansion, key remapping and automating anything on screen.
AutoHotkey handles text replacement alongside hotkeys and a full scripting language, but it runs on Windows only, dropping Espanso's macOS and Linux support.
Beeftext
Expand short typed abbreviations into reusable text snippets on Windows.
Beeftext is a simpler MIT-licensed snippet manager for Windows only, and the project is in maintenance mode with no new features planned.
AutoKey
Desktop automation for Linux under X11: abbreviations that expand into text, and hotkeys that run Python.
AutoKey expands abbreviations and runs Python scripts from hotkeys on Linux, but it only works under X11 and its last tagged release was in 2022.
TextExpander
A text expansion app that inserts saved snippets of text when you type a short abbreviation.
TextExpander is a closed-source Windows and macOS app with fill-in fields and shared team libraries, requiring an account, and it drops Espanso's Linux support and YAML configuration.
Text Blaze
A text expander for Chrome, macOS and Windows that inserts saved snippets and templates from short shortcuts.
Text Blaze works as a Chrome extension and a Windows or macOS app with templates managed from a web dashboard, but it is closed source and has no Linux version.
PhraseExpress
A text expander that stores reusable text snippets and inserts them in any program.
PhraseExpress is a paid, closed-source text expander for Windows, Mac and iOS that shares phrases via cloud, NAS or SQL Server, with no Linux support.
aText
A text expansion tool for Windows and macOS that replaces abbreviations with phrases you define.
aText is a paid text expander for Windows and macOS with rich text, images and cloud folder sync, but it is closed source and lacks a Linux version.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
CopyQ
A clipboard manager that keeps everything you copied in searchable tabs, with scripting on top.
HotkeyP
A tiny hotkey manager that binds keyboard, mouse or joystick shortcuts to programs and system commands.
Keyboard Maestro
Visual macro builder for automating apps, files, and workflows on macOS.
Hammerspoon
A bridge between macOS and Lua that lets a short script move windows, bind hotkeys and react to system events.
Apple Shortcuts
Apple's built-in drag-and-drop automation app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Talon
Hands-free computer control using voice, noises, eye tracking and scripts.
