Typinator vs TextExpander: Features, Pricing, and Comparison (2026)

Typinator and TextExpander both do the same core thing: you type a short abbreviation, and a longer block of text, code, or template appears in its place. They both work in the background. They both expand text Snippets across your Mac apps.

After that, the two tools diverge fast.

Typinator is a Mac-only desktop app sold as a one-time purchase for $39.99. TextExpander is a cross-platform subscription service that works on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android. The right choice depends on how you work, where you work, and whether you need to share Snippets with a team.

Quick rundown of the differences:

Platforms: Typinator is macOS only. TextExpander runs on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Price: Typinator costs $39.99 once. TextExpander starts at $3.33/month billed annually.

Teams: TextExpander has built-in Snippet sharing, permissions, and usage analytics. Typinator supports manual sharing through Dropbox or a publish-and-subscribe model.

Security: TextExpander holds SOC 2, SOC 3, HIPAA, and GDPR certifications. Typinator stores everything locally with no compliance certifications.

Fill-in fields: Both support interactive forms. TextExpander’s fill-in fields work across all platforms and stay updated with shared team Snippets.

Both tools are good at what they do. Here is how they compare across the features that matter most.

What is Typinator?

Typinator is a text expansion app for macOS made by Ergonis Software. It has been around since the early days of Mac OS X and has a loyal following among Mac power users who want fast, local, no-fuss text expansion.

The current version is Typinator 9.2, which supports macOS 10.15 Catalina through macOS 26 Tahoe. It runs in the background and expands abbreviations across every Mac app, from Safari and Mail to Slack and Microsoft Word.

Typinator strengths

Typinator is fast. Expansion happens with zero perceptible delay, even with large Snippet libraries. Everything runs locally on your Mac, so there is no server latency and no dependency on an internet connection.

The $39.99 one-time price is attractive if you want to pay once and move on. Minor updates within the current major version are free, and Ergonis offers discounted upgrades when a new major version ships.

Typinator also includes built-in autocorrection sets for multiple languages, catching common typos as you type. It supports macros through AppleScript, shell scripts, and regular expressions. Interactive forms let you create fill-in fields with dropdown menus and custom variables.

For a solo Mac user who wants a lightweight tool, Typinator delivers.

Typinator limitations

Typinator only works on macOS. If you switch between a Mac and a Windows PC, or if you need text expansion on your iPhone, Typinator cannot help.

Team sharing exists through a publish-and-subscribe system or shared Dropbox folders, but there are no built-in permissions, no admin controls, and no usage analytics. Getting a team of 20 people onto the same Snippet library requires manual coordination.

No mobile app. No compliance certifications. And because Typinator stores data locally by default, organizations in regulated industries have no centralized way to audit or control Snippet content.

What is TextExpander?

TextExpander is a text expansion platform that works across Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android. It is built for both individual productivity and team-wide standardization.

Snippets can include plain text, formatted text, images, fill-in fields, date and time stamps, clipboard content, nested Snippets, and scripts written in JavaScript, AppleScript, or shell script. Snippets update automatically across all your devices.

TextExpander strengths

Cross-platform support is the headline feature. Your Snippets follow you from your Mac at the office to your Windows laptop at home to your iPhone in a cab. No manual file transfers. No Dropbox folder to configure.

For teams, TextExpander provides shared Snippet groups with granular permissions. Admins can control who views, edits, or manages each group. New hires get auto-subscribed to the right Snippet sets based on their email domain. Usage analytics show which Snippets get used most and how much time the team saves. Enterprise plans add SSO, SCIM provisioning through Okta or Azure, and custom security reviews.

TextExpander’s security credentials include SOC 2, SOC 3, HIPAA compliance with BAA availability, GDPR compliance, and CCPA compliance. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit.

The numbers tell the story. Virta Health, a healthcare company with 359 TextExpander users, saved over 69,000 hours in one year. That is roughly 24 working days per team member.

TextExpander limitations

TextExpander requires a subscription. The Individual plan costs $3.33/month billed annually ($39.96/year). For a solo user who will never need cross-platform support or team sharing, the recurring cost is harder to justify than a one-time purchase.

It also requires an internet connection for initial setup and to keep Snippets current across devices, though Snippets work offline once downloaded.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature | Typinator | TextExpander
Text expansion | Yes, system-wide on Mac | Yes, system-wide on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iOS
Variables and macros | Date/time, clipboard, custom fields, regex, AppleScript, shell scripts | Date/time, clipboard, nested Snippets, JavaScript, AppleScript, shell scripts
Fill-in fields | Yes, with dropdowns and cursor positioning | Yes, with single-line, multi-line, popup menus, and optional fields
Team Snippet sharing | Manual via Dropbox or publish/subscribe | Built-in with permissions, groups, and admin controls
Platform support | macOS only (10.15+) | Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, Android
Pricing | One-time purchase ($39.99) | Subscription (from $3.33/month)
Security certifications | None (local storage) | SOC 2, SOC 3, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA
Usage analytics | No | Yes, individual and team-level
Autocorrection | Yes, multi-language sets included | Yes, multi-language spelling correction
Offline support | Full (everything is local) | Yes, once Snippets are downloaded
Search | Quick search and type-ahead suggestions | Inline search by title, abbreviation, or content
Mobile app | No | Yes (iPhone, iPad, Android)
Import/export | CSV, TSV, and TextExpander format | CSV and .textexpander format
Integrations | PopChar, macOS Shortcuts | Works with Zendesk, Salesforce, Epic, Cerner, HelpScout, and more

Both handle the basics well. The differences emerge when you need team collaboration, cross-platform access, or compliance certifications.

See the difference for yourself

Comparisons only go so far. The best way to evaluate TextExpander is to use it. Your 30-day trial includes every feature: cross-platform sync across Mac, Windows, and Chrome; shared Snippet groups for teams; fill-in fields for personalization; and organizational management tools Typinator doesn’t offer.

No credit card required. Full-featured for 30 days.

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Which tool fits your use case

Solo Mac user who wants speed and simplicity

Typinator is a strong choice. It is lightweight, fast, and does not require an account or subscription. If your entire computing life happens on one or two Macs and you do not share Snippets with anyone, Typinator gives you everything you need for a one-time fee. Writers, bloggers, and freelancers who work from a single Mac and type the same phrases repeatedly will get real value without thinking about recurring charges.

Someone who works across Mac and Windows

TextExpander is the only option. Typinator does not run on Windows, and there is no web-based alternative. TextExpander works on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android with automatic updates between all devices.

Teams and organizations

TextExpander was built for this. Shared Snippet groups with permissions, admin controls, auto-subscribe for new hires, and usage analytics that show team-wide time savings make it the standard for organizations that want consistent messaging across departments.

Typinator’s publish-and-subscribe sharing works for small groups of Mac users, but it lacks the management and reporting tools that larger teams need.

Healthcare and regulated industries

TextExpander’s HIPAA compliance, BAA availability, SOC 2 certification, and AES-256 encryption make it the pick for healthcare organizations, financial services, and any team handling sensitive data. Clinical teams use TextExpander to standardize patient communication, build consistent documentation templates, and maintain compliance across every message. Typinator’s local-only storage can be an advantage for privacy, but it does not satisfy audit and compliance requirements that regulated industries face.

Developers and power users

Both tools support scripting. Typinator offers AppleScript, shell scripts, and regular expressions. TextExpander offers JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell scripts, plus nested Snippets that let you build modular, reusable templates.

If you write code on both Mac and Windows, TextExpander’s cross-platform support matters because your code Snippets follow you between machines. If you are Mac-only and prefer a one-time purchase, Typinator holds up. It comes down to whether you need your Snippets on more than one operating system.

Pricing comparison

Typinator pricing

Typinator costs $39.99 for a single-user license covering up to 2 Macs. Minor updates within the current major version are included. Major version upgrades are available at a discounted rate. Volume discounts start at 20% off for 5 licenses and 35% off for 10 or more. Students, teachers, and nonprofit organizations get 25% off.

TextExpander pricing

TextExpander offers four plans:

Individual: $3.33/month billed annually ($39.96/year). One user, all platforms.

Business: $8.33/month per user billed annually ($99.96/year). Team sharing, Snippet requests, admin controls.

Growth: $10.83/month per user billed annually ($129.96/year). Unlimited activity history, organization statistics, domain sign-up, consolidated billing.

Enterprise: Custom pricing. SSO, SCIM, custom security review, dedicated support.

All plans include a free 30-day trial with no credit card required.

The break-even calculation

Typinator costs $39.99 once. TextExpander Individual costs $39.96/year. In the first year, they cost almost exactly the same. By year 2, you have paid $79.92 total for TextExpander while Typinator remains at $39.99.

But the comparison is not apples to apples. TextExpander includes cross-platform support, automatic Snippet updates across devices, team features, mobile apps, and compliance certifications that Typinator does not offer. If you need any of those, the subscription pays for itself.

Solo Mac user who never shares Snippets or works on other platforms? Typinator wins on cost. Workflow that crosses devices or involves a team? TextExpander’s subscription covers capabilities that Typinator cannot offer at any price.

How to switch from Typinator to TextExpander

Moving your Snippets from Typinator to TextExpander takes about 10 minutes.

Export from Typinator. Open Typinator, choose the Action toolbar icon, select Sets > Export, and save your Snippet sets as CSV files.

Sign in to TextExpander. Go to app.textexpander.com and log into your account. If you do not have one, start a free 30-day trial.

Import your CSV files. Choose Import/Export in the sidebar, select the Import tab, and drag your CSV files into the upload area. TextExpander accepts CSV files with abbreviations in the first column and content in the second.

Review your Snippets. Check that abbreviations and content imported correctly. Adjust any formatting or special characters as needed.

Install TextExpander on your devices. Download TextExpander for Mac from textexpander.com, and install it on any other platforms you use: Windows, Chrome, iPhone, or iPad.

Disable Typinator. Once you confirm everything works in TextExpander, open Typinator’s preferences and uncheck “Enable Typinator” to prevent conflicts.

TextExpander pushes your imported Snippets to all your devices automatically after import. You do not need to repeat the import on each machine.

Frequently asked questions

Can Typinator and TextExpander run at the same time?

Technically yes, but it is not a good idea. Running two text expansion apps together causes conflicts when both try to expand the same abbreviation. Use one or the other.

Does Typinator work on Windows or iPhone?

No. Typinator is a Mac-only app. No Windows version, no mobile app, no browser extension. If you need text expansion on other platforms, TextExpander supports Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Is TextExpander worth the subscription cost?

It depends on what you need. If you work across multiple devices, share Snippets with a team, or need compliance certifications for healthcare or finance, the subscription covers capabilities that one-time-purchase tools do not. The 30-day free trial lets you test it before committing.

Can I import my Typinator Snippets into TextExpander?

Yes. Export your Typinator sets as CSV files, then import them through the TextExpander web app at app.textexpander.com. Takes a few minutes.

Which text expander is faster at expanding text?

Both expand text almost instantly. Typinator runs everything locally, so there is zero network dependency. TextExpander caches Snippets on your device and expands them locally too, so day-to-day expansion speed is comparable. You will not notice a meaningful difference.

Related resources

PhraseExpress vs TextExpander: full comparison

Best macros software for productivity

What are text Snippets and how do they work?

TextExpander features overview

TextExpander for teams

TextExpander for healthcare

TextExpander Enterprise

TextExpander security and compliance

TextExpander pricing plans

Best Typinator alternatives for Mac

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