PhraseExpress vs PhraseExpander: Features, Pricing, and Key Differences

PhraseExpress and PhraseExpander have names so similar that even search engines mix them up. They’re, in fact, two completely different products made by two different companies. Confusing the two could lead you to buy software that doesn’t fit your workflow at all.

PhraseExpress is a cross-platform text expansion and macro automation tool from Bartels Media, available on Windows, Mac, and iOS. It targets general productivity users, IT professionals, and anyone who types repetitive text throughout their workday.

PhraseExpander is a Windows-only text expansion tool from Bartolomeo Sala that focuses heavily on medical and clinical documentation. It markets itself as “the only text expander designed for doctors” and includes medical dictionaries, EMR integration, and HIPAA-compliant data handling.

Here are the core differences at a glance:

Platforms: PhraseExpress runs on Windows, Mac, and iOS. PhraseExpander runs on Windows only.

Target audience: PhraseExpress serves general productivity users and power users. PhraseExpander targets physicians and healthcare professionals.

PhraseExpander ships with a 60,000+ term medical dictionary, premade clinical templates, and EMR-specific autocomplete. PhraseExpress has no medical-specific features.

Both use one-time purchase models. PhraseExpress starts at $99.95. PhraseExpander starts at $80.

This comparison covers everything you need to decide between these two tools, including a third option worth considering: TextExpander, which offers team collaboration and cross-platform support that neither PhraseExpress nor PhraseExpander can match.

TextExpander lets you save repetitive text as reusable Snippets that stay current on every device. See how it works

What is PhraseExpress?

PhraseExpress started in the early 2000s as a Windows-only text expansion utility. Over time it grew into a full-featured automation platform with macro recording, AI integrations, and support for multiple operating systems. Bartels Media claims more than 100,000 customers.

Key features

The macro system is where PhraseExpress earns its power-user reputation. Beyond basic abbreviation-to-phrase expansion, you get a macro recorder that captures mouse movements, keyboard inputs, and screen interactions for automated playback. Conditional logic, loops, string operations, math functions, and nested macros give technical users a scripting environment inside a text expansion tool.

PhraseExpress also includes:

A clipboard manager that stores your copy history for quick retrieval

A document generator for assembling complex documents from template blocks

Data integration with SQL databases, LDAP directories, Excel files, and XML sources

AI text processing through OpenAI, Claude, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini

Phrase sharing via Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or on-premise servers

Input forms with text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns, grids, and sliders

Team sharing runs through Microsoft SQL Server, network shares, or file services like Dropbox. PhraseExpress also supports Citrix and Terminal Server environments for enterprise deployments.

Platform support

PhraseExpress runs on Windows, Mac, and iOS, with Windows getting the most feature attention. The Mac version has a reduced feature set: some macro functions don’t transfer between platforms, and phrases containing bitmap images can’t move between Windows and Mac. The iOS app functions as a companion utility rather than a full version. PhraseExpress permanently removed its Android app after Google Drive integration changes broke compatibility.

Pricing

PhraseExpress uses a one-time purchase model with lifetime licenses. Each license includes one year of updates and upgrades:

Standard Edition: $99.95 per user (core text expansion, autotext, autocomplete)

Professional Edition: $149.95 per user (adds phrase sharing, Word formatting, input forms, clipboard collections)

Enterprise Edition: $249.95 per user (adds dynamic forms, document generator, AI support, database queries, Outlook add-in, Azure Entra)

Volume discounts start at five or more licenses. PhraseExpress offers a free version for personal, non-commercial use. Commercial use requires a paid license after a 30-day trial period.

Limitations

The interface is dense and built for power users. Non-technical team members face a steep learning curve. Team sharing requires IT involvement to configure SQL Server or coordinate file storage across machines. The cross-platform experience is uneven, with the Mac version lagging behind Windows in functionality.

What is PhraseExpander?

PhraseExpander doesn’t try to serve everyone. It was built specifically for doctors and healthcare professionals who spend too much time on clinical documentation, and that singular focus shows in every feature decision. The tool was designed from the start to work inside electronic medical record systems.

Key features

SmartComplete is the reason most physicians look at PhraseExpander. It’s an autocomplete system that suggests full phrases, medication names, and medical terms as you type inside any EMR section. Unlike generic text expansion, SmartComplete understands the context of medical charting and surfaces relevant suggestions based on the letters you’ve typed so far.

PhraseExpander also includes:

Dynamic forms with branching logic, score calculations, dropdown menus, yes/no fields, multi-selection lists, grids, and date pickers

A 60,000+ term medical dictionary, included in the Medical edition

Flesch-Kincaid reading score calculation for patient-facing documentation

Premade medical templates covering cardiology, dermatology, neurology, general medicine, psychiatry, surgery, and other specialties

Compatibility with major EMR systems including Epic

Integration with Dragon Naturally Speaking and other dictation software

Network sharing for keeping templates consistent across office computers and exam rooms

PhraseExpander also offers access to Statnote Pro, a third-party library of dot phrases and smart phrases adapted for PhraseExpander’s macro capabilities across dozens of medical specialties.

Platform support

Windows only. No Mac version, no iOS app, no browser extension. If you need PhraseExpander on a Mac, the only path is running Windows through virtualization software like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop, which adds cost and friction. The current version as of February 2026 is 5.9.10.0.

Pricing

PhraseExpander uses a one-time purchase model with lifetime licenses. Each license includes one year of upgrades and support:

Standard: $80 per user (text expansion basics, no template sharing or fill-in-the-blank features)

Professional: $180 per user (adds SmartComplete, macro language, dynamic templates, fill-in variables, branching logic, template sharing)

Medical: $280 per user, listed as their most popular plan (adds up to 6 installations per user, 60,000+ term medical dictionary, Flesch-Kincaid reading score)

Enterprise: custom pricing for organizations with 20+ users (adds centralized installation, usage statistics, user access rights, virtual installation support)

A 21-day free trial is available, and all plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Limitations

The Windows-only restriction is the biggest drawback. Healthcare professionals who use Macs, iPads, or iPhones have no native PhraseExpander option. There’s no file-service-based sharing, so accessing templates from multiple locations requires manual network sharing setup. The general-purpose text expansion features are solid but lack the macro depth and AI integrations that PhraseExpress offers.

Feature comparison

Feature | PhraseExpress | PhraseExpander
Platforms | Windows, Mac, iOS | Windows only
Target audience | General productivity, IT, power users | Physicians, healthcare professionals
Text expansion triggers | Abbreviations, hotkeys, menus, scheduled triggers | Abbreviations, SmartComplete autocomplete
Fill-in fields | Text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns, grids, sliders | Dropdowns, yes/no, multi-select lists, grids, date pickers, text input
Macros and automation | Macro recorder, conditionals, loops, string operations, math, nested macros | Macro language with branching logic, score calculations, date insertion
Medical features | None | 60,000+ term medical dictionary, premade clinical templates, EMR integration, Flesch-Kincaid scoring
AI features | OpenAI, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini integration | None
EMR compatibility | Works in any application (not EMR-specific) | Designed for Epic and other EMR systems
Dictation integration | Not specified | Dragon Naturally Speaking compatible
Team sharing | Via SQL Server, network share, Dropbox, or OneDrive | Network sharing for office and exam rooms
Clipboard manager | Yes, with history | No
Data export/import | CSV export, native phrase file format | Free Phrase Exporter tool for importing PhraseExpress libraries
Security and compliance | AES encryption for phrase files | HIPAA and HI-TECH compliant, local data processing
Starting price | $99.95 one-time | $80 one-time
Free version | Yes, for personal non-commercial use | 21-day free trial

Key differences between PhraseExpress and PhraseExpander

Platform support

PhraseExpress works on Windows, Mac, and iOS. PhraseExpander works on Windows only. If anyone on your team uses a Mac or needs mobile access, PhraseExpander is off the table immediately. That’s not a criticism — it’s the reality of a product built for a specific environment where Windows dominates.

Target audience and specialization

PhraseExpress is a Swiss Army knife for text expansion. It doesn’t cater to any specific industry. PhraseExpander built its entire product around healthcare documentation workflows, from the SmartComplete feature that auto-suggests medical terms to the premade dot phrases that cover dozens of clinical specialties.

That focus makes PhraseExpander genuinely more useful for physicians right out of the box. It also makes it irrelevant for anyone outside healthcare. These two tools aren’t really competing with each other — they serve entirely different buyers.

Automation depth

PhraseExpress has the deeper automation engine, and it’s not particularly close. The macro recorder, conditional logic, loops, data integrations, and AI processing give power users a level of control that PhraseExpander doesn’t attempt to match. PhraseExpander’s macro language handles branching logic and score calculations well enough for clinical templates, but it’s not a general-purpose automation platform. Both products are honest about what they are.

Compliance

PhraseExpander wins this comparison for healthcare teams. It explicitly markets HIPAA and HI-TECH compliance and processes all data locally on the user’s computer. PhraseExpress offers AES encryption for phrase files but doesn’t hold formal healthcare compliance certifications. For medical practices that need documented regulatory compliance, PhraseExpander has the stronger story between these two.

Switching and data portability

Worth thinking about before you invest more time building out your template library. PhraseExpander offers a free Phrase Exporter tool specifically designed to import PhraseExpress phrase libraries, along with a 15% competitive upgrade discount for current PhraseExpress users. Moving in the other direction is harder — PhraseExpress doesn’t offer a dedicated import tool for PhraseExpander data. Either way, rebuilding complex macros and conditional logic from scratch is likely, since the two macro systems aren’t compatible.

When to choose PhraseExpress

PhraseExpress is the better fit when:

You need cross-platform support across Windows, Mac, and iOS

Your work involves general productivity tasks like customer support, legal documents, coding, or email management rather than clinical documentation

You want deep macro automation with a visual macro recorder, database queries, and scripting capabilities

AI-assisted text generation matters to your workflow

You prefer a one-time purchase with a free option for personal use

PhraseExpress has the wider feature set and works across more platforms. If you don’t need medical-specific tools, it’s the more capable choice between these two. For a detailed comparison of PhraseExpress against another popular text expander, see PhraseExpress vs TextExpander.

When to choose PhraseExpander

PhraseExpander makes sense for physicians and healthcare professionals on Windows who chart in Epic or a similar EMR. The out-of-the-box clinical templates and medical dictionary cut setup time considerably — you don’t have to build your phrase library from scratch. SmartComplete alone is worth evaluating if you spend significant hours each week on clinical documentation.

It’s also the better fit if HIPAA compliance with local data processing is a hard requirement, or if your team uses Dragon Naturally Speaking. The medical templates cover cardiology, dermatology, neurology, psychiatry, surgery, and other specialties — there’s enough premade content that most practices won’t need to start from zero.

The one firm constraint: everyone on your team needs to be on Windows. There’s no workaround for that beyond virtualization.

How TextExpander compares to both

If neither PhraseExpress nor PhraseExpander fully fits your needs, TextExpander is worth evaluating as a third option.

TextExpander runs natively on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad, and Android with full feature parity across platforms. Snippets stay current on every device automatically without server configuration or manual file sharing.

Where TextExpander stands apart from both is team collaboration. Shared Snippet groups update in real time across every team member’s device. Admins control permissions with granular access settings. New employees get the right Snippets automatically when they join. None of that requires a SQL Server, network share, or IT involvement.

For healthcare organizations specifically, TextExpander holds SOC 2, SOC 3, and HIPAA certifications with Business Associate Agreements available on request. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit. That level of compliance documentation goes beyond what either PhraseExpress or PhraseExpander offers. The TextExpander healthcare page covers these capabilities in detail.

TextExpander uses a subscription model starting at $3.33/month for individuals. Team plans with shared Snippets, admin controls, and analytics start at $8.33/month per user. Enterprise plans include SSO through Okta or Azure AD, SCIM provisioning, and custom onboarding.

The trade-off: TextExpander doesn’t match PhraseExpress’s macro recorder or PhraseExpander’s medical dictionary. It supports JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell scripts within Snippets for technical users, but the automation philosophy is different — clean templates and team consistency rather than deep scripting power.

For a full comparison of PhraseExpress and TextExpander, read the dedicated PhraseExpress vs TextExpander breakdown.

TextExpander’s shared Snippets keep every team member on the same page — no SQL Server, no IT setup required. See how team sharing works

Pricing comparison

Plan | PhraseExpress | PhraseExpander | TextExpander
Entry-level | $99.95 one-time (Standard) | $80 one-time (Standard) | $3.33/mo billed annually (Individual)
Mid-tier | $149.95 one-time (Professional) | $180 one-time (Professional) | $8.33/mo per user billed annually (Business)
Top tier | $249.95 one-time (Enterprise) | $280 one-time (Medical) | $10.83/mo per user billed annually (Growth)
Enterprise | Volume discounts for 5+ users | Custom pricing for 20+ users | Custom pricing with SSO and SCIM
Free option | Free for personal, non-commercial use | 21-day free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card
Licensing model | One-time purchase, lifetime license | One-time purchase, lifetime license | Annual or monthly subscription

Both PhraseExpress and PhraseExpander charge a one-time fee with one year of included updates. After that first year, you keep the software but pay a maintenance renewal to continue receiving new versions. TextExpander’s subscription includes continuous updates for as long as you’re subscribed.

For a solo physician choosing between PhraseExpander Medical at $280 one-time and TextExpander Individual at about $40/year, PhraseExpander costs less over time if you don’t need cross-platform access or team sharing. For a ten-person medical practice that needs shared templates, consistent documentation standards, and HIPAA compliance documentation with formal audit reports, TextExpander’s team plans deliver more value despite the ongoing subscription cost.

Frequently asked questions

Are PhraseExpress and PhraseExpander made by the same company?

No. PhraseExpress is made by Bartels Media, a German software company. PhraseExpander is made by Bartolomeo Sala. They are completely separate products with no shared codebase, ownership, or development. The similar names are a coincidence that causes frequent confusion.

Does PhraseExpander work on Mac?

Not natively. PhraseExpander is a Windows-only application. The only way to run it on a Mac is through Windows virtualization software like VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop, which adds cost and complexity. If you need a text expander on Mac, consider TextExpander or PhraseExpress — both offer native Mac support.

Is PhraseExpander only for doctors?

PhraseExpander’s marketing focuses almost entirely on physicians and healthcare professionals, and its most valuable features — the medical dictionary, premade clinical templates, EMR-specific autocomplete, and HIPAA compliance — serve that audience directly. The Standard and Professional editions work as general-purpose text expanders, but you’d be paying for a tool optimized for a use case that isn’t yours. General productivity users will find more value in PhraseExpress or TextExpander.

Can I use PhraseExpress or PhraseExpander with Epic?

Both tools work inside Epic, but PhraseExpander was specifically designed for EMR workflows. Its SmartComplete feature provides autocomplete suggestions in any EMR section, and its template library includes premade dot phrases and smart phrases for clinical charting. PhraseExpress works in any application including Epic, but it has no EMR-specific features or medical content. TextExpander also works with Epic and other EMR systems, with the added benefits of team sharing and SOC 2/HIPAA certifications.

Which text expander is best for a medical practice?

It depends on the size and setup of the practice. A solo physician on Windows who wants premade clinical templates right away should look at PhraseExpander Medical. A multi-provider practice that needs shared templates across devices, formal compliance documentation, and centralized admin controls should evaluate TextExpander for healthcare. PhraseExpress is the weakest option for medical use — it lacks both medical-specific features and formal healthcare compliance certifications.

Related resources

PhraseExpress vs TextExpander: full comparison of features, pricing, and team capabilities

Best PhraseExpander alternatives: cross-platform options for Windows users ready to switch

Top PhraseExpress alternatives: other text expanders worth evaluating

What are text Snippets? A guide to getting started with text expansion

TextExpander features: a full breakdown of what TextExpander offers

TextExpander for teams: how shared Snippets work

TextExpander security and compliance: SOC 2, HIPAA, and encryption details

TextExpander for healthcare: medical documentation and compliance

Best macros software: automation tools for power users

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