The aText alternative that’s free forever and works on every device you own.
One account for Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, and iPad, with Snippets synced in real time. No trial clock, no per-platform licenses, and a shared library for up to 5 teammates on the free plan.
Free forever · No credit card required · 30-day preview of advanced features
Four reasons people switch from aText.
aText stays on the desktop. TextExpander follows you to your phone, your browser, and your team, starting free.
A free plan, not a free trial.
TextExpander’s free plan never expires. Use it for work, on every device, with a small team, from day one. No trial clock and no credit card.
- Unlimited saved Snippets, 5 active at a time
- Works on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, and iPad
- Share Snippets with up to 5 team members
- AI Recommended Snippets and MCP access for AI agents
- Fill-ins, dates, date picker, and Snippet Groups
- Use it for work, no credit card required
- 21-day free trial on Mac; no free-forever plan advertised
- A paid license is required after the trial
- Mac and Windows licenses are sold separately
- No iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, or web app
- No hosted accounts or team admin; sharing runs through a synced folder
aText plan details from the developer’s site at trankynam.com/atext and the Microsoft Store listing.
TextExpander vs aText, feature by feature.
Checked against aText’s own site and changelogs, and TextExpander’s latest releases.
| Feature | TextExpander | aText |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ||
| Free forever plan | 21-day trial | |
| Free for work use | Trial only | |
| Unlimited saved Snippets on the free plan | ||
| Share with a team on the free plan | ||
| Mobile access on the free plan | ||
| Works where you work | ||
| macOS app | ||
| Windows app | ||
| Chrome extension | ||
| iPhone and iPad app | ||
| One account covers every platform | Every plan, including Free | Separate Mac and Windows licenses |
| Built-in hosted sync across devices | Self-managed cloud folder | |
| Regular product updates | No release in about two years | |
| Built for teams | ||
| Shared Snippet libraries with permissions | Every plan | Shared folder, no permissions |
| Snippet Requests with admin review and approval | Business | Not advertised |
| Limited role to control who adds to the shared library | Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Snippet version history, revert, and restore | Unlimited on Enterprise | Local daily backups |
| Guest sharing outside your organization | Business | Not advertised |
| Organization usage statistics | Export on Business | Not advertised |
| Single sign-on | Google SSO on Business | Not advertised |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Smart Snippets and AI | ||
| Fill-in fields and forms | ||
| Conditional Sections with nested branches | Not advertised | |
| Delay macro for slow-loading forms and CRMs | Not advertised | |
| Publish a Snippet as a shareable link | Not advertised | |
| JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell script Snippets | Pro | Keystroke scripts, AppleScript on Mac |
| AI Snippet suggestions | AI Recommended Snippets | Not advertised |
| MCP access for AI agents | Not advertised | |
| Security and compliance | ||
| SOC 2 | SOC 2 and SOC 3 | Not advertised |
| HIPAA compliance with a BAA | BAA available on request | Not advertised |
Built for how people actually work today.
One account. Every device.
Create a Snippet on your Mac at work and it’s ready on your Windows PC and iPhone a moment later. One TextExpander account covers every platform on every plan. aText runs only on Mac and Windows, needs a separate license for each, and has no phone, tablet, or browser option.
- Native apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and iPad
- Chrome extension for web apps
- Snippets sync across devices in real time
- No cloud folders to set up or keep in sync
A real shared library, not a shared folder.
Up to 5 people can share Snippets on the free plan, with permissions on every Group. With aText, collaborating means pointing everyone at the same Dropbox or network folder, with no admin console, no permissions, and no view of what your team uses.
- Shared Snippet Groups with view and edit permissions
- Updates reach every teammate instantly
- Snippet Requests and guest sharing on Business
- Organization statistics to see what’s actually used
Actively built, security-reviewed, and AI-ready.
TextExpander keeps shipping, from the iPhone and iPad app to Snippet Requests and MCP access for AI agents. It is SOC 2 and SOC 3 certified and HIPAA compliant, with a BAA available on request. aText’s changelogs show no new release in about two years, and it publishes no security certifications or AI features.
- AI Recommended Snippets in Chrome
- MCP access so AI agents can use your Snippets
- Google SSO on Business; all providers and SCIM on Enterprise
- JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell scripts for power users
Why teams tell us they’re switching.
“One of the issues we were having with aText… is we couldn’t, A, have the admin view, but B, we couldn’t really see what was being used. So we kept updating and revising things that may not necessarily have been beneficial for the team.”
“Some of the team is using [aText]… We want to standardize across the department, but the rest of the department, it’s just copy and paste.”
Admin controls a desktop-only expander can’t offer.
A synced folder can share snippets. Keeping thousands of them on-brand, approved, and secure takes real governance. TextExpander ships the tools large teams ask for.
Approval workflows with Snippet Requests
Team members submit complete, formatted Snippets or edits. Assigned admins and editors review, approve, and publish from a dedicated Requests queue with filters and notification badges.
Limited role for a trusted library
On Enterprise, decide who can add to your shared library. Assign the Limited role to people or whole Teams, so new members can use approved content and submit ideas without publishing directly.
Official and shared content, clearly separated
Organization and Shared tabs show which Snippet Groups are admin-curated and which were shared between teammates. Admins can promote, move, or return any Group.
Version history, revert, and restore
Snippet Activity tracks every change to your Snippets. Revert to a previous version or restore a deleted Snippet in seconds, with unlimited history on Enterprise.
SSO, SCIM, and domain controls
Google SSO on Business. All SSO providers, SCIM provisioning, and enforced email domains on Enterprise, plus sign-up by email domain and configurable session timeouts.
Visibility and reporting
See every Snippet members share with each other, audit team membership, and track time saved and top Snippets with organization statistics, export, and customized reporting.
Move from aText in an afternoon.
Copy your aText abbreviations and content into a spreadsheet with “abbreviation” and “snippet” columns (or use a CSV export if your version offers one), then upload it on the Import/Export page at textexpander.com. Plain text transfers cleanly. Rebuild aText fields and scripts with TextExpander fill-ins, date options, and script Snippets.
Moving a whole team? Send us your export and our team will help convert it into a TextExpander import. Talk to us
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before switching to TextExpander.