The Keyboard Maestro alternative for text that’s free forever and works on every device.
TextExpander is a text expansion tool for Mac, Windows, the browser, and your phone, synced automatically with no sync file to manage. Keep Keyboard Maestro for complex macros, triggers, and Mac automation, and move the text you type every day to Snippets you can share with up to 5 teammates free.
Free forever · No credit card required · 30-day preview of advanced features
Four reasons to move your text from Keyboard Maestro.
Keyboard Maestro is powerful macOS automation, with hotkey and typed string triggers and a one-time license instead of a subscription. TextExpander is built for text expansion: the words you type every day, on every device, shared with everyone who needs them.
A free plan that actually follows you everywhere.
TextExpander’s free plan is built for how people really work: on every device, with a small team, for work, from day one. No trial clock, no license to buy, 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
- No free plan; a free trial, then a one-time $36 license
- Mac only, with no Windows, Chrome, iPhone, or iPad app
- Sync between Macs relies on a shared Dropbox folder or server you manage
- Only macros sync, and every Mac must run the same version
- No built-in team library, governance controls, or AI features advertised
Keyboard Maestro details from keyboardmaestro.com and the official Keyboard Maestro wiki, November 2026.
TextExpander vs Keyboard Maestro, feature by feature.
Checked against Keyboard Maestro’s own site and documentation and TextExpander’s current plans, November 2026.
| Feature | TextExpander | Keyboard Maestro |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ||
| Free forever plan | Yes, free forever with no credit card | No. Short trial, then paid license |
| Unlimited saved Snippets on the free plan | Yes, unlimited saved Snippets, 5 active at a time | No |
| Share with a team on the free plan | Yes, with up to 5 teammates | No |
| Free for work and commercial use | Yes, work and commercial use are allowed on the free plan | No. Paid license after the trial |
| Works where you work | ||
| macOS app | Yes, a native Mac app | Yes |
| Windows app | Yes, a native Windows app | No |
| Chrome extension | Yes | No |
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes, on the App Store | No. Remote-control app, not updated in a long time |
| Automatic sync across devices | Yes. Built in | DIY sync file, macros only |
| Built for teams | ||
| Shared Snippet libraries with permissions | Yes. Every plan | Export and share macro files |
| Snippet Requests with admin review and approval | Yes. Business | Not advertised |
| Limited role to control who adds to the shared library | Yes. Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Snippet version history, revert, and restore | Yes. Unlimited on Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Guest sharing outside your organization | Yes. Business | Not advertised |
| Organization usage statistics | Yes. Export from Pro | Not advertised |
| Single sign-on | Yes. Google SSO on Business | Not advertised |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Smart Snippets and AI | ||
| Fill-in fields and forms | Yes | Prompts inside macros |
| Conditional Sections with nested branches | Yes | Macro conditions |
| Delay macro for slow-loading forms and CRMs | Yes | Macro actions |
| Publish a Snippet as a shareable link | Yes | Not advertised |
| JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell script Snippets | Yes. Pro | Yes. Inside macros |
| AI Snippet suggestions | Yes. AI Recommended Snippets | Not advertised |
| MCP access for AI agents | Yes | Not advertised |
| Security and compliance | ||
| SOC 2 | Yes. SOC 2 and SOC 3 | Not advertised |
| HIPAA compliance with a BAA | Yes. BAA available on request | Not advertised |
Why teams choose TextExpander as a Keyboard Maestro alternative for text.
Every device, with no sync file to manage.
Keyboard Maestro is deep Mac automation, and it runs on macOS only. Create a TextExpander Snippet on your Mac and it’s ready on your Windows PC and phone a moment later, with no Dropbox folder to set up and no need to keep every Mac on the same version.
- Native apps for Mac, Windows, and iOS
- Chrome extension for web apps
- Shortcuts sync across devices automatically, no setup
- The same shortcuts work in email, docs, chat, and web apps
A shared library from day one, free.
Up to 5 people can share Snippets on the free plan, so a small team can standardize its reply workflow without paying anything. Keyboard Maestro has no built-in team library; sharing means exporting macros and passing them around.
- Shared Snippet Groups with expand, edit, and manage permissions
- Edit a Snippet once and everyone with access gets the update
- Snippet Requests and guest sharing on Business
- Organization statistics to see what’s actually used
Ready for security reviews and AI agents.
TextExpander is SOC 2 and SOC 3 certified and HIPAA compliant, with a BAA available on request. Google SSO comes with Business, and AI assistants connected over MCP can read the same Snippet library your team uses. Keyboard Maestro is a personal Mac automation tool and doesn’t advertise team management or security programs.
- AI Recommended Snippets in the browser
- 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
What customers say about TextExpander.
“It’s so easy to get started… The customer service is top of the line, and the macOS app makes creating new snippets effortless.”
“TextExpander helps quickly align a team to a particular function or a message, even processes… Having these processes already documented and presented in a standardized way aligns the team and ultimately helps us provide better service to our patients.”
“I love how easy it is to create and update snippets, and the consistency it brings to our communication has been a game-changer. It has helped us standardize messaging across teams.”
Admin controls built for a whole organization, not one Mac.
Personal macros live on one person’s computer. A team’s approved language needs answers to three questions: who can publish, what changed, and who has access. Here’s how TextExpander answers each one.
Approval workflows with Snippet Requests
On Business and Enterprise, team members submit new Snippets or edits for review. Assigned reviewers approve and publish them from one Requests queue, so the shared library changes only after someone checks it.
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 records each change to a Snippet, so you can revert to an earlier version or restore a deleted one. History covers 24 hours on Pro, 7 days on Business, and is unlimited 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 which Snippets members share, review who belongs to each team, and track time saved and most-used Snippets in organization statistics. Export is included from Pro up; customized reporting is on Enterprise.
Move your text from Keyboard Maestro in an afternoon.
Pick out the macros that use a typed string trigger to insert text, list each trigger and its text in a spreadsheet with “abbreviation” and “snippet” columns, save it as a CSV, and upload it on the Import/Export page at textexpander.com. Rebuild prompts with TextExpander fill-ins, and turn off the matching Keyboard Maestro macros so triggers don’t collide.
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.