The Magical alternative that’s free forever and works far beyond the browser.
TextExpander is a text expander for desktop apps, the browser, and your phone, from a company focused on text expansion and shared team messaging. Share Snippets with up to 5 teammates on the free plan, and use them for work from day one.
Free forever · No credit card required · 30-day preview of advanced features
Four reasons people switch from Magical.
As of November 2026, Magical’s homepage leads with AI agents for healthcare operations, and its text expander and autofill tool runs as a browser extension for Chrome and Edge. TextExpander is built for text expansion everywhere you type.
A free plan with nothing left to guess.
TextExpander’s free plan is built for how people really work: on every device, with a small team, for work, from day one. Every limit is written on the pricing page. 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
- Browser extension only (Chrome and Edge), with no Mac or Windows desktop app
- No iPhone, iPad, or Android app found
- Free-plan limits on template actions are not published
- No public pricing page; the Pricing link goes to the homepage
- Company focus is now AI agents for healthcare operations
Magical details from getmagical.com, the Magical help center, and its Chrome Web Store and Edge Add-ons listings, November 2026.
Your team started on a browser extension. Now IT needs control.
Admin controls that keep a growing library accurate.
Fullscript’s support team left Magical when its new AI features didn’t fit their HIPAA requirements, and now keeps HIPAA-sensitive language in organizational Snippets. Here are the admin tools that keep a shared library like theirs current.
Approval workflows with Snippet Requests
On Business and Enterprise, team members submit new Snippets or edits for review. Assigned admins and editors 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.
TextExpander vs Magical, feature by feature.
Checked against Magical’s own site, its Chrome Web Store listing, and TextExpander’s current plans, November 2026.
| Feature | TextExpander | Magical |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ||
| Free forever plan | Yes, free forever with no credit card | Free to install; terms not published |
| Free plan limits published | Yes. On the pricing page | No |
| Unlimited saved Snippets on the free plan | Yes, unlimited saved Snippets, 5 active at a time | Not published |
| Share with a team on the free plan | Yes, with up to 5 teammates | Not published |
| Mobile access on the free plan | Yes, the iPhone and iPad app | No |
| Works where you work | ||
| Dedicated text expansion product | Yes. Core of the company | Focus moved to healthcare AI agents |
| macOS app | Yes, a native Mac app | No |
| Windows app | Yes, a native Windows app | No |
| Chrome extension | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes, on the App Store | No. None found |
| Snippets expand in desktop apps and EHR clients | Yes, in desktop apps on Mac and Windows | No. Browser only |
| Built for teams | ||
| Shared Snippet libraries with permissions | Yes. Every plan | Team workspaces |
| 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 | Enterprise |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise | Not advertised |
| Smart Snippets and AI | ||
| Fill-in fields and forms | Yes | Variables from the web page |
| Conditional Sections with nested branches | Yes | Not advertised |
| Delay macro for slow-loading forms and CRMs | Yes | Not advertised |
| Publish a Snippet as a shareable link | Yes | Not advertised |
| JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell script Snippets | Yes. Pro | Not advertised |
| AI Snippet suggestions | Yes. AI Recommended Snippets | AI drafting |
| MCP access for AI agents | Yes | Not advertised |
| Security and compliance | ||
| SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance | Yes. SOC 2 and SOC 3; BAA available on request | Yes. Stated by Magical |
Why teams switch from Magical to TextExpander.
Your Snippets, beyond the browser.
Magical runs as a browser extension for Chrome and Edge, so its shortcuts work inside the browser. TextExpander also expands in desktop email, Word, Slack, and EHR clients, and on your iPhone and iPad.
- Native apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and iPad
- Chrome extension for web apps
- Snippets sync across devices in real time
- The same Snippets work in email, docs, chat, and web apps
A company whose whole job is text expansion.
Magical’s autofill and data entry help with copy-paste work between web apps. As of November 2026, its homepage leads with AI agents for healthcare operations, and its Chrome extension was last updated April 4, 2026. TextExpander’s focus is text expansion and shared team messaging.
- iPhone and iPad app on the App Store, September 2026
- Snippet Requests with an admin approval queue
- Limited role and Snippet Activity version history
- AI Recommended Snippets and MCP access for AI agents
Plans you can read before you commit.
Every TextExpander plan, feature, and limit is on the pricing page, so you can roll it out to a team with no surprises. As of November 2026, Magical does not publish a pricing page or its free-plan limits, which makes it hard to plan around.
- Free forever for work use, with up to 5 teammates
- 30-day preview of advanced features at signup
- Google SSO on Business; all providers and SCIM on Enterprise
- SOC 2 and SOC 3 certified, HIPAA compliant, BAA available on request
What customers say about TextExpander.
“TextExpander lets me store and instantly deploy my best-performing messaging without sacrificing the ability to customize on the fly. The snippet system is intuitive, and the fill-in fields are a game-changer for templated emails that still need to feel personal.”
“TextExpander allows me to respond quickly while maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and consistency across all communications. By using pre‑built snippets, I reduce errors, save time on routine responses, and handle a higher volume of work more efficiently.”
Move from Magical in an afternoon.
If your Magical account offers an export, start there. If not, copy each shortcut and its text into a spreadsheet with “abbreviation” and “snippet” columns, save it as a CSV file, and upload it on the Import/Export page at textexpander.com. Rebuild page variables as TextExpander fill-in fields, and your templates work in desktop apps and on your phone, not just in Chrome.
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.