A Modern Alternative to aText for Mac
aText is a capable text expander you pay for every year, or $29.99 once. TypeFire's text expander is free with unlimited snippets, and the same app adds AI and Markdown in your snippets, plus Markdown notes and a clipboard manager.
Snippets, notes and clips. One app.
Everything you type, everything you copy, and the markdown vault you already have. Without switching apps once.
Why people are switching from aText
aText does the basics well. People switch for the price, and for what TypeFire puts in the same app.
A license you keep paying for
aText's $4.99 buys one year, and a lifetime license is $29.99. TypeFire's text expander is free, with unlimited snippets and no renewal.
AI inside your snippets
Put {{ai:rewrite}} or {{ai:translate:fr}} in a snippet and it runs as it expands, on Apple Intelligence or your own key. Selection Prompts rewrite text you have selected in any app.
Markdown that pastes formatted
Write a snippet in Markdown and it lands as formatted text in Mail, Notion or Google Docs, or as plain Markdown where that is what the app wants.
One search for snippets, notes and clips
A Spotlight that searches your snippets, everything you copied and your notes from one box, from any app.
A clipboard manager in the same app
Your copies stay searchable, screenshots included, by the words inside them. No second app to buy.
Markdown notes, too
Point TypeFire at a folder of Markdown files and it opens them in place, with wikilinks, backlinks, tabs and a graph. Free.
TypeFire vs aText
A side-by-side look at what each text expander offers.
| Feature | TypeFire | aText |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free text expander; Pro $18 once | $4.99 a year, or $29.99 lifetime |
| Unlimited snippets free | Yes | 21-day trial |
| Abbreviation expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Rich text and images | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic content | Dates, clipboard, cursor, fill-in fields, nested snippets | Dates, fill-in fields |
| Scripts | JavaScript and AppleScript | AppleScript and shell |
| Sync | Built in, over your iCloud | Through your cloud folder |
| Clipboard manager | Included, with screenshot search | Not a feature |
| Markdown notes | Included, on any folder | Not a feature |
| Other platforms | Chrome extension on any OS | Windows app |
What TypeFire adds that you get in one app
Everything aText users rely on, plus the parts that make TypeFire more than a text expander.
Markdown expansion
Write snippets in Markdown and expand them as beautifully formatted HTML in any app. Headings, lists, bold, italic and code blocks, all rendered.
Dynamic tokens
Insert {{date}}, {{time}}, {{clipboard}}, {{cursor}}, and {{snippet:abbr}} into your snippets. Tokens resolve at expansion time so your text is always current.
Rich text with fonts and colors
Use the built-in TipTap editor to create formatted snippets with font families, font sizes, colors, highlights, and full styling. Far beyond plain text.
iCloud Sync
Two-way sync across all your Macs through iCloud Drive. Newest edit wins and deletions propagate both ways. Edit on your desktop, expand on your laptop. No manual file copying.
JavaScript and AppleScript
Go beyond text with script snippets. Run JavaScript or AppleScript when triggered to automate workflows, transform text, or control other apps.
Spotlight-style launcher
Press a global shortcut to open a fuzzy-search modal. Find and paste any snippet in under 2 seconds without remembering abbreviations.
Global keyboard shortcuts
Assign a unique hotkey to any snippet. Press Cmd+Shift+E from any app and your snippet is pasted instantly. No abbreviation needed.
Updated every few weeks
New features land often, and one download runs on Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 13 through 26.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from people switching from aText to TypeFire.
Yes. TypeFire's text expander is free with no limits and no subscription. Unlimited snippets, abbreviation expansion, keyboard shortcuts, the Spotlight, rich text, Markdown, dynamic tokens, collections, iCloud sync and scripting are all included at no cost. Pro is optional, $18 once. aText costs $4.99 a year, or $29.99 for a lifetime license.
Yes. TypeFire runs on macOS 13 Ventura through macOS 26 Tahoe, on Apple silicon and Intel. One download covers both chips, and TypeFire is tested on every major macOS release.
TypeFire includes a built-in importer that supports CSV files and legacy TextExpander backup formats. Export your snippets from aText as a CSV file and import them directly into TypeFire. TypeFire stores snippets as plain Markdown files, making it easy to batch-create snippets from any format. Most users complete the migration in under 15 minutes.
TextExpander's free plan allows five active snippets; unlimited costs $60 a year on a subscription. TypeFire is free with unlimited snippets. TypeFire also includes features TextExpander lacks, such as a rich text editor, Markdown expansion, JavaScript and AppleScript scripting, and a Spotlight-style launcher. TypeFire is a native macOS app, not a browser in a window, so it is faster and lighter than Electron-based alternatives.
Yes. TypeFire stores all your snippets locally on your Mac as plain Markdown files. There is no telemetry that sends your snippet content anywhere. If you enable iCloud Sync, your snippets sync through your own iCloud Drive, protected by your Apple account. TypeFire needs Accessibility permission to watch for abbreviations, and that happens entirely on your Mac.
Yes. TypeFire supports the same core abbreviation expansion that aText users rely on. Type a short trigger like "zem" in any app and TypeFire replaces it with your full snippet. TypeFire adds global keyboard shortcuts, a Spotlight-style launcher, dynamic tokens, rich text, Markdown, and iCloud Sync.
TypeFire for Chrome: the whole app in your browser
Snippets that expand on every site, Markdown notes in a folder you own, and your clips, all in a browser tab with a Spotlight over any page. Free, with the same sign-in and the same Pro as the Mac app.
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