The Free TextExpander
Alternative for Mac
TextExpander gives you five snippets for free, then charges $60 a year to type faster. TypeFire gives you the same abbreviation expansion, keyboard shortcuts, dynamic tokens, and more. Completely free. Forever.
Is there a free TextExpander alternative for Mac?
Yes. TypeFire is free and there is no subscription. Unlimited snippets, rich text and Markdown, dynamic tokens, per-snippet shortcuts and a Spotlight-style search, against TextExpander's $60 a year.
Your existing snippets come across as text, and Pro is a single $18 payment for clipboard history and AI if you want them.
Why people are leaving TextExpander
TextExpander was great in 2015. But the subscription model, mandatory cloud sync, and team-focused pricing have pushed individual users to look for alternatives.
Subscription fatigue
$6 a month does not sound like much, but that is $60 a year for unlimited snippets. Over three years, you have spent $180 on a utility that should be free.
Forced cloud dependency
TextExpander routes all your snippets through their cloud servers. Your emails, templates, and personal data sit on someone else's infrastructure.
No Markdown or scripts
TextExpander has no Markdown support and no scripting. TypeFire lets you write snippets in Markdown that expand as formatted HTML, plus JavaScript and AppleScript automation.
Overkill for individuals
TextExpander is built for teams with shared snippet libraries and admin controls. If you are a solo user, you are paying for features you will never touch.
TypeFire vs TextExpander: feature comparison
A side-by-side breakdown of what you get with each text expander. TypeFire matches or beats TextExpander on every feature - at zero cost.
| Feature | TypeFire | TextExpander |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | Free for 5 snippets, then $60/yr |
| Abbreviation expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Global hotkeys | No native hotkeys |
| Rich text editing | Full TipTap editor | Basic formatting |
| Markdown support | Write and expand as HTML | No |
| Dynamic tokens | date, time, clipboard, cursor, nested snippets | date, time, clipboard, fill-ins |
| Sync method | iCloud Drive (your own cloud) | TextExpander cloud (their servers) |
| Collections | Nested collections with tags | Groups |
| Script support | JavaScript and AppleScript | Shell scripts (limited) |
| Native Mac app | Yes (native, lightweight) | Electron-based |
| Script snippets | JavaScript + AppleScript | No |
| Spotlight launcher | Built-in fuzzy search | Inline search only |
| Clipboard history | Last 20 items in sidebar | No |
| AI tokens | Yes - Apple Intelligence + BYOK Claude/OpenAI/Gemini + any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Ollama, Groq, OpenRouter) | Paid tier add-on |
| TextExpander import | CSV and legacy backup files | N/A |
Everything included at $0
No free tier with limits. No trial that expires. No features locked behind a paywall. TypeFire is a full-featured text expander that is completely free - today, tomorrow, and always.
Switching from TextExpander is easy
TypeFire stores snippets as plain Markdown files on your Mac. There is no proprietary format and no lock-in. Here is how to move over:
Download TypeFire
Install TypeFire from the download link. It runs as a lightweight menu bar app and takes under 30 seconds to set up.
Import your snippets
Use the built-in TextExpander importer to bring in your snippets from CSV exports or legacy .textexpander/.textexpandersettings backup files. Your abbreviations carry over automatically.
Cancel TextExpander
Once your snippets are working in TypeFire, cancel your TextExpander subscription and start saving $60 a year.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. TypeFire's text expander is free with no limits and no subscription. Everything for text expansion, unlimited snippets, abbreviation expansion, keyboard shortcuts, the Spotlight launcher, rich text editing, Markdown support, dynamic tokens, collections, tags, iCloud Sync, JavaScript and AppleScript support, is free. Text expansion is free in full; Pro ($18 once) adds clips beyond the last ten, Selection Prompts, Prompt Chains and note history.
TypeFire covers all the core features most people use TextExpander for: abbreviation expansion, snippet management, dynamic tokens (date, time, clipboard), and sync across Macs. TypeFire goes further with native keyboard shortcuts, a Spotlight-style launcher, Markdown that expands as HTML, rich text editing, and JavaScript/AppleScript scripting. For individual users, TypeFire is the better choice.
Download TypeFire and use the built-in TextExpander importer to bring in your snippets from CSV exports or legacy .textexpander/.textexpandersettings backup files. Your abbreviations carry over automatically. TypeFire stores everything as plain Markdown files on your Mac. Once your snippets are working, cancel your TextExpander subscription.
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 data syncs through your own iCloud Drive, which is protected by your Apple account. TextExpander, by comparison, requires you to sync through their cloud servers.
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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