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Espanso

Free, open-source text expander that turns typed keywords into snippets on Windows, Mac and Linux.

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About Espanso

Espanso watches what you type and, when it sees one of your trigger keywords, swaps it for the full text you defined: an email reply, an address, a code block, today's date or an emoji. It works system-wide, so the same snippets fire in a browser, a chat app or a terminal. Snippets live in plain YAML files rather than a settings window, which suits developers and people who keep their dotfiles in Git, but it means there is no graphical editor yet. Beyond plain text it can run shell commands or scripts and paste their output, show small forms to fill in variables, and open a search bar (Alt+Space by default) when you forget a trigger. A community hub offers installable packages for things like accented letters and maths symbols. Espanso is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence, with no paid tier or account; development is funded by donations. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and keeps everything on your own machine.

Best for: Developers and power users who want free, scriptable snippets on every desktop OS.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Free and open source with no account or cloud sync
  • Same snippet files work on Windows, macOS and Linux
  • Snippets can run shell commands, scripts and fill-in forms
  • Community package hub for ready-made snippet sets

Why people leave

  • Snippets are edited in YAML files; there is no GUI editor
  • No built-in team sharing or mobile apps
  • Sync between machines is up to you (Git, Dropbox and so on)

Top Espanso alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1TextExpander logo
    TextExpander

    Polished paid service with a GUI editor, shared team snippet libraries and mobile apps.

    66.5
  2. 2Typinator logo
    Typinator

    Native Mac and iOS expander with a visual editor, for people who want a GUI instead of YAML.

    62.6
  3. 3Raycast logo
    Raycast

    Mac launcher with built-in snippet expansion, handy if you'd rather not run a separate app.

    52.6
  4. 4Alfred logo
    Alfred

    Mac launcher whose Powerpack adds snippets with auto-expansion alongside clipboard history.

    51.2

Why people left Espanso

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Espanso: common questions

Is Espanso free?

Yes. Espanso is free, open-source software.

Is Espanso open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at espanso/espanso.

What platforms does Espanso run on?

Espanso is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Espanso?

The highest-ranked Espanso alternatives right now are TextExpander, Typinator and Raycast. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Espanso alternatives