aText vs Espanso: Complete Comparison

Compare aText and Espanso side-by-side to find the best text expander for your needs.

TL;DR

aText is best for budget-conscious users who want basic snippet expansion, while Espanso is better for developers comfortable with config files.

Neither quite right? Consider Retext for AI-powered snippet generation with native Mac performance.

Quick Comparison

aText

Affordable one-time purchase text expander for Mac with basic snippet features

Pricing:

$5.99 one-time purchase

Best for:

• Budget-conscious users who want basic snippet expansion
• Users who prefer one-time purchases over subscriptions
• Those with simple text expansion needs

Espanso

Open-source, cross-platform text expander configured via YAML files

Pricing:

Free and open source

Free tier: Completely free, open source

Best for:

• Developers comfortable with config files
• Users who want open source solutions
• Linux users needing text expansion

Feature Comparison

Feature	aText	Espanso
Snippet Expansion
AI Generation	Not available	Not available
Variables & Placeholders
Folder Organization
Team Sharing	Not available
Cross-Platform
Native Performance
Privacy & Local Storage
Customization
Ease of Use

Pricing Comparison

Product	Pricing Model	Price	Free Tier
aText	One-Time	$5.99 one-time purchase
Espanso	Open Source	Free and open source	Completely free, open source

Pros and Cons

aText

Strengths

Extremely affordable one-time price
No subscription required
Simple and straightforward
Local storage - no cloud required
Lightweight and fast

Weaknesses

Limited feature set compared to alternatives
No AI capabilities
Basic variable support
Infrequent updates
Dated interface design

Espanso

Strengths

Completely free and open source
Cross-platform (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Written in Rust for excellent performance
Powerful YAML configuration
Shell script and custom extension support

Weaknesses

No graphical interface for editing
Requires YAML configuration knowledge
No AI capabilities
Learning curve for non-technical users
No built-in backup or sync

When to Choose Each

Choose aText if you:

•Need budget-conscious users who want basic snippet expansion
•Need users who prefer one-time purchases over subscriptions
•Need those with simple text expansion needs

Choose Espanso if you:

•Need developers comfortable with config files
•Need users who want open source solutions
•Need linux users needing text expansion
•Need those who want full customization control
•Need privacy-conscious users

Consider Retext Instead

If neither aText nor Espanso is quite right, Retext might be what you're looking for.

✓AI-powered snippet generation - Let AI help create your snippets
✓Native Mac app - Fast, lightweight, no Electron bloat
✓Simple pricing - $19/month or $99/year, no per-seat costs
✓Privacy-first - Your data stays on your device

Retext vs aText →Retext vs Espanso →

Ready to try Retext?

Get started with AI-powered text expansion. Free to try with 3 snippets and 5 AI generations per day.

Download for Mac View Pricing

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