# Free alternatives to TextExpander

> TextExpander (Pro) costs $60 a year. Free alternatives: espanso. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/textexpander/
- Category: Utilities (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/utilities/)
- Vendor: TextExpander
- Plan: Pro
- Price: $5/month, $60/year
- Billing: billed annually (monthly billing available, price not shown)
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Pro ... $5 /user/mo Price in USD per user per month. Billed annually at $60 USD."
- Price source: https://textexpander.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### espanso

- Website: https://espanso.org
- Repository: https://github.com/espanso/espanso (14,646 stars, last push 2026-10-11)
- License: GPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: AUR: espanso-wayland
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `yay -S espanso-wayland`
- Note: Snippets live in YAML files with no built-in editor, phone apps or team sharing.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/espanso/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to TextExpander?

Yes. The free alternative is espanso (open source, GPL-3.0).

### How much does TextExpander cost?

TextExpander's Pro plan costs $5 a month, which is $60 a year (billed annually (monthly billing available, price not shown)). Source: the official pricing page at textexpander.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which TextExpander alternatives run on Linux?

espanso (AUR: espanso-wayland).

### Can you self-host a TextExpander alternative?

espanso is a desktop app that runs on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.

### Are these TextExpander alternatives open source?

Yes. It uses OSI-approved open-source licenses: espanso (GPL-3.0).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/