Text expander
SnipVault vs TextExpander for Mac
Weighing up the TextExpander app for Mac? Here is how it compares with SnipVault, feature by feature. TextExpander is the best-known team text expander: abbreviations, fill-in forms, date math, and shared snippet groups, synced through a required cloud account on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Chrome.
Prices and features verified 2026-09-04. Corrections: diljit@dprsoftwarelabs.com.
TextExpander pricing
$60/user/yr
Pro $6/user/month or $60/user/year. Business $120/user/year. Free plan limited to 5 active snippets. No lifetime option.
sourceSnipVault pricing
$29.99/yr or $79 once
Also $2.49/month. 7-day free trial, no card.
Platforms
TextExpander: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Chrome
SnipVault: macOS 13+, Apple Silicon and Intel
Feature by feature
What you get with each
| Feature | SnipVault | TextExpander |
|---|---|---|
Snippets with :keyword expansion | ✓ | ✓ |
Placeholders ({date}, {clipboard}, {cursor}) TextExpander adds fill-in popups and optional sections; SnipVault has date math, clipboard, vault offsets, and pipe modifiers. | ✓ | ✓ |
Import snippets from other apps SnipVault imports TextExpander snippet exports directly. | ✓ | ✓ |
Clipboard history | ✓ | — |
Unlimited history | ✓ | — |
Screenshot OCR (region → text) | ✓ | — |
OCR captures kept searchable (text + image) | ✓ | — |
Pinboards / collections + tags | ✓ | — |
OTP / card-number auto-expiry | ✓ | — |
Works fully offline, on-device TextExpander requires an account and stores snippets in its cloud. | ✓ | — |
Sync between Macs TextExpander syncs everywhere via its cloud. SnipVault: iCloud between Macs. | Partial | ✓ |
iPhone / iPad app | — | ✓ |
One-time purchase available | ✓ | — |
Free tier / open source TextExpander Free allows 5 active snippets. | — | Partial |
| Price | $29.99/yr or $79 once | $60/user/yr |
Strengths
Where TextExpander is strong, and where SnipVault is
TextExpander does well
- •Deepest fill-in forms: popups, optional sections, multi-line fields
- •Team sharing with view/edit permissions and usage statistics
- •Runs on Windows and in Chrome, not just Mac
- •JavaScript, AppleScript, and shell script snippets
SnipVault does well
- •Half the price per year, or pay once and stop paying
- •Adds a clipboard vault and screenshot OCR that TextExpander does not have
- •Snippets and clipboard stay on your Mac; no cloud account required
- •Keyword expansion is paste-based, so it works in Electron apps and terminals
What users say
Common complaints about TextExpander
Quoted from public reviews and forums. Follow the links for full context.
“$48/year is astronomically high when the competition is $5/always.”
“There's near-unanimous agreement that Smile is charging too much for an upgrade.”
“It errors almost everyday. All my work gets erased and I have to restart!”
“It could be cheaper. Once you have a big team it can add up quickly.”
Verdict
Which one should you pick?
Pick TextExpander if…
- •You manage snippets for a team and need permissions, stats, and a Windows client
- •You rely on complex fill-in forms with popups and optional sections
- •You need snippets on iPhone and in Chrome on non-Mac machines
Pick SnipVault if…
- •You are one person or a small team paying $60 per seat for abbreviations
- •You also want clipboard history and screen OCR without two more apps
- •You want your snippets stored locally, not in a vendor cloud
- •You would rather pay $79 once than $60 every year
FAQ
SnipVault vs TextExpander: questions
Can SnipVault import my TextExpander snippets?+
Yes. Export your TextExpander groups and drop the file onto SnipVault's Snippets tab. Abbreviations become :keywords and date, clipboard, and cursor placeholders are converted.
Does SnipVault have fill-in forms like TextExpander?+
Not yet. SnipVault supports date math, clipboard, vault offsets, cursor placement, and pipe modifiers. Popup fill-ins are on the roadmap.
Is SnipVault cheaper than TextExpander?+
Yes. SnipVault is $29.99 a year or $79 once. TextExpander Pro is $60 per user per year with no one-time option.
How much does TextExpander cost?+
TextExpander is $60/user/yr. Pro $6/user/month or $60/user/year. Business $120/user/year. Free plan limited to 5 active snippets. No lifetime option. SnipVault is $2.49 a month, $29.99 a year, or $79 once, and every plan has every feature.
What platforms does TextExpander run on?+
TextExpander: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Chrome. SnipVault runs on macOS 13 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and one licence covers up to three Macs.
Can I try SnipVault before switching?+
Yes. SnipVault has a 7-day trial of the complete app with no card, and you can keep TextExpander running alongside it until you are sure.
Try SnipVault next to TextExpander
Keep both installed for a week. If SnipVault does not replace it, nothing was charged.