aText vs Text Blaze

aText

• People who want a low-cost text expander on a Mac or a Windows PC
• Syncing snippets between Windows and macOS through a cloud folder already in use
• Work inside virtual machines and remote desktop sessions

Text Blaze

• People who type the same replies all day in Gmail, LinkedIn or a CRM in Chrome
• Support, sales and recruiting teams that share a library of standard messages
• Templates that need form fields, calculations or if/then logic

aText

• Mac and Windows licenses are separate purchases; a license for one platform does not work on the other.
• A license for version 3 for macOS does not cover version 2 or a future version 4, and there is no upgrade discount from version 2.
• The website's downloads are dated 2024: version 3.21 for macOS, listed for macOS 10.12 to 15, and version 1.41 for Windows.
• Personal One year and Floating licenses expire after a year, and the site does not say what the free Windows version leaves out.

Text Blaze

• The plans page says only that Free has limited snippets; a 2024 staff post on the vendor's forum put the cap at 20 active snippets.
• Tables, images, formulas, conditional rules and full form fields need Pro or a higher plan.
• Desktop apps exist only for Windows and macOS. There are no mobile apps, and Safari and Firefox users are pointed to the desktop apps.
• SAML SSO, SCIM and event audit logs are limited to the Enterprise plan, which is priced on request.

aText

Abbreviation expansion

Typing an abbreviation in any application replaces it with a phrase you defined. Snippets can also be searched and inserted without typing the abbreviation.

Rich text snippets

Snippets can hold formatted text, images and attachments for insertion into apps such as Word, Mail, Outlook, Pages and Gmail.

Fields, dates and scripts

Advanced functions include editable fields, date and time calculations, generated keystrokes, mouse scripts and scripting; the Windows app supports Batch, PowerShell, JavaScript and VBScript.

Auto-correction and built-in snippets

Capitalizes new sentences and corrects double capitals, and ships with snippet sets for common misspellings, HTML and JavaScript coding, and emoji.

Sync and sharing

Data syncs through OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive or a shared network folder, between Macs and Windows PCs, and can be shared in a multi-user setup.

Virtual machines and remote desktops

The vendor says aText works in virtual machines and remote desktop clients, and offers a configurator for adapting it to individual applications.

Text Blaze

Snippets and shortcuts

Save any text as a snippet and give it a shortcut such as /ty; typing the shortcut inserts the text. Rich formatting is on every plan, tables and images from Pro.

Forms and dynamic commands

Snippets can ask for values in form fields, run formulas, show different text by rule and insert shifted dates. Forms, formulas and rules need Pro; Free can test form fields.

Autopilot

A snippet can click elements on a page and simulate key presses such as Tab, to carry out steps of an in-page workflow. It is included on every plan.

Shared folders

A folder of snippets can be shared with owner, editor and viewer roles, and edits reach everyone who has it. Sharing is limited on Free and unlimited on Business.

Data Blaze tables

Data Blaze is a companion spreadsheet and database app. From Pro, snippets can read and update its tables; row limits run from 10,000 per space on Free to 250,000 on Business.

Team management and reporting

Business adds user roles, teams, organization-wide default folders, comment threads and usage analytics. Enterprise adds SAML SSO, SCIM and audit logs.

aText

• Personal One year$4.99

  for one year, 1 user; does not renew automatically

  One user on up to 3 computers. The license cannot be moved between computers and expires after a year without an automatic charge.

• Personal Lifetime$29.99

  one-time purchase, 1 user

  One user on up to 5 computers, with transfers between computers allowed up to 5 activations a year.

• Business$29.99

  one-time, per computer; $14.99 or $9.99 at volume

  A lifetime license for one computer with unlimited users. The single-license price is set higher to deter personal use.

• Floating$9.99

  per concurrent user, for one year

  One concurrent user at a time on unlimited computers, with a 30-minute seat time-out. Needs an internet connection; suggested for the portable version.

Text Blaze

• Free$0

  Limited snippets and snippet sharing, rich formatting, Autopilot, the ability to test form fields, and Data Blaze access.

• Pro$2.99

  per month, billed yearly, or $3.49 billed monthly

  For individuals: double the snippet sharing, full forms, images and tables, formulas, if/then rules, and reading and updating Data Blaze data.

• Business$6.99

  per user / month, billed yearly, or $8.39 billed monthly

  Unlimited snippet sharing, centralized user management and roles, teams, default folders, change history and organization-wide usage analytics.

• EnterpriseCustom

  SAML SSO and SCIM, event audit logs, domain auto-join, user training and implementation consulting. Priced on request.

aText

• Lifetime license

  Personal Lifetime license for $29.99

  A one-time Personal Lifetime license costs $29.99 for one user on up to 5 computers, against $4.99 for a license that lasts one year.

• Other savings

  Volume pricing on Business licenses

  The buy page shows Business licenses at $29.99, $14.99 or $9.99 depending on quantity, and says volume discounts also apply to Personal One year licenses.

Text Blaze

• Annual discount

  Lower monthly rate with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Pro is $2.99 a month instead of $3.49 (about 14% less) and Business is $6.99 per user a month instead of $8.39 (about 17% less).

• Education

  50% off the Business plan for educators

  Text Blaze's page for teachers advertises an education discount of 50% off the Business plan.