# Espanso

> Open-source text expander for Windows, macOS and Linux

Espanso is a free, open-source text expander written in Rust. It watches for trigger keywords as you type and replaces them with longer text, dates, emoji, images or the output of a script, in most applications. Snippets and settings are kept in YAML files on the computer, and community packages from the Espanso Hub add ready-made sets. It was created by Federico Terzi and is now maintained by a small team.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Federico Terzi (since 2019)
- **Website:** https://espanso.org
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Espanso is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, with no paid version. The project accepts voluntary donations through PayPal.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Espanso | $0 | The complete text expander for Windows, macOS and Linux, including the search bar, forms, scripts and the package manager. |

Read from https://github.com/espanso/espanso on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Espanso before buying.

## Key features

- **Keyword-triggered expansion:** Detects a trigger keyword as it is typed and replaces it in place, in most applications. Triggers can also be written as regular expressions.
- **Search bar:** Pressing ALT+Space opens a search bar for finding and inserting a snippet when you do not remember its trigger.
- **Dates, shell commands and scripts:** Snippets can insert past or future dates and the output of shell commands or custom scripts directly into the application being typed in.
- **Forms:** A match can open a form with text fields, choice boxes and list boxes. The values entered fill the template and can be passed on to a script.
- **Packages and Espanso Hub:** A built-in package manager installs community packages from the Espanso Hub, such as emoji, accents, mathematical symbols and HTML snippets.
- **File-based, app-specific configuration:** Matches and options are defined in YAML files, and separate configuration files can change or disable behavior for individual applications.

## Good for

- People who move between Windows, macOS and Linux and want one text expander
- Developers who want snippets that run shell commands or scripts
- Users who prefer snippets stored locally in plain files

## Worth knowing

- There is no graphical editor: snippets and settings are written in YAML files. The site says a GUI is planned.
- Sync is manual. The docs describe moving the configuration folder into a cloud folder such as Dropbox and linking to it.
- It supports Windows, macOS and Linux only; the installation page lists no mobile apps.
- Wayland support on Linux is labeled experimental in the project's README.

**Tags:** Text expansion, Open source, Local-first

## Alternatives

- [TextExpander](https://toolgpa.com/tools/textexpander): Text snippets that expand as you type, shared across a team. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/espanso-vs-textexpander)
- [Text Blaze](https://toolgpa.com/tools/text-blaze): Text expander with forms, formulas and shared team snippets. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/espanso-vs-text-blaze)
- [PhraseExpress](https://toolgpa.com/tools/phraseexpress): Text expander and template manager with on-premise sharing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/espanso-vs-phraseexpress)
- [Typinator](https://toolgpa.com/tools/typinator): Text expander for Mac, iPhone and iPad that stores snippets locally. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/espanso-vs-typinator)
- [aText](https://toolgpa.com/tools/atext): Low-cost text expander for macOS and Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/atext-vs-espanso)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://github.com/espanso/espanso
- https://espanso.org/
- https://espanso.org/install/
- https://espanso.org/docs/get-started/
- https://espanso.org/docs/matches/forms/
- https://espanso.org/docs/sync/
- https://hub.espanso.org/
- https://api.github.com/repos/espanso/espanso

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/espanso
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).