01
ALTERNATIVE
textexpander vs wordy

THE BEST TEXTEXPANDER
ALTERNATIVE FOR MAC

Pay once. Own it forever. No subscription, no cloud dependency, no account required. A native macOS text expander built with Swift — not a web app crammed into a Mac.

DOWNLOAD_TRIAL()BUY_NOW()

7-day free trial // One-time $39.99

Wordy app screenshotWordy app screenshot
$39.99WORDY // ONE_TIME
$50/yrTEXTEXPANDER // ANNUAL
$250+TEXTEXPANDER // 5_YEARS
02
WHY_SWITCH
pain points

WHY PEOPLE LEAVE
TEXTEXPANDER

TextExpander moved to a subscription model in 2016. Since then, thousands of Mac users have been looking for a text expansion tool that respects their wallet and their privacy.

// SUBSCRIPTION_FATIGUE

$50+/year adds up fast

TextExpander Individual costs $49.96/year. Over 3 years that's $150. Over 5 years, $250+. Wordy is a single payment of $39.99 — cheaper than one year of TextExpander.

Wordy$39.99
TE 1yr$49.96
TE 3yr$149.88
TE 5yr$249.80
// PRIVACY_CONCERNS

Your snippets on their servers

TextExpander syncs all your snippets through their cloud servers. Their Snippet Suggestions feature logs keystrokes to memory. Wordy keeps everything on your Mac and syncs via your own iCloud account.

✗TextExpander: US cloud servers
✗TextExpander: Account required
✓Wordy: Data stays on your Mac
✓Wordy: Syncs via your iCloud
// MACOS_BREAKAGE

Breaks after every macOS update

TextExpander requires complex Accessibility permission cascades that break after macOS updates. Wordy is a 100% native Swift app — designed for macOS, not bolted onto it.

SwiftSwiftUIAppKit
No Electron. No web views. Pure macOS.
03
COMPARISON
feature by feature

WORDY VS
TEXTEXPANDER

A side-by-side comparison of the best TextExpander alternative for Mac. Every feature that matters, compared honestly.

FEATURE
WORDY
TEXTEXPANDER
PRICING
$39.99 one-time
$49.96/year
AI_SNIPPETS
Built-in Claude AI
ChatGPT add-on
ARCHITECTURE
Native Swift/SwiftUI
Cross-platform
DATA_PRIVACY
On-device + iCloud
Their cloud servers
ACCOUNT_REQUIRED
No
Yes
OFFLINE_MODE
Offline up to 7 days
Limited
FILL_IN_FORMS
✓
✓
REGEX_TRIGGERS
Named capture groups
Basic regex
GLOBAL_VARIABLES
Unlimited, auto-expand
✗
IMPORT
TextExpander CSV
—
PLATFORMS
macOS
Mac, Win, Chrome, iOS
TEAM_FEATURES
Individual-focused
Shared libs, SSO, SCIM

TextExpander has advantages in multi-platform support and team collaboration. If you need Windows/iOS or shared team snippet libraries, TextExpander may be the better fit. For individual Mac users who value privacy, native performance, and not paying forever — Wordy wins.

04
COST_ANALYSIS
total cost of ownership

WHAT YOU PAY
OVER TIME

TextExpander's subscription costs more in year one than Wordy costs forever. Here's what the numbers look like over five years.

YEAR 1
YEAR 2
YEAR 3
YEAR 4
YEAR 5
WORDY
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
TEXTEXPANDER
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
6.25xMORE_EXPENSIVE // 5 years
$210SAVED // over 5 years
$0RECURRING_FEES // forever
05
MIGRATION
import your snippets

SWITCH IN
30 SECONDS

Export your TextExpander snippets as CSV, drop the file into Wordy, and you're done. Wordy automatically converts TextExpander placeholders to the Wordy format and detects duplicates.

[0]
EXPORTExport CSV from TextExpander
[1]
IMPORTDrag file into Wordy's import
[2]
DONEPlaceholders auto-converted
TRY_WORDY_FREE()7-day full-access trial. No credit card.
06
FAQ
common questions

Yes. Export your TextExpander snippets as a CSV file, then import into Wordy. All placeholders are automatically converted to the Wordy format — fill-in fields, date math, clipboard content, and more. Wordy also detects duplicates so you don't end up with double entries.

Yes. $39.99 once, and you own it forever. No subscription, no recurring fees, no "premium tier" upgrade. Future updates are included at no extra cost.

After a successful online license check, an activated copy of Wordy can expand snippets offline for up to seven days, or until its license expires if sooner. Reconnect and choose Settings → License → Check License to renew offline access. AI features and iCloud delivery need an internet connection.

You can share a folder by right-clicking it and choosing Export Folder…, including nested snippets and saved variables when needed. The recipient reviews the JSON import before applying it. This transfers a snapshot; Wordy does not provide a continuously shared team library, SSO or admin controls.

No. Wordy is exclusively for macOS (14.0 Sonoma and later). This is by design — being Mac-only means we can build a truly native app using Swift and SwiftUI, with better performance and tighter OS integration than any cross-platform alternative.