The short answer. Espanso is the one that replaces typing: a trigger becomes a paragraph, a date, a form or a shell command, with regex matching and a package manager. The rest of this pool works on text that already exists. Selected and OpenClip put an action bar next to a selection; SwiftBiu does the same with AI extensions; RewriteBar rewrites a sentence from the menu bar; TabType offers ghost-text completion from a local model; Pure Paste strips formatting from whatever you copy; Shareful extends the system share menu. The dividing question is whether the problem is what you are about to type or what you have just selected, because expansion tools and selection tools solve opposite halves of the same annoyance and are often installed together.
This guide covers 8 text expansion apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-16.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espanso | text expander | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 2.4.1 |
| OpenClip | Mac utility | Open source | AGPL-3.0 | 1.7.3 |
| Pure Paste | Mac utility | Free | not published | 1.14.6 |
| RewriteBar | system tool | not published | not published | 2.36.0 |
| Selected | Mac utility | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 0.2.8 |
| Shareful | Mac utility | Free | not published | 1.12.1 |
| SwiftBiu | Mac utility | not published | not published | 1.3.9 |
| TabType | productivity app | Open source | MIT | — |
What actually decides this
- Before typing or after selecting. An expander acts on a trigger you type. A selection tool acts on text you highlight. The first saves keystrokes; the second saves round trips to another app. Buying one for the other’s problem is the most common mismatch here.
- Whether the trigger can be a pattern. A literal abbreviation is easy and collides with normal words. A regex trigger can match a date, an ID or a variable and is much harder to get wrong. If your expansion has parameters, this is the feature that matters.
- What the AI part actually does. Rewriting, completing and answering are three different operations. A ghost-text completion that guesses the next phrase is useful in prose and actively harmful in code, where the local model has no idea what compiles.
- Where the snippet library lives. A plain-text configuration file can be versioned, synced and read by other tools. A proprietary database cannot. Since snippets are the accumulated result of years of typing, the format is the part you cannot change later.
- Whether it works in every text field. Accessibility-based tools work almost everywhere and require a permission that some managed Macs will not grant. A tool that only works in its own editor is a different category and should be judged as one.
Our picks
- Espanso — Its record describes a cross-platform text expander written in Rust, which is the expansion case. Choose it when you type the same things repeatedly and want triggers with parameters.
- Selected — Its record describes various operations on selected text, which is the selection case. Choose it when you want actions on a highlighted piece of text.
- OpenClip — Its record describes a floating action bar that turns selected text into instant actions, which is the same case with a different surface. Choose it when you want a floating action bar over the selection.
- Pure Paste — Its record describes pasting as plain text by default, which is the strip-formatting case. Choose it when the problem is formatting that comes along with the text.
- TabType — Its record describes on-device ghost-text suggestions powered by a local model, which is the completion case. Choose it when you want completion rather than expansion.
- RewriteBar — Its record describes helping you write your text with AI assistance from the menu bar, which is the rewrite case. Choose it when the sentence needs rewriting rather than replacing.
The apps
Espanso
Espanso is a text expander for macOS. Cross-platform text expander written in Rust, with regex triggers, forms and a package manager. It is released under GPL-3.0.
Strengths. Free and open source under GPL-3.0, cross-platform on Windows, macOS and Linux. 100% local with no tracking — the project states this as its first key feature. Supports regex triggers rather than fixed keywords only, so a trigger can match a pattern instead of one string.
Trade-offs. Wayland support is explicitly experimental, so a Linux desktop on Wayland may not work reliably. According to the developer, it is written in Rust but the project still labels the build as maintained rather than stable at any particular version, so behaviour can change between releases. Expansion happens in whatever app you are typing in, so a program that does not accept standard text input will not see it.
Not for. Anyone who needs the expansion to travel between machines through a cloud account — matches live in local files.
What it does. Cross-platform: Windows, macOS and Linux. 100% local, no tracking. Works with almost any program. Regex triggers, not just fixed keywords.
Espanso is listed with current version 2.4.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Espanso →
OpenClip
OpenClip is a Mac utility for macOS. Lightweight floating action bar for macOS that turns selected text into instant actions. It is released under AGPL-3.0.
What it does. Turn selected text into instant actions on macOS. Copy, calculate, transform text, or run custom scripts from a floating action bar. Free, fast & open source.
OpenClip is listed with current version 1.7.3.
Full profile and verified facts for OpenClip →
Pure Paste
Pure Paste is a Mac utility for macOS. Paste as plain text by default. It is free.
What it does. Paste as plain text by default. Pure Paste lets you paste as plain text by default. It sits in the menu bar and automatically clears formatting (fonts….
Pure Paste is listed with current version 1.14.6.
Full profile and verified facts for Pure Paste →
RewriteBar
RewriteBar is a system tool for macOS. A macOS menu bar app that helps you write your text with the assistance of AI. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. RewriteBar is the leading macOS AI writing assistant. Fix grammar, translate to 500+ languages, and enhance your writing in any app with AI-powered actions.
RewriteBar is listed with current version 2.36.0.
Full profile and verified facts for RewriteBar →
Selected
Selected is a Mac utility for macOS. A Mac tool that allows various operations on selected text. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. A Mac tool that allows various operations on selected text.
Selected is listed with current version 0.2.8.
Full profile and verified facts for Selected →
Shareful
Shareful is a Mac utility for macOS. Supercharge the system share menu with copy, save, and open actions. It is free.
What it does. Give the macOS share menu superpowers. Shareful makes the system share menu even more useful by providing some commonly needed share services like copy and….
Shareful is listed with current version 1.12.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Shareful →
SwiftBiu
SwiftBiu is a Mac utility for macOS. Text productivity tool with a customizable action bar and AI extensions. Its pricing is not published.
SwiftBiu is listed with current version 1.3.9.
Full profile and verified facts for SwiftBiu →
TabType
TabType is a productivity app for macOS. Free, open-source AI autocomplete for every Mac app — on-device ghost-text suggestions powered by a local LLM (MLX); nothing leaves your Mac. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Inline ghost text everywhere you type, with pixel-matched placement and a text-mirroring mode for web apps. Type-through: keep typing and the suggestion shrinks to match, never flickers. Word-by-word or whole-suggestion accept; word alternatives popup (⌃⌥Space) when you want options. Instant dictionary + learned-phrase completions while the model works (zero latency).
Full profile and verified facts for TabType →
How to choose
- Free of charge. Pure Paste and Shareful — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Espanso, OpenClip, Selected and TabType — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. RewriteBar and SwiftBiu — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Espanso, OpenClip, Selected and TabType (4 of 8).
Common mistakes
- Installing an expander for a selection problem, then wondering why nothing happens when you highlight text.
- Using a two-letter trigger that appears inside ordinary words.
- Letting ghost-text completion run in a code editor.
- Keeping years of snippets in a format you cannot export.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Verified 2026-10-16.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these text expansion apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 8 text expansion apps: Espanso, OpenClip, Pure Paste, RewriteBar, Selected, Shareful, SwiftBiu and TabType. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these text expansion apps free?
Pricing across this group: open source (Espanso, OpenClip, Selected and TabType), free (Pure Paste and Shareful) and not published (RewriteBar and SwiftBiu). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these text expansion apps are open source?
Espanso (GPL-3.0), OpenClip (AGPL-3.0), Selected (GPL-3.0) and TabType (MIT) are open source.
Do these text expansion apps support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
Who should not use these apps?
Espanso each list an audience they are explicitly not aimed at. Those notes come from the same verified records as the rest of this guide, and they are worth reading before you install anything.
When was this data last verified?
The facts in this guide were last confirmed on 2026-10-16. Every app page carries its own verification dates and source list, so you can check any individual claim.
