Snippetbar vs TextExpander
TextExpander pastes text you saved. Snippetbar runs a prompt you saved on the text you selected: templates fill themselves without a form, and the same hotkey rewrites, translates, or summarizes.
What each tool actually does
TextExpander
You type an abbreviation like ;sig and TextExpander replaces it with text you saved. Same input, same output, every time. For templates, it opens a form with a field for each blank, you fill it in, then it pastes.
Snippetbar
You select some text, press a hotkey, and Snippetbar runs a prompt you saved on it, then replaces the selection with the result. Templates fill in from values you type inline. Anything else gets rewritten, translated, or summarized.
Side by side
| TextExpander | Snippetbar | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Type an abbreviation, get saved text | Select text, press a hotkey, run a saved prompt |
| Fixed text | Yes, its core strength | Yes, but an expander is faster |
| Templates with blanks | Fill in a form, field by field | Type the details in any order, no form |
| Rewrite, translate, summarize | No | Yes, with any prompt you write |
| AI | Suggests snippets you saved (Chrome only) | Writes and rewrites text, AI costs included |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad | Mac only |
| Team sharing | Yes | No |
| Price | $60 to $120 per user per year | $29 once |
| Try before you buy | Free plan with 5 snippets | Browser playground, 14-day refund |
Pricing over time
TextExpander Pro, one user
- 1 year
- $60
- 3 years
- $180
- 5 years
- $300
Business is $120 per user per year. The free plan allows 5 active snippets.
Snippetbar
- 1 year
- $29
- 3 years
- $29
- 5 years
- $29
Pay once. Updates and AI usage included, under fair use.
You're paying for different things. TextExpander's price covers sync, team sharing, and apps on every platform. Snippetbar's covers the AI models your snippets run on, with no key to manage.
When TextExpander is the better choice
Text that never changes
Signatures, addresses, support macros. Typing ;sig is faster than selecting something and pressing a hotkey, and there's no model in between.
Windows, iOS, or Chrome
TextExpander runs on all of them and keeps your snippets in sync. Snippetbar is a Mac app, full stop.
A shared team library
Shared snippet groups keep a whole support or sales team on the same wording. Snippetbar has no team features.
Exact, deterministic output
Expansion is predictable and works offline. If a model can't be allowed to touch the text, that settles it.
When Snippetbar is the better choice
Templates with variables
Type the values in any order, select them, run the snippet. The template fills itself in place, with no form and no tiny input boxes.
The output depends on the input
Rewrite, translate, summarize, fix the tone, turn bullets into a reply. A saved abbreviation can't do that; a saved prompt can.
You keep retyping the same prompt
If you paste the same instructions into ChatGPT or Claude every day, that prompt belongs in a snippet with a hotkey.
One price, no API key
$29 once for the app, the updates, and the AI usage. The models are built in, so there's no key to manage and nothing renews.
Switching from TextExpander
Sort your snippets into two piles. Text that never changes stays a text expansion: keep TextExpander, or move to Espanso, which is free and open source, or to the Text Replacement feature built into macOS.
Templates with fill-in fields, and anything you wish TextExpander could do to the text, become Snippetbar snippets. Paste the template into a snippet, keep the {variables}, and add one line telling it to fill them from the selection.
Most people end up with a few dozen expansions and a handful of prompts. Using both is a perfectly good setup; the point is to stop paying a subscription for the half that a prompt does better.
Prices and features verified September 2026. TextExpander is a trademark of its owner; Snippetbar is not affiliated.
“Snippetbar was exactly what my workflow was missing. Immediately got used to it.”
Antonin KusHead of Design at Countly“Such a clever app!”
James McDonaldDesigner and Founder of Wireframe Studio“Super useful to convert my prompts into structured, more effective, asks for agents. Especially after a long day I notice my own prompts getting worse and Snippetbar fixes that for me.”
Davey HeuserProduct designer at Snitcher$29
Pay once and it’s yours forever. Updates and AI costs included.