--- title: "Refrain vs TextExpander" slug: refrain-vs-textexpander url: https://refrainformac.com/guides/refrain-vs-textexpander category: "Comparison" published: 2026-10-27 updated: 2026-10-27 --- # Refrain vs TextExpander > TextExpander is a cross-platform text expander: type an abbreviation and it expands, with fill-in fields and team sharing. Pro is $60 a year per user, and the Free plan allows 5 active snippets. Refrain is a $9.99 one-time Mac menu bar app: press a shortcut, type a few letters of any snippet, press Return and paste. Pick TextExpander for abbreviations, fill-ins or Windows and iPhone; pick Refrain for a searchable list of any length in a file you own. ## Quick comparison Refrain TextExpander Price $9.99 once Pro $60/year per user, Business $120/year per user; Free plan limited to 5 active snippets How text gets in Shortcut + search, or a click in the menu bar, then paste Type an abbreviation and it expands Fill-in fields, dates, scripts No, text pastes as written Yes (more on paid plans) Platforms Mac Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad Where snippets live One markdown file on your Mac Your TextExpander account, synced on every plan Account None Sign-up Sharing Share the file (synced folder, git) Built-in teams TextExpander prices and plan details are from its pricing page, checked October 2026. Its plan table and FAQ give different monthly figures, so this page quotes the yearly totals both agree on. ## They do the job differently TextExpander is a text expander: you give each snippet an abbreviation and it replaces the abbreviation as you type, with fill-in fields, dates and, on paid plans, conditional sections and scripts. It runs on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone and iPad, and syncs through your account. Refrain is a snippet list: you don't remember anything per snippet. Press Control-Option-Space in any app, type a few letters of the name or of any phrase in the text, press Return, and paste. Or click the menu bar icon and pick from the list. It's Mac-only, has no account, and keeps everything in a plain markdown file. ## Where TextExpander wins - **Typing speed for short, frequent text.** An abbreviation you know by heart is faster than any search. - **Fill-ins.** If a template should ask for a name or a date before it's inserted, TextExpander does that. Refrain pastes the text as written, so you edit `[Name]` by hand. - **Other platforms.** If you need the same snippets on Windows or iPhone, TextExpander covers them. Refrain is Mac-only. - **Teams with admin needs.** TextExpander has built-in team sharing and a Business plan. ## Where Refrain wins - **One payment.** $9.99 once, against $60 a year per user for TextExpander Pro. No account to create. - **No codes to remember.** Search by any word in the snippet. That suits replies you use weekly rather than hourly, which are exactly the ones whose abbreviations you forget. - **As many snippets as you like.** There's no active-snippet limit. The list is as long as your file. - **A file you own.** Your snippets are one markdown file at a path you choose: open it in any editor, keep it in iCloud Drive or Dropbox, or put it in git. Edits made elsewhere reload right away. - **Works in any app that accepts a paste,** and doesn't need Accessibility permission, because it never watches your typing. Note You can run both. Keep a handful of abbreviations you type all day in a text expander, and keep longer replies, templates, code and AI prompts in Refrain, where you find them by searching. ## Which to pick TextExpander if you want abbreviations that expand as you type, fill-in fields, snippets on Windows or iPhone, or managed team sharing, and a yearly subscription suits you. Refrain if you're on a Mac, want to find snippets by searching instead of remembering codes, want them in a plain file you control, and would rather pay once. ## Frequently asked questions Is TextExpander a one-time purchase? Its pricing page (checked October 2026) lists Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans and no one-time option. Pro is $60 a year per user and Business is $120 a year per user, billed annually. Does Refrain expand abbreviations like TextExpander? No. Refrain copies a snippet to the clipboard when you pick it from the menu bar or the search palette, and you paste with Cmd-V. It doesn't expand typed abbreviations or fill in fields. Can I move my TextExpander snippets into Refrain? There's no importer. Paste each snippet into Refrain's editor window, or add them to its markdown file in any text editor: each snippet starts with a name: line between two --- lines, and snippets are separated by a ---- line. ## FAQ ### Is TextExpander a one-time purchase? Its pricing page (checked October 2026) lists Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans and no one-time option. Pro is $60 a year per user and Business is $120 a year per user, billed annually. ### Does Refrain expand abbreviations like TextExpander? No. Refrain copies a snippet to the clipboard when you pick it from the menu bar or the search palette, and you paste with Cmd-V. It doesn't expand typed abbreviations or fill in fields. ### Can I move my TextExpander snippets into Refrain? There's no importer. Paste each snippet into Refrain's editor window, or add them to its markdown file in any text editor: each snippet starts with a name: line between two --- lines, and snippets are separated by a ---- line.