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ProductivityAlternative to TypinatorAlternative to TextExpanderAlternative to aText

Espanso

Cross-platform, open-source Text Expander written in Rust for fast snippet expansion.

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LicenseGPL-3.0
GitHub stars28.5k
Last commit5 days ago
Tags5 topics
Snippet ManagerRust Desktop AppProductivity ToolText ExpanderProductivity
Overview

Why consider Espanso?

Espanso is a privacy-first, open-source text expansion desktop application. It detects keyword shortcuts as you type across any program (browsers, IDEs, Slack, Word) and instantly replaces them with custom canned text snippets, dynamic dates, shell outputs, and form fields.

Guided learning

Learn Espanso by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

1 min read 2 sections
In this guide2 sections

Overview of Espanso

Espanso saves hours of repetitive typing by automating email templates, emojis, code blocks, and dynamic dates.

Quickstart

yaml
1# ~/.config/espanso/match/base.yml
2matches:
3 - trigger: ":email"
4 replace: "contact@tilobox.com"
5 - trigger: ":date"
6 replace: "{{mydate}}"
7 vars:
8 - name: mydate
9 type: date
10 params:
11 format: "%Y-%m-%d"

Type :email in any application, and Espanso instantly expands it into your full email address.

Espanso is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

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Espanso FAQs

Espanso is listed as a Productivity tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

Espanso is listed under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Espanso is listed as an alternative to Typinator. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.