Sophie LaurentSubscription
Free for 14 days, then $96 a year£72 a year€84 a yearCA$132 a yearA$132 a year.
- Unlimited usage
- Every model included
- Use it on up to 3 Macs
- Cancel any time
- First 3 months count toward Lifetime
Typeahead vs TextExpander: nothing to set up.
TextExpander swaps an abbreviation for a snippet you saved. Typeahead finishes the sentence you’re writing, in your words, as you type.
“I write versions of the same note to candidates all week. It picked up the lines I use, so a couple of words in, the rest is there. No snippets to set up, nothing to remember.”
Sofia M.RecruiterThe short answer.
Choose TextExpander if…
- You paste the exact same text, word for word.
- You fill in forms with dates and fields.
- Your team shares one snippet library.
Choose Typeahead if…
- You want every sentence finished, not just the ones you saved.
- You’d rather not set up or remember abbreviations.
- You want it in your voice, made on your Mac, bought once.
Or keep both: snippets for exact boilerplate, Typeahead for everything else you write.
Saved text, or the right next words.
The same reply, two ways: a snippet you set up, or a sentence finished as you type.
TextExpanderExpands a snippetTextExpander in Outlook: you type the abbreviation “;thx”, which becomes “Thanks for reaching out!”, then “;eod”, which becomes “I’ll get back to you by end of day.”
TypeaheadAs you type
Typeahead in Outlook: you type “Thanks for the notes” and it suggests “on the deck.”; Tab takes it. You type “I’ll” and it suggests “send it back by Friday.”; Tab takes that too.
Side by side.
TextExpander’s column comes from its own pricing and help pages.
| Feature | Typeahead | TextExpander |
|---|---|---|
| Finishes your sentence as you type, across your Mac apps | Yes | No |
| Works with nothing to set up | Yes | No |
| Learns how you write | Yes | No |
| Your text stays on your Mac | Yes | Syncs to its cloud |
| Shared team snippet library | No | Yes |
| Buy-once option | Yes | No |
| No account required | Yes | No |
| No telemetry | Yes | On by default |
Competitor details come from each company's own website (help, product, pricing and privacy pages), checked September 28, 2026.
No snippets to set up.
Typeahead learns how you write, on your Mac, so the lines you use most come back after a word or two. Nothing to save, nothing to remember.
Every sentence, not just saved ones.
Emails, Slack replies, notes, docs: Typeahead suggests the rest of each sentence in your Mac apps and browsers, in the writing style you set for each one.
Keep your snippets. Add Typeahead.
Snippets are still the fastest way to paste a disclaimer or a form. Typeahead covers everything else you write, and you can switch it off for one app from the menu bar.
Start free. Keep it forever.
TextExpander Pro is $60 a year per user. Typeahead is $149 once, or $10 a month.TextExpander Pro is $60 a year per user. Typeahead is £109 once, or £8 a month.TextExpander Pro is $60 a year per user. Typeahead is €129 once, or €9 a month.TextExpander Pro is $60 a year per user. Typeahead is CA$209 once, or CA$14 a month.TextExpander Pro is $60 a year per user. Typeahead is A$209 once, or A$14 a month.
$8£6€7CA$11A$11/month
Lifetime
One payment, every update.
Special offer- Unlimited usage
- Every model included
- Use it on all your Macs
- Every future update
- No account needed
Common questions
TextExpander expands snippets: you save a piece of text, give it an abbreviation, and typing the abbreviation pastes it in. Typeahead suggests the rest of the sentence you’re writing, in grey at your cursor, with an AI model on your Mac. Tab takes it. There’s nothing to set up, and it learns how you write as you go.
For most everyday writing, yes: Typeahead finishes your sentences without snippets to create or abbreviations to remember. If you paste the exact same text often, like a legal disclaimer or a form with fields, TextExpander’s snippets still do that well, and you can keep both.
TextExpander’s Chrome extension can recommend snippets from your existing library using Gemini Nano. Its help center says “TextExpander does not learn as you type.” Typeahead’s suggestions are new each time, written for the sentence you’re in, and it learns how you write on your Mac.
TextExpander’s help center says you need to create an account to use it, and your snippets sync through it. Typeahead needs no account: a license key activates it, and Typeahead never sends your writing to a server.
No. TextExpander’s Pro and Business plans are billed per user, monthly or yearly. Typeahead has a Lifetime plan you pay for once, for all your Macs and every update, plus yearly and monthly plans if you’d rather subscribe.
If you want fewer keystrokes without building a snippet library, Typeahead: it suggests the rest of every sentence as you type, in your Mac apps, with the AI on your Mac. For shared team libraries and fill-in forms, TextExpander is still the specialist.
TextExpander’s pricing page lists Pro at $5 per user per month billed annually ($60 a year), Business at $10 per user per month billed annually ($120 a year). Typeahead can be bought once with Lifetime, or paid yearly or monthly; the prices are below.
No abbreviations at all. You start typing normally and Typeahead shows the likely rest of the sentence in grey at your cursor. Tab takes all of it, the right arrow takes one word, and if you keep typing it follows you.
They do different jobs: TextExpander pastes the snippets you saved, and Typeahead suggests the rest of whatever else you’re writing. If they ever clash in one app, you can turn Typeahead off for that app from the menu bar.
