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An Espanso alternative for Mac, without the config files
Espanso is a free, open-source text expander that's great for developers. OnePaste is for people who'd rather pick from a visual list than edit YAML. Here's an honest comparison.
Espanso and OnePaste in a sentence each
Espanso is a free, open-source, cross-platform text expander. You define triggers in YAML files, so :addr becomes your full address, and it expands them as you type.
OnePaste is a native Mac app with a visual, searchable library. You double-tap ⌥ ⌥, a small overlay appears next to your text cursor, you type a few letters and press Return.
One asks you to configure and remember. The other asks you to recognize and pick. If you've tried the Espanso text expander on Mac and found yourself putting off editing the config, that difference is probably why you're here.
Why people like Espanso
Espanso deserves its reputation. It's free, it's open source, and it's cross-platform, so the same setup can follow you from your Mac to a computer running another operating system. Because everything lives in plain YAML files, you can keep your snippets in version control, review changes, share them with others, and script around them. For developers, that's a feature, not a chore.
And like any good text expander, it's fast once your triggers are second nature. You never leave the line you're typing on.
Who should stick with Espanso
- Developers and power users who are comfortable editing YAML.
- Anyone who needs the same snippets on a Mac and on other operating systems.
- People who want free, open-source software and are happy to configure it.
- Heavy typists who've already built up muscle memory for their triggers.
If that describes you, Espanso is doing its job. Keep it.
Where OnePaste is different
A visual tool instead of a config file
Not everyone wants to open a text editor to save a phone number. In OnePaste you add snippets in a Library window, group them into collections, reorder them by dragging, and undo if you delete something by mistake. Getting started takes a few minutes: paste a list of "Label : value" lines, let OnePaste read the links from your website or link-in-bio page, or pull your name, email, phone and links from your Contacts "My Card".
What the first ten minutes look like
With Espanso, getting your address, phone number and a few links set up means editing a YAML file: adding an entry for each one, choosing a trigger for every entry, and keeping the formatting right. It's straightforward if you've done it before, and a small hurdle if you haven't.
With OnePaste, you might paste five lines from Apple Notes into the import, let it read your link-in-bio page for your social links, and pull your phone and email from Contacts. Smart icons pick out Instagram, LinkedIn, GitHub, email, phone and ID numbers on their own, so the list is easy to scan from the start.
Search instead of triggers
With a text expander, every snippet needs a trigger, and every trigger needs remembering. OnePaste uses fuzzy search with aliases, so "ig" finds Instagram and "upi" finds your UPI ID. Frequently used items rise to the top, ⌘ 1 to ⌘ 9 paste the first nine instantly, and you can click or drag any row into another app. After pasting, whatever was on your clipboard before comes back.
Careful with sensitive details
OnePaste was designed for the things you'd rather not leave lying around: card numbers, bank details, PAN and Aadhaar numbers. They're masked in the list, showing only the last four characters until you hold ⌥. When copied, they're marked so clipboard managers skip them and wiped from the clipboard after a minute. The overlay is excluded from screen sharing and recordings, so it won't show up on a call.
Multi-field snippets help here too. Save a card with Number, Expiry, CVV and Name on card, press →, and paste just the part a form is asking for. The features page covers the rest.
Espanso vs OnePaste comparison
| OnePaste | Espanso | |
|---|---|---|
| How you trigger it | Double-tap ⌥ (or ⌘, ⌃, ⇧), search, press Return | Type a trigger and it expands |
| What you need to remember | Nothing. You search by name or alias | Each trigger you've defined |
| Setup and where your data lives | Visual Library window; stored in a local file on your Mac | YAML configuration files that you edit and manage |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Free and open source |
| Platforms | Mac only (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon) | Cross-platform |
| Best for | People who want a polished visual tool with nothing to configure | Developers who like config files and scripting |
Moving from Espanso, or using both
Your Espanso snippets are already plain text, which makes moving them easy. Copy the replacement values you use most into a list, one per line, in the form GitHub : https://github.com/yourname, and paste it into OnePaste's import. Then add aliases for anything you're used to finding by a short name.
You don't have to give up Espanso to do this. Espanso listens for typed triggers; OnePaste waits for a double-tap of a modifier key. They run side by side without conflict. A sensible split is to keep code snippets and boilerplate in Espanso, where version control and scripting matter, and use OnePaste for personal details like links, addresses, bank and ID numbers, where masking and a visual list are more useful than a trigger.
The bottom line
If you're happy in YAML and want something free, cross-platform and endlessly configurable, Espanso is hard to beat. Stay with it. If you'd rather not maintain config files and want a polished, visual way to paste the same few dozen details in any Mac app, OnePaste is built for that. It's a one-time purchase (see pricing) for Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later.
For more options, see our roundup of the best text expanders for Mac, the free built-in option in our text replacement guide, or how OnePaste compares with Raycast Snippets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Espanso free?
Yes. Espanso is free and open source. OnePaste is a paid app, sold as a one-time purchase with no subscription.
Does Espanso work on Mac?
Yes. Espanso is a cross-platform text expander, so it runs on Mac as well as other operating systems. It's configured with YAML files rather than a visual editor.
Do I need to edit config files to use OnePaste?
No. You add and organize snippets in OnePaste's Library window, or import them by pasting a simple list, reading links from your website, or pulling details from your Contacts card.
Can OnePaste expand abbreviations like Espanso?
No. OnePaste doesn't expand abbreviations as you type. You double-tap the ⌥ Option key, search your snippets in a small overlay next to your cursor, and press Return to paste.
Can I run Espanso and OnePaste at the same time?
Yes. Espanso responds to typed triggers and OnePaste to a double-tap of a modifier key, so they work side by side without conflict.
What's the best Espanso alternative for Mac?
It depends on what you want to change. For a visual, searchable tool with nothing to memorize, try OnePaste. If you still want abbreviation expansion, TextExpander, aText and Typinator are established Mac options.
Where does OnePaste store my snippets?
In a file on your Mac. There's no account, cloud or tracking, and the app only goes online to import from a page you choose or to activate your license