Slash That vs TextExpander: an honest comparison
Both tools turn a short trigger into a full message. They take different approaches, and each is the better choice for a different kind of user. Here's how they compare on price, speed, AI and teamwork.
- Choose Slash That if you write mostly in the browser (Gmail, LinkedIn, Zendesk, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack or Notion on the web) and want AI rewriting, one-click translations and a much lower price.
- Choose TextExpander if you need expansions in desktop apps like Word or Outlook for desktop, on your phone, or need advanced scripted snippets.
Side by side
| Slash That | TextExpander | |
|---|---|---|
| How you trigger text | Type / and a few letters. A searchable menu shows matching templates with a preview. | Type an abbreviation you've memorised, like ;ty, and it expands. |
| Free plan | 10 text templates | 5 active snippets. You can swap one for another every 2 weeks. |
| Paid plan for one person | Lite $9.99 / year (up to 100 templates) Pro $19.99 / year (unlimited) | Pro $5 / month, billed yearly at $60 |
| Team plan | Enterprise, custom price | Business $10 / user / month, billed yearly at $120 per user. Enterprise is custom. |
| Where it works | Chrome, anywhere you type on the web. Edge, Firefox and Safari are coming. | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and a Chrome extension |
| AI | Built into the editor: shorten, make warmer or more formal, fix grammar, translate | AI-recommended snippets in Chrome |
| Multiple languages | Each template holds its language versions. /noshow.fr inserts the French one. | A separate snippet for each language |
| Placeholders | Fields like {{first_name}} that you fill in as you insert | Fill-ins, date and time math, conditional sections, JavaScript and AppleScript snippets (paid plans) |
| AI agents (MCP) | Yes. Claude or ChatGPT can list, create and update your templates. | Yes |
1. Price: about a third of the cost for one person
For an individual, the gap is large. Slash That Pro, with unlimited templates, costs $19.99 a year. TextExpander Pro costs $60 a year when billed annually. Over three years that's roughly $60 against $180.
If you have fewer than 100 templates, Slash That Lite at $9.99 a year covers you and already includes the AI tools, folders and search.
The free plans differ in an important way. Slash That's free plan gives you 10 templates you can always use. TextExpander's free plan lets you store as many snippets as you like, but only 5 can be active at a time, and you can swap one out every two weeks.
2. Speed: a menu beats memory
TextExpander's classic workflow is built on abbreviations. That's very fast once you've memorised them, and hard when you have 60 snippets and can't remember whether it was ;fu, ;follow or ;fup.
Slash That starts from a menu instead. Type / and a few letters, see the matching templates with a preview of each, and press Enter. There's nothing to memorise, which matters most for teams: a new hire can use the whole library on day one.
3. AI where it helps, not on every message
In Slash That, AI lives inside the template editor. Write a rough draft, then click Shorten, Warmer, More formal or Fix grammar, or add a language version with one click. You improve a template once and reuse the result for months.
On its pricing page, TextExpander lists two AI features: snippets recommended from what you type in Chrome, and access for AI agents through MCP. Both are useful, but neither is a one-click rewrite or translation of the snippets you already have.
4. Multilingual teams
If you sell or support customers in several languages, Slash That keeps every language version of a message in the same template: /intro, /intro.fr, /intro.de. Update the English version and translate it again in one click. In TextExpander, each language is a separate snippet that you maintain on its own.
5. Where TextExpander is the better choice
We'd rather you pick the right tool. TextExpander is ahead in three areas:
- Desktop and mobile apps. It works in native apps like Word, Outlook for desktop or the Slack desktop app, and on iPhone and iPad. Slash That currently works in Chrome.
- Advanced dynamic content. Date math, conditional fill-ins and script snippets are powerful for complex, rule-based text.
- Mature admin for large teams. Organisation statistics, SSO options and granular sharing controls on its higher plans.
If most of your writing happens in Gmail, LinkedIn, your helpdesk and your CRM in the browser, you won't miss those. If you live in desktop apps, TextExpander is the safer pick today.
The verdict
For people who write in the browser, Slash That is faster to learn, has AI rewriting and translation built in, and costs about a third of TextExpander Pro. TextExpander remains the more complete choice if you need desktop, mobile or scripted snippets.
TextExpander plans and features: textexpander.com/pricing, checked September 24, 2026. Slash That plans: app.slashthat.app/pricing. Prices are in USD and may change; check each site before buying.