Transition from TextExpander to Keyboard Maestro


If you haven't heard, the popular text macro utility TextExpander is transitioning to a subscription app. Version 6 will cost users $45/year, vs the traditional pay once for major updates.

I've been using TextExpander moderately the past few years. I have a few macros I use regularly, but not anywhere near a power user. I actually didn't upgrade to version 5 because version 4 was working fine for my needs. Sometimes I skip a version for developers who are on a 12-18 month upgrade cycle unless there's a particular feature or features I want.

I'm not really against subscription software/service, but I tend to be a penny pincher on reoccurring costs. I'm much more likely to spurge on a onetime fee than commit to on-going fees. To me, $45/year doesn't work for my value scale, so I'm giving Keyboard Maestro a try. So far so good, and I might actually like it better.

I spent a couple hours figuring Keyboard Maestro out and recreating my macros. I don't have too many, so it wasn't that big of a deal, plus I forced myself to learn the software a bit. Over the weekend, however, Dr. Drang posted detailed how-to on migrating over from TextExpander to Keyboard Maestro. If you have a lot of macros or want to explore options, check it out.