Ferrocast A free text expander for Mac
Ferrocast expands snippets while you type, in any app on your Mac. They support {date}, {clipboard}, {cursor} and {snippet name="…"} to insert one snippet inside another, and Ferrocast imports a snippet export from Raycast. It is free and MIT-licensed, and I found no cap on the number of snippets in the code. It has no fill-in forms.
If you depend on fill-in forms (fields, menus, conditional parts), team-shared snippets or scripts inside snippets, read the table first: TextExpander and Espanso cover those and Ferrocast does not. I build Ferrocast; Ferrocast is independent and not affiliated with TextExpander, Raycast or Espanso.
Download FerrocastFree · MIT · Apple Silicon · no account
Ferrocast vs TextExpander, Espanso, Raycast and macOS Text Replacement
| Ferrocast | TextExpander | Espanso | Raycast Snippets | Text Replacement (macOS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (MIT) | Free plan with 5 active snippets (one swap every 2 weeks); Pro is $60 per user billed annually | Free, GPL-3 licence | Snippets are part of the free personal plan | Built into macOS |
| Placeholders (date, clipboard, cursor) | Yes: date, time, clipboard, cursor, other snippets | Dates and times on every plan; date and time math on paid plans | Not stated on its homepage | Date, clipboard, cursor and, in v2, calculator | Not stated in Apple’s guide |
| Snippet inside another snippet | Yes | Paid plans (listed with date math) | Not stated on its homepage | Not stated on its snippets page | Not stated in Apple’s guide |
| Fill-in forms | No | Yes; basic fill-ins are listed on every plan, conditional sections on paid plans | Yes (form support) | Not stated on its snippets page | Not stated in Apple’s guide |
| Scripts in snippets | No | JavaScript, AppleScript and shell on paid plans | Not stated on its homepage | Not stated on its snippets page | Not stated in Apple’s guide |
| Import | Raycast snippet JSON | Not stated on its pricing page | Not stated on its homepage | TextExpander, aText, Espanso and PhraseExpress exports, or JSON | Not stated in Apple’s guide |
| Platforms | Mac (Apple Silicon) | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Chrome | Windows, Linux and macOS | Mac | Apple devices; Apple says it is not available in every app |
Ferrocast: snippets docs and the app’s source code. TextExpander: textexpander.com/pricing. Espanso: espanso.org. Raycast: manual.raycast.com/snippets and raycast.com/pricing. macOS: Apple Support. Checked on 28 October 2026.
Create your first snippet
- Install and grant permissions. Download the DMG or install with Homebrew. Automatic expansion needs Accessibility, and macOS may also ask for Input Monitoring.
- Open Snippets. Open the launcher with ⌥ Space, open Snippets and press ⌘N to create one (⌘E edits the selected snippet).
- Pick a keyword. Use a prefix such as `;;` or `!` so you never trigger it by accident, for example `;;sig`.
- Type it anywhere. Type the keyword in any app. It is replaced by the snippet text the moment the last characters you typed match it.
Install Ferrocast with Homebrew
brew tap drumst0ck/ferrocast
brew install drumst0ck/ferrocast/ferrocast
ln -sfn "$(brew --prefix)/opt/ferrocast/Ferrocast.app" \
/Applications/Ferrocast.app
open /Applications/Ferrocast.appWhat it does and what it does not
- Does: automatic expansion in any app, pasting a snippet from the launcher, placeholders, snippets inside snippets, Raycast import, optional iCloud sync from version 0.4.0.
- Does not: fill-in forms (fields, menus, conditional parts), snippets shared with a team, scripts inside snippets. For those, TextExpander (paid) and Espanso (free, with forms) are the better pick.
- Rich text and images inside snippets are not documented, so I do not claim them.
Keyword rules
Ferrocast expands when the last characters you typed equal a keyword, with no space needed. To avoid accidents it rejects a keyword that is a prefix of another one (or the other way round), and it rejects duplicates. A prefix like ;; or ! keeps normal words from triggering anything.
Placeholders: date, clipboard, cursor and nested snippets
{date}gives a date such as 15 Jun 2022;{date format="yyyy-MM-dd"}formats it, and{date format="yyyy-MM-dd" offset="+3M -5d"}moves it forward or back.{time}and{day}work the same way.{clipboard}inserts what you copied last;{clipboard offset=1}the one before it.{cursor}leaves the cursor there after expanding, soconsole.log({cursor})ends inside the parentheses.{snippet name="sig"}inserts another snippet by name, for example a signature inside an email template. It also resolves when you paste a snippet and in quicklinks.
Bring your snippets from Raycast
In Raycast, use Export Snippets to save a JSON file. In Ferrocast, run the Import Snippets command from the launcher and choose that file. Entries without a name or text are skipped, exact duplicates are not added twice, and a keyword already used by another snippet is dropped from the imported one.
From TextExpander, Espanso or aText there is no direct import in Ferrocast. Raycast documents that it can import from those tools, but I have not tested going through Raycast, so I do not recommend it as a route.
Permissions: why it asks for Accessibility
Expanding while you type means watching the keys you press and typing the replacement for you, which macOS only allows with the Accessibility permission (macOS may also ask for Input Monitoring). Ferrocast’s first run docs list what each permission is for.
Between Macs
Snippets sync through iCloud Drive when you turn on Sync with iCloud in Settings → Advanced. It is off by default and available from version 0.4.0. See the sync docs.
Related guides
Questions
Is there a free text expander for Mac?
Yes. Ferrocast is a free, open-source (MIT) Mac app whose snippets expand as you type in any app. Snippets support {date}, {clipboard}, {cursor} and {snippet name="…"} to insert one snippet inside another, and you can import a Raycast snippet export. It has no fill-in forms.
Does Ferrocast have fill-in forms like TextExpander?
No. Ferrocast snippets support dates, clipboard, cursor position and nested snippets, but not forms with fields or menus. If you need them, TextExpander and Espanso list form support.
How much does TextExpander cost?
According to its pricing page (28 October 2026), the Free plan has 5 active snippets, and Pro is $60 per user billed annually. Ferrocast is free and has no paid plan.
Does it work in any app?
It expands wherever you can type, as long as Ferrocast has the Accessibility permission. Apps that block simulated typing are a risk I have not tested one by one.
Why does it need Accessibility?
Automatic expansion watches the keys you type and types the replacement. macOS only allows that with Accessibility, and may also ask for Input Monitoring.
Can I import my Raycast snippets?
Yes. Export them from Raycast as JSON and run Import Snippets in the Ferrocast launcher. There is no documented import from TextExpander, Espanso or aText.
Do snippets sync between Macs?
Optionally. Sync with iCloud is off by default and available from version 0.4.0; snippets go through your iCloud Drive folder.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
No. Ferrocast needs an Apple Silicon Mac.
What languages is Ferrocast available in?
English, plus Spanish, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. It follows the macOS language order, or Settings → General → Language. The choice stays on that Mac and is not synced. Anything not translated yet shows in English. Names you type and what Raycast extensions show are never translated.