Keystroke
How Keystroke compares
Keystroke against two other text expanders for Windows: PhraseExpress, the one Keystroke replaced, and Beeftext, a free alternative.
| Keystroke | PhraseExpress | Beeftext | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. Built on Espanso, which is open source | Paid licence needed by anyone paid while using it (Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions). Free trial | Free, open source |
| Runs on | Windows. The Espanso engine inside also runs on Mac and Linux | Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad | Windows only |
| How text arrives | Typed in, so it takes the font already in use and leaves the clipboard alone | Not stated | Pasted through the clipboard |
| Dates and times | Yes, any format, moved on or back by any amount | Yes, including date and time calculations | Yes, any format, shifted by a set amount |
| What you last copied | Yes | Yes, including earlier clipboard entries | Yes |
| Forms and questions | Forms with text boxes and lists; pick lists | Fill in forms | A single question box |
| Phrases inside phrases | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Where the cursor lands | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Run a command or script | Yes: PowerShell, Command Prompt and scripts | Yes, programming functions | Yes, PowerShell scripts |
| Same phrases on several PCs | Yes, through any cloud folder (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive) | Yes: Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, a network folder, or Microsoft SQL Server | Not stated |
| Getting your phrases out | Always: they are plain text files you own | We could not export our phrase text in September 2026 and had to recover it by hand, one phrase at a time | Export to its own format or to a spreadsheet file (CSV, comma separated values) |
| Extras | Phrase search bar; notice when a new engine version is out | Macro recorder, spelling correction, Word document generator | Checks daily for a new version; can be switched off |
Why Keystroke
Your phrases stay yours
They are ordinary text files in your own OneDrive. Nothing locks them away, and any text expander built on Espanso can read them.
Your formatting stays put
Typed text takes the font of the email you are writing, and your clipboard is never touched.
No licence to renew
The engine is free and open source, and Keystroke is ours, so there is no subscription and no edition to upgrade.
Sources
Checked on 28 September 2026. "Not stated" means the maker's pages below did not say either way.
- PhraseExpress: home page, shop, macro functions, date and time, clipboard. The export row is our own experience.
- Beeftext: home page, variables, import and export.
- Keystroke and Espanso: this site's getting started and advanced pages, espanso.org.