Espanso by espanso
A Privacy-first, Cross-platform Text Expander written in Rust
About Espanso
From the project's README at github.com/espanso/espanso. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
A text expander is a program that detects when you type a specific keyword and replaces it with something else. This is useful in many ways:
Save a lot of typing, expanding common sentences. Create system-wide code snippets. Execute custom scripts Use emojis like a pro. Key Features
Works on Windows, macOS and Linux Works with almost any program Works with Emojis Works with Images Includes a powerful Search Bar Date expansion support Custom scripts support Shell commands support App-specific configurations Support Forms Expandable with packages Built-in package manager for espanso hub File based configuration Support Regex triggers Experimental Wayland support Get Started
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 14k | github.com/espanso/espanso |
| GitHub forks | 406 | github.com/espanso/espanso |
| CRATES downloads (last month) | 65 | espanso |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 6.7 years | since Aug 2019 |
| Last commit | 3 days ago | May 4, 2026 |
| Releases shipped | 54 | last: 7 months ago |
| Security policy | SECURITY.md | declared by maintainers |
| Funding links | 1 | declared by maintainers |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
What people say on Hacker News
- Show HN: Data Processing Recipes for Edge Computing and AI Agents
- Ask HN: Browser extension vs. native app for structured form filling?
- Espanso – Cross-Platform Text Expander Written in Rust
- Care homes and hotels in Japan shut as expansion strategy unravels
- My extension got crickets here, but just got Google's Featured badge
Ready to self-host Espanso?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
Similar open-source projects
Projects in our directory that replace the same SaaS or share topics with Espanso.