Textcuts vs TextExpander for iPhone
Short answer: Textcuts is a custom iOS keyboard built around one job, saved replies with a name and other details filled in, plus Hebrew gender forms, and it needs no Full Access permission. TextExpander is a well known text expansion brand across Mac, Windows and browser extensions, but its current standalone iPhone listing on the App Store is new, has only a couple of ratings so far, and does not detail its iOS feature set the way an established app usually does.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Textcuts | TextExpander |
|---|---|---|
| Works in every app | Yes, it is a custom iOS keyboard extension | Not detailed on its current listing at the time of writing |
| Fill in variables | Yes, with recently used values suggested | Not detailed on its current listing at the time of writing |
| Hebrew gender forms | Yes, write both forms once, pick one with a tap (Pro) | Not stated |
| Needs Full Access | No | Not stated on its current listing at the time of writing |
| Price | Free to try | Shown as free on the App Store at the time of writing |
| Sync | Through the user's own private iCloud account | Not detailed on its current listing at the time of writing |
| Languages | English and Hebrew | Not specified on its current listing at the time of writing |
What TextExpander is
TextExpander has been a recognizable name in text expansion for a long time, mostly known for its Mac, Windows and browser tools that expand a short typed abbreviation into a longer piece of text. On the iOS App Store, its older dedicated keyboard apps are no longer listed. In their place, the developer, TextExpander, Inc., now has a new listing simply titled TextExpander, free, in the Productivity category, with a 5.0 rating from only 2 ratings at the time of writing. That is too few ratings to judge the iPhone app from its listing alone.
Because that listing is so new, it does not yet spell out feature details such as whether it needs the iOS Full Access permission, how it syncs, or which languages it supports. If any of that matters to you, check the current App Store page directly before choosing.
What Textcuts is
Textcuts is a custom iPhone keyboard, so it works in every app that shows the iOS keyboard: WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage, Mail, Instagram and anywhere else you type, not only inside one messaging app. You write a reply once with a name variable and anything else that changes, save it as a colored chip, and tap it whenever that question comes up again. A name or other value can be filled in with one tap in a panel that sits right above the keyboard, and a Hebrew textcut can carry both a feminine and a masculine form in the same template, and you choose the right one for the contact with one tap (Pro).
The Textcuts keyboard extension works fully without the iOS Full Access permission and has no network access of its own, so it has no way to see or transmit anything typed in other apps. Textcuts are stored on the device and, by default, synced through the user's own private iCloud account, a space the developers cannot read or export. The app is free to try on the App Store, and supports English and Hebrew today.
Who should pick which
- If you want a purpose built keyboard that fills in a name and switches the phrasing between feminine and masculine with one tap, and you want to see exactly what permission it uses before installing it, Textcuts is built for that.
- If you already rely on TextExpander's snippet library across a Mac, Windows or browser setup and want to check whether its newly relisted iPhone app fits your existing workflow, look at its current App Store page directly, since its iOS feature set is not yet spelled out there.
- If Hebrew replies with correct gender agreement matter to you at all, that is a feature we could not find advertised by TextExpander or by any other keyboard app in this category, so it is currently a Textcuts specific advantage.
Frequently asked questions
Is TextExpander still available on iPhone?
At the time of writing, TextExpander's older dedicated iOS keyboard apps are no longer on the App Store, and the company now has a new listing simply named TextExpander, free, in the Productivity category, with only a handful of ratings so far.
Does TextExpander support Hebrew gender forms?
Not that is stated on its App Store listing at the time of writing. Textcuts lets you write a feminine and a masculine form once in the same textcut, and you pick the right one for the contact with one tap when you insert it (a Pro feature).
Does Textcuts need Full Access on the keyboard?
No. The Textcuts keyboard works fully without Full Access and has no network access at all, so it cannot see or send anything typed in other apps.