Replies and follow-ups
Turn the response you send every week into a few memorable characters.
Alias
Apple silicon · macOS 26 Tahoe or later
Type a few characters. Alias writes the rest.
Alias saves the replies, signatures, links, notes, and templates you use every day. Recall them with a short alias or fast system-wide search, with no account or subscription required.
No card required · Native Mac app · Works offline after activation · Requires Apple silicon · macOS 26 Tahoe or later
New Message in Mail
To:Dana Armstrong
Subject:Re: Kickoff notes
Dana, slides attached. The timeline is in section two.
Best,Avery ChenPartnerships · Northwind+1 (415) 555-0114
4 keys → 59 characters
The everyday problem
You know what to say. You just shouldn’t have to type it again.
Reopening an old email, digging through notes, and retyping the same details all break your flow. Alias turns the useful text already in your head into something you can recall in a few keystrokes.
Signatures and contact details
Drop in the right sign-off, address, phone number, or booking link without hunting for it.
Notes and working templates
Start from your usual structure, then fill in the parts that change this time.
Buy once
$19
Alias includes a 7-day trial, so you can test it out before you buy. No card required.
Download the 7-day trialTry it. Then pay once.
When the trial ends, expansion pauses; your library remains available to view, edit, copy, import, and back up.
- Who can use it
- One person, on Macs they personally use.
- Updates
- Every update released during the first 12 months. The version you have keeps working afterward.
- Activation
- One private online activation per installation, with 2 successful activation events available for each license. Alias works offline afterward.
The license may not be shared, resold, or used to bypass payment. Review the Alias terms, which supplement the SideQuest terms, and read the Alias privacy notice.
More than abbreviations
Simple when you need speed. Flexible when you need more.
Start with a short alias. Add smarter behavior only where it saves another step.
Fast Search
⇧⌘Space
Find it even when you forget the alias.
Search, preview, insert, copy, or edit any snippet from a system-wide palette.
Dynamic dates and times
Today, tomorrow, or next week
Keep recurring text current automatically.
Add the current date or time, choose a format, or calculate a date in the future or past.
Fill-in fields
Names, choices, and notes
Personalize a template when you use it.
Collect the details that change, then insert one finished block instead of editing placeholders by hand.
Reusable building blocks
Nested snippets
Update shared details in one place.
Reuse signatures, addresses, and boilerplate inside other snippets without maintaining duplicate copies.
Cursor placement
Continue in the right spot
Finish the thought without reaching for the mouse.
Choose where typing continues after expansion or wrap selected text in a reusable template.
Rich text
Formatting included
Keep the structure you meant to send.
Save formatted content when plain text is not enough, then reuse it across your Mac.
Built-in reporting
See the time you got back.
The small moments add up. Alias estimates the typing time each snippet saves so you can see the value of the shortcuts you use every day.
- Time saved
- An estimate based on what you insert and a standard typing speed.
- Daily activity
- A clear view of when Alias is doing the most work for you.
- Top snippets
- See which shortcuts earn their place and which ones need attention.
Your report is calculated locally and stays on your Mac.
Control and safety
Helpful where you want it. Quiet where you don’t.
Set expansion behavior for individual apps. Keep Alias fast in everyday writing, make matching more deliberate in code, or turn expansion off entirely where it does not belong.
- Normal
- Expand whenever a saved alias matches what you type.
- Strict
- Require a clear text boundary first. Useful in terminals and code editors.
- Disabled
- Do not expand anything while that app is frontmost.
- Secure input
- When macOS Secure Event Input is active, Alias cannot capture your typing.
Bring the library
Switching is a review, not a rewrite.
Imports are preview-first and conflict-aware. Alias shows collisions before it writes anything to your library.
- TextExpander .csv / .plist
- Raycast .json
- CSV
Private by default
Your snippets stay yours.
Alias is a native Mac app that works offline after license activation. Your library and usage report stay on your Mac, with no account, cloud workspace, or tracker.
Alias uses macOS Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions to recognize an alias and insert its replacement in other apps. Typed text is not persisted. Activation sends only the signed license and a random installation public key when you explicitly request it.
Read the Alias privacy noticeFit check
The right text expander depends on where your library should live.
Alias is deliberately local-first. That is a strength for private, personal workflows, and a real boundary for teams or people who need automatic sync.
;choose-alias
Strong fit when
- You reuse replies, signatures, contact details, links, notes, or templates across Mac apps.
- You want memorable aliases plus a system-wide search palette when you forget one.
- You are moving from TextExpander or Raycast and want to review conflicts before importing.
- You prefer a native, local-first Mac app with a one-time purchase and no cloud account.
;choose-else
Choose something else when
- You need automatic multi-Mac sync or a shared team snippet library.
- You need Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Intel Mac, or an older macOS release.
- You need expansion inside password fields or while macOS Secure Event Input is active.
- You want a browser-managed cloud workspace rather than a local file you back up yourself.
Verified limitations
- Alias V1 does not sync between Macs.
- Apple silicon and macOS 26 Tahoe or later are required.
- Expansion requires Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions.
- Secure text fields and Secure Event Input are intentionally unavailable to Alias.
Current release 1.0.5 · · signed update feed
Good to know
A few practical answers.
Does Alias upload my snippets?
No. Your library, typing, usage report, clipboard contents, and app rules stay on your Mac. Alias contacts SideQuest only for signed software updates and when you explicitly activate a license.
Does Alias sync between Macs?
Not in V1. Alias is deliberately local-first. Your library is a file on your disk, so you can back it up, copy it, or move it like other files you own.
Does expansion work in every text field?
Alias works anywhere macOS permits assistive text entry. Secure fields such as password boxes opt out at the system level, and Alias also stops while Secure Event Input is active.
Can I import my TextExpander or Raycast library?
Yes. Alias imports TextExpander plists, Raycast JSON, and CSV. Imports are preview-first and conflict-aware, so you can review collisions before anything is written.
How does license activation work?
Alias sends the signed license and a random installation public key over HTTPS when you choose Activate License. Each license permits 2 successful activation events. After activation, Alias verifies a signed receipt locally and keeps working offline.
What happens after the included updates end?
The covered version remains yours to use. Updates released after your eligibility date may require a new update entitlement, but the version you already activated does not expire.
Alias for Mac
Spend less time typing the things you already wrote.
Try every feature for 7 days. No card required.