Makro vs Espanso
Makro vs Espanso.
Open-source, free, CLI-driven. YAML configuration, no GUI.
Matrix
Side by side, no hedge-words.
Pricing reflects Espanso's published site as of April 2026 (US region).
Feature
Makro
Espanso
Free tier
Yes
Yes
End-to-end encrypted sync
Yes
Local only
Local AI (Ollama / LM Studio)
Yes
No
On-device OCR (Smart Copy)
Yes
No
Import from other tools
10 formats
No
Platform
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave
macOS, Windows, Linux (CLI)
Lowest paid tier
$2.99/mo or $149 lifetime
Free (open-source; local only, no sync)
Verification: 2,495 automated tests in the Makro repo and continuous external code review. Full threat model on /security/architecture.
Espanso strengths vs tradeoffs
Where Espanso wins, and where Makro does.
Espanso strengths
- Free and open-source (GPL)
- Regex matches and shell command outputs (local)
- Scriptable via YAML config
Espanso tradeoffs
- No built-in GUI editor
- No cross-device sync
- No AI features
Verdict: Espanso is excellent if you like YAML and CLIs and you do not need sync across devices. Choose Makro if you want a GUI, cross-device sync with end-to-end encryption, or AI rewrites.
Migration
Moving from Espanso to Makro.
Step by step: Pick a .yml file from ~/.config/espanso/match/ (Linux/macOS) or the Windows equivalent, then Settings > Import > Espanso (.yml) in Makro. See the full migration guide for what carries over.