Real questions.
Honest answers.
No marketing fluff. No empty phrases. If the answer is "no" or "not yet", we say so.
About the product
What exactly is SnipBolt?
A text expander for Windows: you type an abbreviation (for example ;hello) and the app detects the pattern and replaces it with the full text you configured. It works in any application — Word, Outlook, Chrome, Notion, Slack, you name it.
Does it work on Windows 10? What about Windows 11?
Yes, on both. It requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later, x64. It does not work on Windows 7/8 or ARM.
Do I need .NET installed?
No. The installer is self-contained and includes the .NET 8 runtime. You do not need to install anything else.
Security and privacy
Does the app spy on me or send my data to a server?
The desktop app is 100% offline. Your snippets live in a local SQLite database (%LocalAppData%\SnipBolt\snippets.db). There is no in-app telemetry, no phone-home, and no cloud unless you manually enable Sync and point it to your own OneDrive/Dropbox folder. The snipbolt.com website does use analytics — but through self-hosted Matomo on my own infrastructure, in cookieless mode and with anonymized IPs. No website data goes to Google/Meta/Cloudflare. Details in /en/legal/privacy.
Will my antivirus block SnipBolt?
Some antivirus tools (especially Kaspersky) interfere with the global keyboard hook and SendInput. If expansions fail or output strange characters, add SnipBolt.exe to your antivirus trusted applications list. Details in /en/download.
Pricing and license
What is the difference between Free and Pro?
Free gives you 10 plain-text snippets plus basic variables. Pro (USD 15 lifetime) unlocks unlimited snippets, rich text (RichText), C# scripts, sync, per-snippet hotkeys, form fields, and profile variables. See /en/pricing for details.
Is it a subscription or a one-time payment?
One-time payment. USD 15 once for life — no renewals, no tricks. All future updates, including major ones, are free forever.
Can I try Pro before buying?
The model is freemium rather than a trial: the free version works forever, with no countdown. If you hit the 10-snippet limit and want more, you upgrade to Pro. LemonSqueezy, which processes the purchase, also provides a 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
How do I activate my Pro license?
Buy it from /en/pricing, receive an email with your license key, and paste it into Settings → License inside the app. Validation happens online on the first activation; after that, it works offline with re-validation every 14 days.
Can I use Pro on multiple machines?
Yes. Your license lets you activate it on up to 3 personal devices (personal laptop, work PC, etc.).
What if I change machines?
In Settings → License there is a 'Deactivate this device' button. That frees a slot you can use on the new machine.
Migration
How do I migrate from TextExpander, aText, PhraseExpress, or Espanso?
Importers are planned for v1.1. For now, you can export your snippets as JSON from your old tool and paste them manually. SnipBolt's interface is simple enough that moving 50-100 snippets should take about 15 minutes.
I come from SnippetFlow — will I lose my data?
No. SnippetFlow was renamed to SnipBolt on 2026-05-27. The SnipBolt installer detects your SnippetFlow installation and upgrades it in place; your data (%LocalAppData%\SnippetFlow) is automatically migrated to %LocalAppData%\SnipBolt on first launch. Nothing is lost.
Support
What happens if I find a bug?
Email me at hola@snipbolt.com with a description and, if you can, the logs (%LocalAppData%\SnipBolt\Logs\). I respond personally.
Is it open source?
Not for now. The app is closed source, but the pricing is one-time and the product is offline-first. If I decide to open parts of it (such as the variable runner), I will announce it in /en/whats-new.