Phrase Express for Windows

User Reviews

• Love this software!....indispensable and professional!!

  prak7121March 12, 2018

  Pros

  PhraseExpress is amazingly bulletproof. It keeps getting better with each release, despite my thought "how can they possibly add more good featuures or improve it?" The amount of time I save daily is stunning. Whether replacing a word or a phrase or a complete sentence, I get a real kick out of saving time and making more time for valuable things. It's techie enough that it satisfies the geek in me without being so technical that I cannot use it. It has room for me to build more macros and I just wish I had 2 lives to make use of this amazing software (ok, I am gushing but boy would I be upset if someone took this software from me).

  Cons

  I have to dig deep to find cons but I have tried many other macro softwares which I won't name in order to keep this professional. The only con I can think of is that sometimes the macros open in Word and I have not figured out how to save the macros in Word so they revert back into PhraseExpress. But this has only happened a few times and only on those macros that i saved in Word format. The only other con is that the software Statistics show my saving $1,205 but this amount is very low and is not keeping tabs on when I bought the software some 7-8 years ago...this is a minor issue but I know that PhraseExpress has saved me at least $10,000 or more in the last 7-8 years, not $1,205.

  Summary

  PhraseExpress is an indispensable software that makes me far more efficient and allows me to remove the repetitive and mundane parts of my computer work out of my day. As a business owner, CAD worker, and designer, this software makes me more profitable as very few softwares can claim. I would be very, very upset to have to lose PhraseExpress, that is how valuable it is to my daily life.

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• Horrible customer support

  wolfgrrlJanuary 17, 2018

  Pros

  It works. That's about all I can say for it.

  Cons

  Be EXTREMELY wary of this software. The devs decided to allow "complimentary" installations on three separate PCs now, but ONLY if you use the same installation method on BOTH PCs and have the same user name between both PCs. I use both a portable installation at work (due to admin rights) and the full installer at home. Bartels Media REFUSED to assist me in getting a license up and running on my home PC installation and wanted me to buy another license instead. I had registered the license on my work PC, at the onset. I cannot have the same user name on my home PC, because my work user name contains the network domain log in + my log in: for example, network\username is my log in for my work PC. Obviously, having an official windows log in on my home PC (as registered with Microsoft), does not allow me to use my work user name. The devs have coded their licensing to a Windows user name, which is a HORRIBLE idea. No other software that I know of operates in this manner.

  Summary

  Be EXTREMELY wary of this software. The devs decided to allow "complimentary" installations on three separate PCs now, but ONLY if you use the same installation method on BOTH PCs and have the same user name between both PCs. I use both a portable installation at work (due to admin rights) and the full installer at home. Bartels Media REFUSED to assist me in getting a license up and running on my home PC installation and wanted me to buy another license instead. I had registered the license on my work PC, at the onset. I cannot have the same user name on my home PC, because my work user name contains the network domain log in + my log in: for example, network\username is my log in for my work PC. Obviously, having an official windows log in on my home PC (as registered with Microsoft), does not allow me to use my work user name. The devs have coded their licensing to a Windows user name, which is a HORRIBLE idea. No other software that I know of operates in this manner. As Rob mentioned below, they are very arrogant and will do nothing to assist a customer in getting the software up and running if you do NOT fit within the tiny box of their licensing, no matter what the reason, legitimate or not. They will be processing a FULL refund for me and I will never support them again. I might add that I had also contacted them in November of 2016 regarding ONE USER using the software on multiple PCs (at least two) and they were very unaccommodating. They are arrogant too.

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• amazing when it works - poor support when it doesn't

  pgandpggDecember 12, 2017

  Pros

  saves heaps of time saving repeated phrases. easy to use. Lots more function I haven't even touched on.

  Cons

  we shared cloud based phrase files between staff - which is great - but has recently stopped working, and the tech support from phrase express has been very poor resolving this. Very unengaged, don't give us the feeling they want to fix the problem - or even believe there is an issue! I don't think they have bad intentions, just not good at customer service. We have become quite dependent on our shared phrases as a company - and we need better support when it goes wrong.

  Summary

  Seem like a small company with a good product, but inadequate tech support. great for personal use, but if you want to share phrases with team members - and you care if it fails - go elsewhere.

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• Great time saver!

  shoikanaMarch 7, 2017

  Pros

  This program is easy to use and allows me to include links in my expanded text. The customer service is fast, friendly, and helpful!

  Cons

  The only thing that I find for a con is that it's a bit expensive.

  Summary

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• Powerful, flexible text automation and more

  junjun0202November 13, 2016

  Pros

  * "It just works": Not sure why this is a "feature" or a "pro," but too many things do NOT these days so it was very appreciated here. * Excellent customer service. * Very flexible: Shortcuts can be customized in a number of ways from delimiters to hotkeys to form data. * No noticeable impact to system performance. * Sync of shortcuts across devices * Clipboard snippets surprisingly useful * Desktop pinning (of snippets) * Works across applications without issue (to date)

  Cons

  * A bit of a learning curve: Flattens quickly aside from some advanced features * On the expensive side for many (though for professionals, the value becomes clear quickly) * Free version has very limited entries: Hard to complain given the price. * Advanced features (Professional version) might be a bit difficult to master for non-coder types.

  Summary

  From the perspective of someone who got fed-up with an email (31 characters!) who needed shortcuts outside of the Office suite. Following references the "Professional" version, which I purchased. I had long searched for an application such as PhraseExpress (PE) for Windows. Specifically, one that took note of keeping such phrases private (I'm looking at you, Win10) and cross-application functionality that stayed out of the way and didn't "break" anything therein. Admittedly, price was a factor here for what I took to be a "why doesn't Microsoft just add this to the OS?" After trying a number of other (often cheaper) alternative trial periods, I chose PE. 31 character email address is no fun (most of that being the domain), and filling out applications online is one of the most boorish activities one can inflict on oneself. SaS options like LastPass will do these automatically, but again, privacy was a key issue, here. This concern included the syncing mechanism (e.g. NOT Dropbox). PE fit the above concerns brilliantly, was easy enough to use right out of the box and, I'm delighted to say, even more powerful with macros even for this non-coder. The sheer TYPES of snippets one can create is impressive and worth watching their demo videos for examples, and several are included for you to learn from. Study them. Lastly, customer service was quick to reply (within 24h on a weekend) and on point. Recommend hammering the trial to see if it's going to work how you do.

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• Flexible and easy to use with many possibilities

  mbuckleygolderOctober 21, 2016

  Pros

  Good UI Does not usually get in the way Flexible usability options - many different use cases Useful and concise macro language

  Cons

  Cost of new versions going up steadily, but have so far been able to justify it.

  Summary

  I have been using this product as a licensed user steadily over the last 4-5 years and it has consistently saved me significant time and reduced the tedium that would otherwise have been involved with storing, remembering, and/or locating small pieces of text needed to do my day-to-day work - often due to systems that are poorly integrated and need information to be manually passed from one system to another. The macro language is quite flexible. You can, for example, use macros to convert the structure of the clipboard content before pasting (i.e. to replace carriage returns with commas to produce a CSV list), and dialogs can be used to insert variable values into a block of text on the fly (useful for pasting modified SQL queries to query databases, for example). The product can also be used to automate keystroke sequences for things that don't have keyboard shortcuts, which is another side-benefit. And, the clipboard cache is very helpful - it helps to not have to use a separate tool for this feature.

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• Best text expander

  frandissJanuary 29, 2016

  Pros

  My job was to find a text expander for windows as our office uses macs and windows pcs. On the mac we are using textexpander (actual product name). phrasexpress is the perfect windows alternative. it has all main features of textexpander and offers even more. data can be shared. i can strongly recommend this tool.

  Cons

  i would use it on mac too if there would be such option. however, its a bit pricey.

  Summary

  you dont go wrong with this program.

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• It does the job... and it can probably do a LOT more!

  AzChJanuary 22, 2016

  Pros

  You can tailor it to only start working in certain applications Very flexible Awesome number of options

  Cons

  None so encountered so far

  Summary

  I use this in a support type of environment where I host chats with people asking questions via a web-based console. This is a very simple use of the PhraseExpress product where I have a bank of standard responses I have programmed on my middle mouse button to allow me to select one from a menu to save me typing. I like the fact that you can tell PhraseExpress that you only want the features to kick in within a specific application... so unlike many keyboard macro facilities, it will not affect same key presses in other applications. Way to go! It saved me so much time already. We're only touching the surface of this sophisticated product. I hope to experiment more in time. Keep up the good work guys.

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• Cool Software - Best Support Experience Ever

  beetlejuice23December 10, 2015

  Pros

  I tried a lot text expansion tools- This one is it. Today, I ran into an issue and called them for help. They dialed in onto my computer with remote access and solved the issue (my fault) in no time. Thumbs up for the superb support!

  Cons

  I wish there would be a Mac version. The UI would benefit from an overhaul.

  Summary

  Software and support belongs to the best I have experienced in more than 20 years personal of computing.

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• Great product if it works, unimaginable poor support

  RonaldDavid12December 7, 2015

  Pros

  If the program works it works very well and is quite extensive.

  Cons

  Very poor and arrogant support. The software tries to lock you in and makes it as difficult as possible to switch to other software Messes up the copy/paste & drag/drop function of windows

  Summary

  I was a free user and after updating to version 11 I noticed that the copy & paste / drag & drop function did not work properly anymore when PhraseExpress was working. When I shut down PhraseExpress the troubles disappeared immediately. I asked for support and was prepared to pay for it. But the company send me a short and rude notice to buy an support ticket for 90 euro's. Not even a polite explanation. or inquiry what was the problem. When I wrote that it was disappointing that they ask so much money I received an insulting email from their support. Later on I tried to ask if they would help me fix this if I would buy the software. They asked what was the problem but when I explained the problem they did not respond anymore. After several days I tried to remind them about the question and received a reply that they do not solve general computer problems and the purchase solely includes the right to use the software and pays development. The person replying clearly did not bother to read my email despite the fact that they asked me to explain the issue I was having. So my general impression of support is that they do not care, do not read emails properly and are not prepared to help solving problems with their software unless you pay a lot per issue that is being caused by their software (even during the maintenance licence). I even just got a message telling me not to buy the software because they will not help me.

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