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Recommend less known macro apps and text expanders

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tranglos:
The major players are obvious:

Macros:

* Win Automation
* Macro Toolsworks
* Macro Express
(all quite expensive, especially the Pro editions; some have smaller editions with a subset of functionality but essentially the same design, which I'm omitting here)

Text expansion:

* PhraseExpress
* Phrase Expander (was Direct Access)
And of course AutoHotkey, far superior IMO to most if not all of them in efficiency, functionality and reliability, but with a fairly demanding syntax (I'm trying to mince words here :-) and no nice UI to organize your scripts and expansions.

Less well-known (to me! so far!):

* Quick Macros (lightweight but fast and powerful; scripting language rivals AHK for obsurity and opaqness, if there is such a word)
* Breevy (very nice, lightweight and fast expander, but with limited functionality, e.g. only abbreviations but no hotkeys)
* MouseRobot (looks interesting, just downloaded the trial).
So... anything else worth including? I am not looking for tiny apps with a specific, limited functionality; only for apps with feature sets comparable to those listed. I am not including app launchers here, for example; they are a different story and there's no god but FARR.

And in general, what are you using? Any good / bad experience with any of the ones I mentioned? Other, better alternatives? (Except for AutoHotkey; I love it too, no need to gush  :-)) Annoyances?

tranglos:
...Why I'm asking: I am looking for a capable automation app with full macro capability. I find the big players clunky as well as expensive, so I'm hoping there's more.

But I am really asking also because I'm seriously considering writing my own, better text expander. (Just an expander, not a full macro app.) It ain't easy; reading the copious comments in AutoHotkey source code is an adventure! But none of the expanders I know of, except AHK, works the way I need it to, and requesting a simple feature as a registered user of One Of the Above has proved futile. Plus, I have a bunch of ideas for possibly unique features, which is really the only thing that makes it worthwhile to start a project like that.

Plus plus, let it be said, I am sick of the silly acrimony between Some Of the Above, well known on DC, and I am doubly sick of how they spite the customers e.g. by encrypting user data files as well as their downloadable libraries, to prevent migration or interoperability with other products. Or how they prohibit discussing alternatives on their forums. Or how impatiently some of them respond to customers' inquiries on their forums (there are exceptions). Or how they try to undercut each other by releasing a free app almost identical in name and UI to a competitor's commercial product. Or... I could go on, but you already know all of that.

So I'm interested in alternatives, but also in your experience of using the ones I know of. (Unless you just wish to say that AHK rules, I know and I agree, and my project-to-be would not nearly encroach on its ruler-dom :-)

I should also say I have registered three of the apps listed in the OP and have trialed all but one. And I use AHK all the time, too, and I bow before its might and wisdom at every sunrise and sunset! (No, really, I am not being sarcastic. AHK is awesome, and its source code should be a teaching aid. Seriously.)

cranioscopical:
I'll mention Automate as it doesn't appear on your list. It always did what I needed.

* Easy to use
* Rather expensive 

bob99:
I do not have an addition to the list but will highjack the topic a moment to offer a  :Thmbsup: if you decide to take this further.  And I would be interested in a better/easier expander if you decided to offer it as donationware or for a modest fee.  Especially if it is along the ease of use of Ethervane Echo.

tranglos:
I'll mention Automate as it doesn't appear on your list. It always did what I needed.

* Easy to use
* Rather expensive-cranioscopical (January 20, 2012, 11:00 AM)
--- End quote ---

Any strong points, unique features? Can you say what it cost?

(I love enterprisey websites like this. No screenshots worth a damn (just small, partial screens), no price list anywhere, and when you want feature details, they push a PDF download :) That tells me they don't want me to buy their product. Too bad, I'm still curious!)

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