PhraseExpander Professional for PC 79% off $29.99

[dhous]

where? https://bitsdujour.stacksocial.com/sales/phraseexpander-professional-for-pc

[ScreenManiac]

I cannot help but wonder how much of a deal this really is.
The price tag of $150 is totally ridiculous, and even 30 bucks seems very steep, considering the many free alternatives.

The description on their website just mentions the usual run-of-the-mill features.
Do you - or anybody else - know what advantages it offers over free stuff, like say, PhraseExpress?
http://www.phraseexpress.com/features.htm

[wraith808]

I cannot help but wonder how much of a deal this really is.
The price tag of $150 is totally ridiculous, and even 30 bucks seems very steep, considering the many free alternatives.

The description on their website just mentions the usual run-of-the-mill features.
Do you - or anybody else - know what advantages it offers over free stuff, like say, PhraseExpress?
http://www.phraseexpress.com/features.htm

1. PhraseExpress isn't really free, unless you're aiming for only personal use, i.e. We give away the PhraseExpress productivity boost free-of-charge to personal users

http://www.phraseexpress.com/docs11/09/shop.php

2. Both products are aimed at the medical transcription market.  That's a very high priced and revenue/income generating market, where productivity is paid for- as long as its accurate.  If you're in that market, then the price for either of the competing versions, i.e. professional version of PhraseExpress at $140 or professional version of PhraseExpander at $150 will help so much in income, that that is a paltry price.

3. The price for the commensurate comparison products is $10 difference.  You're looking at an apples to oranges comparison.  Apples to apples, they are very much similar products, so much so that there have been some pretty ugly wars between the two- some even on this board.

That said, they have two different marketing strategies.  With PhraseExpress they give away a limited feature set, and as you use the expanded features, it converts into trialware.  With PhraseExpander, they sell a lesser version that is arguably better than the free version, but pretty close if not a little better than the commensurate PhraseExpress offering to show the same to users that might need the pro version, but probably don't.

I used PhraseExpander when it was Direct Access and it was a solid product.  I've also used PhraseExpress, and it is a solid product.  I also dislike the... attitudes of both companies, though NagarSoft is a little more palatable than Bartels, which has made me migrate away from both, and I now use software specifically for developers rather than using this to take the place of the same, i.e. Resharper, replacing CodeRush in my arsenal..  However, that is personal bias.  If you need the functionality, then yes, it is worth it.

As an aside, Breevy is also pretty comparable to both lower offerings.

And to both developers, this was kept as unbiased as possible in the comparison of the products, 'just in case' you happen to drop by.

[ScreenManiac]

2. Both products are aimed at the medical transcription market.

Wasn't obvious to me, from neither product's website.
Don't know how many companies hang out here to find a good deal. My perspective is purely personal, strictly private usage scenarios. If anything, I was expecting differences in ease of use, maybe, or performance or compatibillity. Like you said, feature-wise they seem much the same.

Thanks for your well-written assessment. I also appreciate the link to Breevy, although I have not checked it out further, got too many text expanders lined up already, for testing purposes sooner or later.

[dr_andus]

I was expecting differences in ease of use, maybe, or performance or compatibillity. Like you said, feature-wise they seem much the same.

I went through that exercise a few years back, with similar criteria (I needed something that worked right out of the box and required the least steep learning curve). One good way to do that is to evaluate them all on the same day, one after the other. Just download them and get started and use them for a few minutes each, and it becomes pretty apparent immediately which ones are the easy ones to set up, learn, and use, and whether you come across a killer Pro feature that justifies the price.

The "killer feature" will probably vary on the basis of your needs. For me the key thing was not to have to remember abbreviations (which ruled out most of the free ones), which requires that a box pops up by the cursor after I type two letters, with a specified number of phrases to choose from, which then gets filtered as I keep typing more letters, with the desired phrase rising to the top and which then I can quickly select by hitting my chosen key (tab, in my case). There were only 2 or 3 that could do that at the time.

BTW, while the target market for these seem to be those professional services (medical, legal etc.), this category of software is pretty generic. I make good use of my chosen text expander for my academic research work (qualitative coding of data, anonymising sources, and writing long pieces of text with specific phrases that reccur often).

[ScreenManiac]

Thanks dr_andus,

I like what you said about this category of software being pretty generic. Convincing case for my usage scenarios. I figure it's probably different for someone who intends to rely on pre-defined phrases and vocabulary that is very specific. I've seen such add-on lists elsewhere, but didn't care to investigate quality and compatibility issues.

I certainly don't need it, for me it's general purpose, no legal or medical profession involved.

May I ask what program you settled for?

[dr_andus]

I figure it's probably different for someone who intends to rely on pre-defined phrases and vocabulary that is very specific. I've seen such add-on lists elsewhere

I don't use add-on lists, I input all my recurring phrases individually and manually. I did actually try importing such lists but with my type of usage (selecting from pop-up box by the cursor) they just polluted my glossary with terms that were not useful for me.

With my type of use there is a benefit to keeping my specialised glossary small. It's also possible to create multiple task- or project-specific glossaries and only activate them when needed, to keep the pop-up list relevant.

I've been using PhraseExpander Pro for the past 2 years and been very happy with it, as it ticks my aforementioned criteria. But I only use the text expander functionality, I can't comment on the clipboard, macro, form filling, file launcher and other stuff on there.

[Ath]

Maybe Lintalist (Announcement on DC) is worth investigating for those searching for a FOSS tool?

[xtabber]

Note the following for this $29.99 discount license:

Restrictions: license includes a single download for a single user; to use on two computers, customers will need to purchase two licenses.

The regular $149.99 license can be expanded to 3 computers for $20.

[wraith808]

Well, there's also

Maybe Lintalist (Announcement on DC) is worth investigating for those searching for a FOSS tool?

Well, there's also Auspex and Ethervane Echo if you're going there.

But I think, to be fair, you can't really compare the feature set.  If you don't need that feature set, then those are options too.

[rjbull]

There's also Typing Assistant by SumitSoft. I like the comprehensive feature set: it offers text completion as well as abbreviation expansion, plus auto-learn, auto-correct, clipboard and a launcher.  I have mixed feelings about it because of what is for me a serious drawback.  Most earlier versions of TA don't play nicely with clipboard managers, failing to enter the full text (type the short form and sometimes nothing happens).  It has its own on-board clipboard extender, but that is no match for the features of CHS or ArsClip.  6.1 was the first exception I noticed; it works happily with several clipboard managers.  I think 7.0 failed (not sure), but 7.1 seems OK on short acquaintance.

There have been times when I could type too fast for Typing Assistant to keep up, but that's probably just me and my PC.

Breevy is a good expander and corrector, but doesn't offer text completion.  I would dearly like it to have.  Comfort Keys, which is primarily a keyboard macro program, has quite a good completer - but not an expander!  I also have Instant Text, the most powerful expander, slightly more expensive than the top-level versions of Phrase Expander and Phrase Express.  It too is strongly oriented towards medical transcripionists, and doesn't have a completer, but has very good import features to ingest a corpus of text, analyse it, make appropriate short forms, and massage everything to your style.  DC has a rather old review thread of an earlier version of Instant Text.

[TaoPhoenix]

....

I went through that exercise a few years back, with similar criteria (I needed something that worked right out of the box and required the least steep learning curve). One good way to do that is to evaluate them all on the same day, one after the other. Just download them and get started and use them for a few minutes each, and it becomes pretty apparent immediately which ones are the easy ones to set up, learn, and use, and whether you come across a killer Pro feature that justifies the price.

The "killer feature" will probably vary on the basis of your needs. For me the key thing was not to have to remember abbreviations (which ruled out most of the free ones), which requires that a box pops up by the cursor after I type two letters, with a specified number of phrases to choose from, which then gets filtered as I keep typing more letters, with the desired phrase rising to the top and which then I can quickly select by hitting my chosen key (tab, in my case). There were only 2 or 3 that could do that at the time.
...

Drifting a little off topic, but this is a pretty good approach so I am writing a broader comment.

If you're hunting for "a program to do stuff" and the point is you don't entirely know what you are even looking for, it's how I have sometimes called it "Jeopardy without questions".

All you're working on is some really vague gut feeling but that's a zillion miles from writing up an IainB level spec to what you think you need. So you just pick a good day, hopefully with some sleep behind you, maybe some caffeine in there, and then be ready to fall over at the end but you just *look* at like 20 software programs all over the map, trying to convert that nebulous feeling into something concrete enough you can begin to make rational decisions about.

[ScreenManiac]

Many thanks to all contributors. This has developed into a very informative thread, more helpful than I had expected.

ATM, I am trialing several products. I am curious to find out what will happen with PhraseExpress after 30 days. They claim it will continue to be free for personal use, no limitations other than having to see the license reminder - probably all over the place, but I will see.

What rules out PhraseExpander -  and also most of the other products geared to those professional markets = they don't have portable editions. For me that's an absolute must, one of the main reasons I need an expander in the first place. Once I get used to my abbreviations and phrases I want to carry them along wherever I go, to whatever machine I happen to be on.

@xtabber - thanks for pointing the license restriction to one computer only, I would have missed it.

I knew about TA and Lintalist, but not Auspex and Echo - many thanks to wraith808 for mentioning them.
And thanks to rjbull for InstantText - another novelty for me.

After checking it out, I am beginning to better understand the repeated mentioning of legal and medical usage:
http://www.textware.com/overview/wordabbvpage.htm
Not that I need it, but this built-in smartness does make a lot of sense when I think about it.

[rjbull]

Both TA and Breevy have portable versions.  Instant Text doesn't, that I know of.

You might care to look at John Knowles' ABCZ Typing Abbreviation System for one rational approach to choosing short forms.

There are many threads on DC about text expanders and similar applications - worth reviewing, though many are getting old, and some are heated.  For all the software they mention, they aren't complete.  Text expanders and similar products are quite a big category, though a requirement for portability winnows them out.

[Curt]

I will believe it if dhous uses a text expander himself; two posts in six years!


[attachimg=#]


I think it's cool
~ but of course, that's envy, because I can't shut up 

[dhous]

I thought it could be interesting for somebody to give it a try as there has not been discount like this for ages (I think back in 2014 or so). I have been truly unable to find anything active since. I use PhraseExpress and I am a bound to it as its export features are crippled (I know that Phrase Expander have some migration tool available). Both two previous work perfectly at home but are pretty useless when you have corporate restricted PC access - either no USB version (Pexp) or USB write restriction (PE needs to create xml on start up). Hence recently I realised that only Breevy does the work at best (btw new version should launch early) when one sets it up to work along Citrixvia clipboard.
I use them for medical reports as it speeds up the turnaround time together with my collection of canned reports.
Sorry for 2 posts only - I am usually just checking discounts forum here.

[wraith808]

I thought it could be interesting for somebody to give it a try as there has not been discount like this for ages (I think back in 2014 or so). I have been truly unable to find anything active since. I use PhraseExpress and I am a bound to it as its export features are crippled (I know that Phrase Expander have some migration tool available). Both two previous work perfectly at home but are pretty useless when you have corporate restricted PC access - either no USB version (Pexp) or USB write restriction (PE needs to create xml on start up). Hence recently I realised that only Breevy does the work at best (btw new version should launch early) when one sets it up to work along Citrixvia clipboard.
I use them for medical reports as it speeds up the turnaround time together with my collection of canned reports.
Sorry for 2 posts only - I am usually just checking discounts forum here.

It's fine.  Thank you for posting it, as it created interesting conversation! 

I think what Curt was alluding to was the fact that some accounts are drive bys, that post a link and don't participate.  As a supporting member, you've already participated even if you haven't been verbally participating.  And any level of participation- from posts, to money, to time- is, I think, appreciated.  That's what makes DC works.  And I, for one, look forward to your next informative post!  You might only have 2 (3 now), but they've introduced welcome information, so your signal-to-noise ratio is very low, unlike some of us that post nonsense just for fun   Who... me? 

In a nutshell, you're very welcome, no matter how much you participate. 

[ScreenManiac]

You might care to look at John Knowles' ABCZ Typing Abbreviation System for one rational approach to choosing short forms.

There are many threads on DC about text expanders and similar applications - worth reviewing, though many are getting old, and some are heated.  For all the software they mention, they aren't complete.  Text expanders and similar products are quite a big category, though a requirement for portability winnows them out.

And thanks again for that link. Great guidelines.