Key Takeaways

• Typinator streamlines typing on Mac and iOS by instantly expanding abbreviations into text and providing robust, system-wide autocorrection.
• It runs light and keeps data local, ensuring privacy and top performance even with demanding apps.
• A one-time purchase option makes Typinator a cost-effective choice for dedicated Mac users.

What Is Typinator?

At its core, Typinator is a text-expansion app for macOS and iOS. You can use this tool to expand text with something else or for something more specific, such as auto-correction. Typinator should be appealing if you type a lot of text repeatedly, such as your signature or template responses.

For instance, you may have to retype a lot of things when working as a customer support executive. Similarly, people working in the medical and legal sectors may also deal with various snippets. Typinator makes it easy to insert all these snippets by typing an acronym. For instance, “sign” can become the full signature.

Our Testing Methodology

We wanted to check how we could integrate these functionalities with our workflows. Our testing included performance analytics, since you need Typinator running in the background even when using other heavy-duty software suites.

We tested the latest Typinator 10 on our M2 MacBook Air with macOS Tahoe. In addition to writing articles almost every day, we also edit books and articles. Typinator has been quite helpful here, and we shall share some insights as well.

Our Testing Experience

Getting started with Typinator takes only a few minutes. We noticed that the app requires the bare minimum of system permissions. It is good to know that Typinator does not use many system resources, either.

Expansion Overview

When you open Typinator for the first time, you can see a default set of abbreviations and full forms. Its new UI uses a three-pane structure. The first pane shows the sets, and the second pane shows the abbreviations. The third pane lets you edit and customize abbreviations.

In our testing, its text expansion was quick and clean. There were no delays, and it worked consistently across almost every app we used.

For example, we have the abbreviation “dt”, which will be converted to the actual date of the day. It is crucial to note that Typinator stores all these entries on your Mac. You need not worry about privacy concerns with cloud-based access. It means the Typinator app works fine even when your Mac doesn’t have an Internet connection.

And, typing the brand names in the correct style is essential while writing articles. So, we make sure that the Product Names collection applies to apps like Microsoft Word and Pages. Likewise, we use the Inline Calculation function quite often in Excel.

We also noticed that Typinator’s text expansion works in almost every text field. So, we must praise Typinator’s stability. More so, it does not significantly affect system resources.

Snippet Collections and Auto-Correct

Basic abbreviation expansion is one thing, but you need more features to boost your workflow/productivity. Fortunately, Typinator delivers in the department. One of these features also allows you to bring a much-needed auto-correction system into macOS.

The Extensions tab of Typinator lets you download and save some predefined sets. For instance, you have TidBITS AutoCorrection (US and British). Both are designed to help you avoid common typing errors. In our testing, these engines performed better than macOS’s built-in autocorrection and apps like Word.

It also helps that these autocorrection expansions work across the OS. The latest version, Typinator 10, has brought some more extensions. For instance, Emoji 15.0 and Flags 3.0 allow you to easily insert emojis and country flags by typing abbreviations. The Pairs extension is also great if you use square brackets, quotation marks, and similar constructs. You can also insert currency symbols pretty easily.

There are many other valuable snippet collections in the library. For instance, Subscripts and Superscripts allow you to easily insert commonly used subscript and superscript content, respectively. The dedicated options for auto-capitalization, double capitalization, and in-line calculation are also great.

You should check out the Extensions page at Ergonis to find more of these snippet collections. It is not as rich as the ones we saw at TextExpander, but you can get the job done. It would have been great if Ergonis had allowed the creation of community bundles.

Despite some minor shortcomings, Typinator delivers on the snippet management front. You also get a few ways to share your snippets and collections with other devices. For instance, you can use the iCloud Sync or Shared Folders to make Typinator sets accessible on other Macs.

If you want to make Typinator sets available across your organization, you can use Auto Publish. It allows you to publish your abbreviation sets on a network or cloud drive so others can access them. They can subscribe to this set by entering the network path and enjoy updates.

Customization Options

Like every other great tool, Typinator offers plenty of customization options. You can use these features to control how text expansion and other options work within the app.

In the Expansion section, you can choose feedback sounds and enable integration with Raycast, Alfred, and LaunchBar. These advanced management options are pretty great from a productivity standpoint, especially when you want to create a custom workflow. You can also choose between Quick and Normal Expansion. In our case, Quick Expansion helped us avoid common errors when inserting a large chunk of text.

Something else we love about Typinator is its support for dynamic snippets and macros. This option lets you create a wide variety of boilerplates, which are adaptable and customizable to the core. You get to choose from a wide variety of variables and how they behave in text fields. The macros often surprise us with features we have not seen in text expansion tools. For instance, you can assign variables, manage the macOS clipboard, and even set up calculations based on values.

This particular feature will come in handy when you have to create repetitive content with a few changes. For instance, you may have to send a monthly email to your collaborators about an event. So, the real-world value of this feature is pretty incredible if you ask us.

The latest version has brought in better support for Apple Intelligence. You can use built-in Apple Intelligence to help you with snippet creation and management. You can also count on Apple Intelligence for tasks like translation.

Synchronization & Cross-platform Access

The latest release from Typinator has also introduced an iOS application that lets you access the same set of expansion sets on your iPhone or iPad. We found it effortless to set up Typinator on our iPad. We simply had to log in to the Typinator account. For this to work, however, you need to enable iCloud Sync.

Typinator currently offers two ways to sync your typesets:

1. You can use iCloud and mobile sync to make the sets available on your iPhone, iPad, and other Macs.
2. Alternatively, you can create a shared folder that your other Macs can access to set up the sets.

Both options worked seamlessly, and both built-in and custom sets were accessible on our iPad in a jiffy.

Pricing & Plans

Now, let’s look at Typinator’s pricing and the value these plans offer.

It is great that you can try Typinator before you purchase the full version. This free trial mode is limited: you will receive registration reminders after every few expansions. Some advanced features are unavailable in this trial version. However, if you need unlimited access to the features, you need to get the paid license.

A single-user license of Typinator is available for $49.99 from the official website. This license can be used on up to 2 Macs, and you will receive all the minor updates within the major version. Essentially, the license is valid for life, but you only get minor bug fixes. This version gets you only the macOS app.

If you need both the macOS and iOS apps, you must get Typinator Advanced, which costs $29.99/year. This single-user license can be used on up to three devices. This subscription plan gets you all bug fixes, major, and minor upgrades.

We believe Typinator offers ample value for the price. You can choose between a one-time purchase and a subscription based on whether you need multi-device access and updates.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fast and lightweight, even with large snippet libraries.
• Supports advanced features like regular expressions and scripting.
• Works system-wide across all macOS applications and iOS.
• Includes built-in autocorrection sets for multiple languages.
• Clipboard integration with smart placeholder support.

Cons

• It is currently restricted to iOS and macOS.
• Lacks team collaboration features, such as shared snippet libraries.
• The iOS/iPadOS apps do not allow snippet editing/management.

Our Take – Wrapping Up

After testing the latest version of Typinator, we believe it excels as a reliable text expansion tool for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. We really liked how trustworthy these expansions are, and Ergonis continues to add valuable extensions and other sets to the collection. Newer additions to the UI are equally great.

We must also appreciate how seamless the iCloud-based sync and multi-platform accessibility are designed. The additional support for Apple Intelligence for snippet creation and management is also great. However, not everyone will be a fan of the shift from a one-time purchase to a subscription model.

Having said that, we believe $29.99 per year is reasonable given the features, including support for three devices.

Updated on March 16, 2026, by TheSweetBits Team.

<p>The post Typinator: A truly customizable text expander for pros and beginners alike first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

Why Eney Exists

Most AI tools today live in the cloud. They’re great at writing and explaining—but terrible at actually doing things on your Mac. Eney exists to close that gap. It isn’t being marketed as just an app, but as a “Computerbeing”—a digital partner that lives on your desktop.

Here’s what Eney can actually do:

• Gets what you’re saying and gets your context
• Goes beyond a chat — it actually solves tasks on Mac
• Learns what you like and adapts to your preferences
• Completes many tasks locally, without sending your data anywhere.

As Oleksandr Kosovan, Founder and CEO of MacPaw, puts it:

“We are developing Eney to simplify workflows and reduce the time, and sometimes headaches, that users experience when interacting with their devices. Eney’s single, universal interface will eliminate the need to switch between applications. Eney is your digital co-creator. Its fun nature simplifies interaction — just tell it what task you would like to perform, and it will do the rest.”

Watch the Eney official video:

Our Experience with Eney

We’ve been living with Eney for the past week, and while the vision is sweet, the reality is a bit of a mixed bag. Here is our full breakdown.

The setup

After installing Eney, the first thing you’ll notice is that it requires Full Disk Access to function properly. This is essential for its task-oriented promise — searching files, reading calendars, interacting with apps — but it’s still a big permission ask.

During initial setup, Eney downloads its local AI models, which power its various “skills”. Once complete, the assistant is ready to use and immediately visible on your desktop.

From a UX standpoint, the onboarding is smooth, but the permission requirements may give more cautious users pause — even though MacPaw is generally a trusted name in the Mac ecosystem.

The vision

The “Sweetness” of Eney lies in its ambition. Unlike web-based AI, Eney is built to:

Tell your Mac what you want to do — in natural language — and Eney will actually do it.

Not suggest steps.
Not explain how.
But perform the action.

In theory, this includes tasks like you can simply tell it to “Schedule a meeting,” “Search for a file,” or “Compress this image,” and it will perform the action rather than just explaining how to do it.

This positions Eney as something more ambitious than Siri or a generic AI chatbot — closer to a true AI operator for macOS.

At the time of writing, Eney already supports workflows with services like Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, though the depth of these integrations varies depending on permissions and the specific task. It’s a solid start, but still far from the seamless, end-to-end automation MacPaw is ultimately aiming for.

The local advantage

Where Eney truly differentiates itself is its local-first architecture. Instead of sending everything to the cloud, Eney downloads its AI models during setup and runs them directly on your Mac.

Recently, MacPaw shifted Eney’s architecture so that it now runs primarily on local models by default.

In practice, this means:

• AI models are stored and executed locally.
• Many core tasks work offline.
• Your personal data isn’t automatically uploaded to remote servers.

This design choice reflects MacPaw’s long-standing privacy philosophy — and it immediately sets Eney apart from most AI assistants on the market.

Why This Matters

For many Mac users, privacy isn’t an abstract concern. Calendar events, file names, system data, and app usage patterns are deeply personal. Eney’s local approach ensures that everyday interactions — searching files, checking system status, triggering maintenance actions — stay on your machine.

When Eney does need more power (for example, long-form summaries or more complex reasoning), it asks for your permission before using cloud processing. That explicit consent model is rare in today’s AI landscape, and we genuinely appreciate it.

The Trade-Off

Local AI comes with unavoidable constraints. Because Eney relies on on-device models and Apple silicon hardware, its “intelligence” is currently more narrow than cloud-based AI assistants.

As a result:

• Model size and reasoning ability are limited
• Task complexity is constrained
• Results can feel underwhelming compared to cloud-heavy tools like ChatGPT

Within those limits, Eney performs best at practical, system‑level tasks on your Mac—things like file search, system checks, basic conversions, and triggering maintenance actions—rather than open‑ended conversation or deep reasoning.

In other words, Eney intentionally trades raw intelligence for stronger privacy and on‑device control, which is great for sensitive tasks but limiting if you expect a full cloud‑level AI brain.

The real-world testing

In our hands-on testing, however, the “intelligence” felt more like a work-in-progress. We tried using natural language to “Add a meeting to the macOS Calendar,” but Eney failed to perform the task or couldn’t even open the Calendar app. This may be related to system permissions, but the behavior felt inconsistent.

Strangely, when we typed:

“Find yesterday / today / tomorrow”

Eney was able to:

• Query calendar events correctly
• Open the Calendar app successfully

However, when it comes to opening apps, Eney currently behaves in an unintuitive way:

• Typing the exact app name works
• Saying “open XX app” in natural language often results in an error

Weather queries are also unsupported at the moment, which feels like a basic omission for an assistant positioned as a daily companion.

For pure AI conversational use, Eney’s local model frequently produces hallucinations. One particularly telling example: it confidently described Heated Rivalry as a book about technology and business competition — which is simply incorrect.

At this stage, we found the experience felt remarkably similar to using a slightly more visual version of Siri.

How Does Eney Compare?

In the world of Mac AI, not all assistants are created equal. While ChatGPT is great for brainstorming and Siri is fine for setting timers, Eney tries to occupy the space in between: Local Privacy + System Action.

Our take: Siri is deeply integrated but often feels “stiff” and restricted to Apple’s first-party apps. Eney feels more modern and conversational, with the potential to control third-party apps through its growing “Skills” library. But it’s not the kind of advanced, analytical consultant that ChatGPT excels at.

Where Eney Fits in a Real Mac Workflow

Eney is best thought of as a local task executor, not a thinking partner.

It works best when you:

• Know what you want done
• Prefer privacy over raw intelligence
• Want results without bouncing between apps

In that role, it already shows promise.

For open-ended conversation, research, or creative writing, cloud-based tools like ChatGPT remain far more capable.

Pricing & Availability

Before you dive in, it’s important to be clear about Eney’s current constraints:

• Beta software — features change frequently
• Apple silicon (M-series) Macs only
• Exclusive to Setapp subscribers
• Not available as a standalone app (yet)

This means you’ll need an active Setapp subscription to invite this little AI companion onto your desktop.

Who it’s For (and Who Should Skip it)

Best for:

• Privacy-conscious Mac users on Apple silicon who are curious about local AI.
• Existing Setapp subscribers who like trying early, ambitious utilities.
• People who want an on-device helper for small system tasks, not long conversations.

Not a good fit for:

• Intel Mac users (not supported).
• Anyone expecting ChatGPT-level reasoning or a stable, polished assistant.
• Users who are uncomfortable granting Full Disk Access in early beta software.

FAQs

Q: Does Eney work offline?

A: Yes! Because Eney uses a local engine (ELIX), it can perform core tasks like file conversions, system cleanups, and basic searches without an internet connection. Only “heavy” tasks like long summaries or third-party cloud integrations (like Google Drive) require a connection and your explicit permission.

Q: Is my data safe?

A: This is Eney’s biggest strength. Unlike ChatGPT, your conversation history and “context search” data are stored locally on your Mac. MacPaw does not use your data to train their models.

Q: Why can’t I install it on my Intel Mac?

A: Eney relies on the Neural Engine found in Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 chips) to run its AI models locally. Older Intel-based Macs simply don’t have the specific hardware architecture required to run these models efficiently.

Q: Is Eney a replacement for Siri?

A: Not officially. Siri still excels at Apple ecosystem and HomeKit commands, while Eney is being built for deeper third-party workflows and local task execution. Today, neither fully replaces the other.

Q: How do I get it?

A: Currently, Eney is in Beta and is exclusively available to Setapp users. If you have a Setapp subscription, you can find it in the app library and start using it immediately.

TheSweetBits Take

Eney represents one of the most interesting ideas in the Mac AI space right now — not because it’s powerful today, but because of what it’s trying to become.

We admire:

• The local-first, privacy-respecting architecture.
• The clear intent to move beyond “chatbot AI”.
• The tight alignment with macOS workflows.

But in its current beta form, Eney:

• Struggles with natural language execution.
• Suffers from inconsistent app control.
• Produces frequent hallucinations in conversation.
• Doesn’t yet outperform Siri in day-to-day usefulness.

For now, Eney feels like a promising assistant in training, not a dependable productivity partner.

If MacPaw can improve task reliability, expand system integrations, and gradually enhance its local AI capabilities, Eney could eventually become a standout Mac companion — especially for privacy-conscious users.

We’ll be watching its progress closely.

Updated on Dec 17, 2025, by TheSweetBits Team

<p>The post Eney: Is MacPaw’s new AI companion truly ready to run your Mac? first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

• Fantastical is one of the most polished and powerful calendar apps on macOS.
• Scheduling tools (Openings, Proposals) make it ideal for freelancers and teams.
• Natural language input and email-to-event are huge time-savers.
• Best for power users — the free tier is limited, and premium adds up.

Having an optimized calendar app can feel like having a personal assistant. Unfortunately, Apple Calendar isn’t built for that level of control or efficiency. The good news? A handful of third-party apps fill that gap — and Fantastical is one of the most consistently recommended.

In this guide, we take a deep look at Fantastical based on three weeks of hands-on testing on an M2 MacBook Air.

What Is Fantastical?

Fantastical is an all-in-one, cross-platform calendar app available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, and even Windows. It originally started as a Mac-first app, but over the years has expanded into a fully synchronized ecosystem.

Everything is synced through your Flexibits account, which also provides secure end-to-end encryption. The app includes:

• Multiple calendar views (Day, Week, Month, Quarter, Year).
• Smart event creation.
• Scheduling links (Openings, Proposals).
• Auto video-call detection.
• Weather, travel time, and timezone tools.
• Widgets and menu bar access.
• Deep integrations with iCloud, Google, Exchange, Outlook, Todoist, Zoom, Webex, and more.

* This is Fantastical’s official feature trailer. The interface has since adopted the updated Liquid Glass design, but the core functionality remains relevant.

How Does It Work? (Fantastical Review)

Fantastical sounds powerful on paper — but we wanted to see how well it performs in real use.

After using the Premium version daily, here’s what we found.

First Impressions

Setup is quick: download the installer, launch the Setup Wizard, and add your calendars (iCloud, Google, Exchange and more).

You must create a Flexibits account to enable syncing. While it’s not our favorite thing to add another login, the upside is meaningful: encrypted sync across all Apple devices. Flexibits also provides an Account Key — an added layer of security for privacy-minded users.

“Visually, Fantastical’s ‘Liquid Glass’ design looks modern and feels fully native to macOS. Everything is fluid, polished, and customizable:

• Choose Light or Dark mode
• Customize the dock icon
• Add menu bar quick access
• Pin widgets to your desktop
• Use the Mini Window for quick glances or event creation

Our take: We love Fantastical’s clean, intuitive interface — especially the Menu Bar view, which gives us a full snapshot of the day without ever opening the main app. In our experience, this is the kind of quick-access efficiency that makes Fantastical feel faster and smoother than Apple Calendar.

Calendar Management

Managing multiple calendars is one of Fantastical’s biggest strengths. You can link Google, iCloud, Exchange, Outlook, and task platforms like Todoist. Each service offers fine-grained controls via Settings → Accounts.

Where Fantastical truly shines is event creation.

Typing something like:

“Meet Ria next Thursday at 4pm”

…instantly generates a fully formed event with the correct time, date, location, and reminders. The new Apple Intelligence parser is dramatically more accurate and forgiving of messy wording.

Another clever feature is Email Forwarding. If a meeting confirmation, flight itinerary, or event update lands in your inbox, you can forward it to email@fantastical.app, and Fantastical will automatically turn it into an event — complete with dates, locations, and links extracted from the message. It’s a massive convenience for anyone who constantly switches between email and calendar apps.

Of course, you can still manage your schedules manually if you prefer. Drag-and-drop editing works smoothly, and Fantastical handles multiple calendars side-by-side without clutter. Color-coding, Calendar Sets, and the Mini Window also make it easy to switch contexts, whether you’re managing personal events, client meetings, travel schedules, or shared team calendars.

Our take: Apple Calendar works fine for basics, but Fantastical’s integration with tasks and third-party accounts makes daily planning feel more cohesive.

Scheduling

You get some innovative features when it comes to planning and scheduling. In addition to the typical RSVP, you get support for Openings, Proposals, and Conference Calls.

Openings are a great way to let the other person find a convenient time for your meeting/event. Fantastical lets you choose your free time and send a link. The recipient can choose a suitable time, and Fantastical will do the rest.

Proposals helped us save more time. Instead of sending multiple emails to ask for everyone’s availability, we receive an overview of everyone’s availability. They can use a public link to select a suitable time or provide suggestions.

Fantastical also offers impressive integration with video conferencing platforms. You can set up this app to automatically attach a Google Meet or Cisco Webex entry when creating a meeting. If you need to schedule multiple meetings each week, this feature will be a valuable time-saver.

While not comparable to AI-powered scheduling tools like Morgen, the scheduling options from Fantastical appear to be great and on point.

Our take: After testing, it’s clear why many reviewers say Fantastical makes Google Calendar feel ancient. Sync is instant and meeting setup is simply smoother.

Compatibility & Integration

According to our testing and other user reviews, Fantastical is compatible with a wider variety of calendars and to-do platforms. You receive dedicated support and control for platforms such as Google Calendar, Apple iCloud Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Exchange.

You can connect other platforms, such as Todoist, Webex, Zoom, and Meetup. More importantly, Fantastical is smart enough to detect each connection and make the right decisions. For instance, when you connect your Google Account, it can automatically access Google Meet and import your appointments. Fantastical is also packing a weather widget.

Additional integration options are also built into Fantastical, but you need to set them up using the Flexibits account dashboard. You can use third-party apps to design automated workflows.

Our take: Sync performance impressed us. In our tests across Mac, iPad, and iPhone, Fantastical updated faster than Apple Calendar’s own mobile apps.

Pricing & Plans

You can continue using the free version of Fantastical for as much as you like. However, this version will often remind you about upgrades.

To access the complete set of features, you will need a Flexibits Premium subscription. This subscription offers access to Fantastical and Cardhop:

• $4.75/month (billed annually) — Individual
• $7.50/month — Family Plan
• 14-day free trial
• Team plans available with centralized billing

Our take: the free version is solid for basic event viewing and single-calendar use, but the value of the Premium version is significant for heavy calendar users.

Our Final Take

Fantastical isn’t just a prettier alternative to Apple Calendar — it’s a productivity upgrade.

During our three weeks of testing, natural language input handled most event creation, the menu bar Mini Window saved clicks, and scheduling tools eliminated email back-and-forth.

Task integration, smart context (weather, maps), and fast syncing made the app feel like a unified planning hub.

It’s not perfect. The subscription may be a deal-breaker for casual users, and Apple Intelligence features need newer hardware. But for power users, freelancers, or anyone juggling multiple calendars, Fantastical is a meaningful upgrade.

Pros

• A large number of features.
• Great for busy people and power users.
• Lots of tools to make scheduling easier.
• Multiple calendar views for quick scanning and planning.
• Ease of usage.

Cons

• Most advanced features require a recurring subscription.
• Perceived as expensive compared to one-time purchase alternatives.
• Occasional limitations in task management unless paired with third-party services.
• Apple Intelligence features require compatible hardware.

Who Is Fantastical For?

Fantastical is ideal for:

• Busy professionals with lots of meetings
• Users switching constantly between devices
• Freelancers / consultants scheduling with clients
• People who rely on Google Calendar heavily
• Anyone who wants faster input via natural language

Not ideal for:

• Users who want a one-time purchase
• Minimalists who don’t need advanced scheduling
• Heavy task managers (Todoist/Things users may want deeper integration)

What Real People Say?

We also reached out to long-time Fantastical users to understand how the app performs in real workflows.

Stuart Haas, Former Senior Director, IT, People Inc., told us:

“I’m a big fan of Fantastical! I find Calendar Sets extremely valuable to keep the pertinent calendars in view as I need them. I can work without being distracted by my family’s calendars, but they allow me to quickly view them when planning travel or after-hours activities. I also love that Fantastical is cross-platform, and I can run it on Windows and all my mobile devices. And the Openings feature allows me to offer booking times based on calendars from different sources very easily.”

Kira Byrd, Entrepreneur and Compliance Strategist at Curl Centric, added:

“Fantastical is an app that has been with me for a long time and has transformed my time-management system to a great extent. The inclusion of natural-language phrases in the added events, such as meeting and attending the team gathering at 3:30 PM tomorrow, saves me time and streamlines the process of scheduling. It also allows me to have personal and professional engagement appointments in my calendar without messing up. Truly Fantastical has become a huge part of my life.”

The Final Words

Fantastical brings together design polish, automation, and cross-device intelligence in a way that genuinely improves daily planning — especially for users who live inside their calendar.

After three weeks of hands-on testing, we’d say the answer to the big question is yes — Fantastical really is fantastic, if you’re the kind of user who benefits from its advanced features. Natural language input, the Menu Bar Mini Window, and scheduling tools like Openings and Proposals remove friction from everyday planning in a way Apple Calendar simply doesn’t.

That said, Fantastical isn’t a universal upgrade. The subscription pricing may feel hard to justify for casual users, and some Apple Intelligence features require newer hardware. If you only need basic event tracking, Apple Calendar or a free alternative may be enough.

But for power users, freelancers, and professionals juggling multiple calendars, time zones, and meetings, Fantastical delivers on its promise. It’s not just feature-packed — it meaningfully changes how efficiently you manage your time.

Published on Nov.20,2025, by TheSweetBits team

<p>The post Fantastical: Feature-packed, but is it really fantastic? first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

• BusyCal offers advanced scheduling tools with a familiar Apple Calendar-like interface.
• Ideal for Mac power users who need detailed task management and time tracking.
• Integrates smoothly with iCloud, Google, and Exchange calendars.
• A great balance of features and price compared to premium alternatives like Fantastical.

While Apple Calendar offers its share of benefits, such as better continuity within the Apple ecosystem, it is far from the best calendar app for Mac. You don’t get many features that can actually enhance how you manage schedules and planning.

BusyCal, a popular third-party calendar app, is an alternative people swear by. It is made for both beginners and professionals who need a productivity-focused calendar. It claims to become a central space where you can manage anything and everything about your days ahead.

What Is BusyCal?

BusyCal for macOS calls itself the most powerful, flexible, heavily customizable, and reliable calendar app for macOS. The calendar app ships with all the standard features you would expect, but there are additional options to explore. It is impressive that BusyCal leaves ample room for customization.

The app is developed by Busy Apps, which also creates BusyCal for iOS and BusyContacts for macOS. Since these two apps work well with BusyCal, we will occasionally mention them here. However, the focus is on how BusyCal offers a superior calendar experience compared to its competitors, such as Apple Calendar.

Features Overview

• Flexible Day, Week, Month, and List views with appearance adjustments.
• Quickly create events and tasks by typing naturally (e.g., “Lunch with John tomorrow at 1pm”).
• To-dos appear right in your calendar and automatically roll forward until marked complete.
• Organize events with tags and build saved searches to surface exactly what you want.
• Easily handle travel time, time zones, and complex recurring events.
• Get native macOS alerts plus customizable alarms by email, text, or pop-up.
• See local forecasts directly in your calendar views for better planning.
• Add locations to events with map integration and travel time estimates.
• Deep ties with system services allow quick actions and smooth performance.
• Tweak fonts, colors, layouts, and display preferences to match your workflow.

BusyCal Review

As mentioned earlier, we wanted to understand how effective BusyCal is as an alternative to Apple Calendar and other calendar apps. We didn’t want to give you a cursory overview, either. Instead, to understand how it feels to use BusyCal, we used BusyCal as the default calendar app on our M2 MacBook Air.

For the last 30 days, BusyCal has been assisting us with planning, scheduling, and everything else you’d rely on a calendar for. Here are some insights on this professional-friendly calendar app. We tested the latest version of the app, called 2025.3.2, on a Mac running macOS Tahoe.

The Setup

Getting started with BusyCal is a breeze. After installing the app, a setup wizard guides you through customizing your calendar layout. You can easily integrate your existing Apple Calendar, but BusyCal also supports various calendar services, including Google Calendar. Syncing with Apple Calendar requires creating an app-specific password due to Apple’s security measures.

Overall, it doesn’t take an expert to set up and get started with BusyCal. The process barely takes more than a few minutes.

The Interface

In our opinion, the overall design of BusyCal is quite minimal. We might have liked it a bit more if there were a more vibrant color palette, but that is a personal preference. On the bright side, it leaves plenty of room for customization.

So, if you want to make your calendar look a bit more interesting, you can do that with the help of stickers and sticky notes. In particular, we appreciate how the month view functions seamlessly across both macOS and iOS. You have the option to track your progress throughout the month quickly and easily.

The intuitiveness of the BusyCal UI is demonstrated in various ways. For example, you don’t always have to open separate event icons to make changes. Instead, you can simply drag and drop the event item to adjust its duration. Similarly, you can easily move events between different dates or months.

Additionally, the quick-access sidebar on the left side allows you to manage both active and inactive calendars easily.

Calendar Management

Regardless of the calendar you’re using, BusyCal makes it easy to create and edit events. For starters, you can double-click on any date to create an event, type the name, and change specifics later. While at it, you can use natural language to create events.

We told you that BusyCal offers built-in support for task management and to-do lists. You can go about these features in two ways. One, you can use the built-in interface to manage tasks, which also offers powerful reminder options. Two, you can use a third-party to-do list app and keep everything in sync.

As someone who manages multiple deadlines, the combined interface of BusyCal is impressive in many ways. For instance, we can easily start a timed or untimed task and cross them off as we go about the day. The Task Management module of BusyCal also features well-designed sorting options.

Scheduling & Time Management

BusyCal offers smart filters and search options. Both are great for organizing all your calendars from a single space. Since we use multiple types of calendars for both professional and personal needs, it makes sense to organize the content and filter it accordingly. You can enable your favorite filters from the top part.

The search function is also quick and effective. Once again, you can use natural language to search for events across all those calendars you have enabled. When combined with smart filters, it felt easy to find whatever you are looking for within BusyCal.

You also get plenty of control over recurring events and reminders. These were pretty handy while managing meeting entries from multiple platforms. As long as you have connected the respective calendar accounts, you will get on-time reminders on all connected devices.

If you work with people in a different time zone, you will love the multiple time zone support feature from BusyCal. It allows you to set up your preferences for different time zones and easily consider them when creating or modifying events.

Sharing & Collaboration

The collaboration experience with BusyCal is quite impressive, as it enables seamless work with shared calendars. So, whenever you make changes to a shared calendar, the syncing process is quick, and you don’t have to worry about what happens in the backend.

Thus, you get to focus more on the content and scheduling than on whether it works. It is worth mentioning the integration aspect briefly, as BusyCal can be integrated with various CRM solutions or other contact management apps you may have.

Compatibility & Integration

You get support for calendars such as Reminders, iCloud, Google Calendar, Office 365, Exchange, and others. But if your company uses a CalDAV server such as FastMail or Zimbra, you can easily set it up as well. And depending on the mail server, the reminder and task list facility would also be set up rapidly.

The unified syncing system ensures that changes you make are reflected as soon as possible. Now, when it comes to integration, BusyCal is known for its seamless compatibility with busy contacts, an app developed by the same company.

If you use the calendar app for work-related needs, you can utilize BusyContacts for CRM, which is beneficial when setting up meetings and other engagements.

We also appreciated some nifty integrations, such as weather and maps. Information from both modules is useful when planning your day or week.

Performance & Responsiveness

In our experience, BusyCal has been quite fast, and because it runs natively on Apple Silicon, everything is as quick as possible.

For instance, even when you put a lot of pressure on the system with tens of calendars, it can handle all the tasks very efficiently. At the end of the day, you just need to ensure that there is a stable internet connection that can keep everything synced.

Security & Privacy

BusyCal comes with numerous features designed to protect your privacy and security. In terms of data security, you have the option to create backups and store them in a location of your choice. Similarly, there are ways to ensure that your information is safe by authenticating the servers and verifying that the links are secure.

Overall, you don’t have to worry about your security or privacy while connecting different calendar accounts to BusyCal. The company is one of the most reputable options in the industry, and it has been recognized for its transparent privacy policy.

Pricing & Availability

BusyCal is currently available for macOS 11.0 or later. You can check out its full-feature version for 14 days as part of the free trial.

Post the free trial, you can purchase the app for $49.99. This license bundles the software and 18 months of updates from the developer. After these 18 months, you will continue to have access to the app, but not any updates.

You can also get BusyCal through a Setapp subscription, which we believe offers the most value. BusyCal for iOS, the iPhone/iPad companion app, costs another $9.99.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Highly customizable calendar views (day, week, month, year).
• Built-in to-do and task management alongside events.
• Smart filters, tags, and color coding for organization.
• Supports multiple calendar services like Google, iCloud, and Exchange.
• Travel time, weather, and location integration for context-aware scheduling.
• Customizable alerts, templates, and repeat event options.
• Menu bar, quick view, and natural language event entry.
• Offline functionality for viewing and editing events.
• Strong privacy—no account or cloud lock-in required.

Cons:

• Mac and iOS only; no Windows or Android support.
• Manual setup required on each device, no unified sync.
• Occasional sync delays with certain calendar services.
• Lacks collaborative features like shared task comments.
• Limited automation or integration with third-party workflow tools.

BusyCal Vs Alternatives

Here’s a quick table comparing BusyCal with some popular alternatives like Fantastical and Morgen:

As you can see, though there are some limitations, BusyCal competes well with the options that we have covered. Although this application is limited to the Apple ecosystem, its performance is almost unmatched.

The functional professional look of this application appears to be far superior to other options when you are focused on productivity. It is also less distracting from a usability standpoint.

What Users Say

Brian Clark, founder of United Medical Education, notes:

“BusyCal is my go-to Calendar App on my Mac as it has the one-of-a-kind feature of Customizable Display Filters, which is very important when working with multiple schedules.

My role as both the CEO and a Healthcare Professional requires me to quickly switch back and forth between my ACLS course development calendar, my PALS certification scheduling and my business operations without breaking a sweat.

BusyCal allows me to set up Smart Filters that will immediately hide every event/task that isn’t relevant to what I am currently doing and remove approximately 70% of visual clutter, thus allowing me to focus on exactly what requires my attention at any given time.

Using BusyCal to create instant targeted views saves me an enormous amount of time in each of my daily planning sessions.”

Brian Gunterman, founder and CEO at DDR BBQ Supply, adds:

“BusyCal allows me to keep my work and competitive cook schedule on track and follow reminders through customizable views.”

The Final Verdict

Though there are caveats, BusyCal is a great calendar app when you prioritize simplicity and productivity. It is a convenient option when you want maximum customizability bundled with a standard set of features. Sure, you don’t get many collaboration or AI-scheduler features, but BusyCal checks all the boxes you need to take care of your schedule across multiple calendars, tasks, and reminders.

We also believe BusyCal offers impressive value compared to the features and support you get.

<p>The post BusyCal: A powerful alternative to Apple Calendar on Mac first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

• Setapp is a subscription-based service offering access to over 260 curated macOS, iOS, and web apps for a flat monthly fee.
• It covers a wide range of categories including productivity, creativity, coding, design, AI+, and more.
• Setapp simplifies app management with continuous free updates and personalized recommendations.
• Pricing starts at $9.99/month for one Mac, with family and multi-device plans available.
• Ideal for power users who need diverse tools; casual users might find individual purchases more economical.
• Offers a 7-day free trial and an exclusive 30-day extended trial with promo code THESWEETBITS.

As the famous saying goes, “there’s an app for that”. Setapp offers a smart twist on this idea — a subscription service giving you instant access to a growing library of over 260 carefully curated apps for macOS, iOS, and the web.

What Exactly is Setapp?

Unlike the Mac App Store, which can feel limited by high prices, sandboxing restrictions, and inconsistent trial options, Setapp offers a fresh alternative.

It is a subscription platform from MacPaw that bundles a wide range of high-quality apps across categories like productivity, task management, coding, design, Mac hacks, and more. This continuously updated library is carefully curated for performance and reliability — with all apps included, updated, and ad-free.

With Setapp, you don’t need to buy apps individually or manage multiple subscriptions. Instead, you get seamless access to everything you need in one place, simplifying how you manage your software across all your Apple devices.

“At our core, Setapp strives to simplify how Mac and iOS users discover and distribute apps. By prioritizing value for both users and developers, we’re constantly working to offer an experience that aligns with market demands and the needs of our customers.”

Discover more on how MacPaw reinvents app discovery and usage inside Setapp.

Features Highlight

• Access to over 260 handpicked apps for Mac (& iPhone, iPad, and web).
• A growing selection of AI-powered applications.
• Free to try for 7 days, then $9.99/month for one Mac.
• Flexible subscription plans for multiple devices and families.
• All apps receive free updates, including major upgrades.
• Ad-free experience.
• Unlimited access to new and existing apps in the library.

Our Hands-On Setapp Review

At TheSweetBits, we’ve made finding the best Mac apps a core part of our mission. Having used Setapp on every Mac we’ve owned since 2018, it remains our preferred destination for finding trusted, high-quality apps. While we were impressed by the seamless integration and growing list of iOS apps, it’s worth noting that the true power and diversity of Setapp’s library is still found on the Mac side.

We recently tested the latest Setapp version on an M4 MacBook Air and explored everything from setup to usability and app selection.

Installation and Setup

Installing Setapp on your Mac is like installing any other app. However, you may want to register on the site for an account for a seamless process. It may also be a good idea to start the Setapp free trial.

Setapp asks for standard macOS permissions during installation since it will be installing apps on your device. Apart from this point, the installation and setup are straightforward.

You can also choose to sign in to/sign up for the Setapp subscription after the installation. Once this part has been completed, you can explore all Setapp features.

The User Experience

When you get started with Setapp, you get to see the My Explorer tab of the applications. You can think of this pane as a space where you can find incredible recommendations and the newest additions to the app library that is Setapp.

As you can see, there might be a section called Hidden Gems or a couple of how-tos that can help you get something stuck. There are also personal recommendations and collections that you can explore to find out which apps can help you get the best out of your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

The recommendations become really great and spot-on after you have installed a few apps from Setapp. It learns from how helpful the existing apps are.

Sorting & Filtering

You can also explore other categories, such as On This Mac, Collections, How-Tos, and App Guides, if you want. Setapp also allows you to explore all the apps in its collection or go through separate sections, such as Optimize, Work, Create, Develop, or Solve with AI Plus.

All these options in the sidebar make it easy to navigate the rather large collection of apps that you get from Setup, and once you are in a particular category, you can filter the options further. For instance, if you go to the Optimize app, you can select between options such as Menu Bar and Dock, Battery, CPU and RAM, Temperature, Speed, Screen, etc.

These filters and sorting options make it easy to navigate the vast collection and find something that you would want to install on your Mac, and this system is far better than what I have seen on the Mac App Store.

Search & AI Assistant

You can also use the search bar to find a macOS or iOS app for specific purposes. The best part? You don’t have to search for the name of the app. Instead, you can search for a particular task, such as “develop apps”.

You can also ask the AI-powered Setapp Assistant if you want in-depth suggestions. You can get started with the Setapp assistant and ask for basic tasks like “How to convert PDF to Word?” or “How do you take a screenshot on a Mac?”

If you need an interactive way to find great apps for your Mac, these two functions add a lot of value.

Inside Setapp’s App Collection

Setapp offers a diverse, handpicked app library validated for quality and utility, perfect for power users needing a comprehensive toolkit. Below is a highlight of standout apps from five major categories to give you a flavor of what’s included:

Optimize

• Bartender helps you organize your busy macOS menu bar by arranging menu bar items and managing its behavior.
• BetterTouchTool is a great way to customize almost everything on your Mac. It offers full support for gestures, custom triggers, actions, etc.
• CleanMyMac is an all-in-one optimization and cleaning utility for macOS. It lets you free up storage space, remove applications, and speed up your Mac.
• Get Backup Pro offers fully-fledged backup solutions for your Mac. You can back up data to multiple storage spaces and retain control while doing so.
• iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a trusted way to access NTFS drives from your Mac. This reliable tool makes it easy to format and control hard drives and other storage devices.

Work

• CleanShot X and Xnapper are two great screenshot utilities from the Setapp collection. These utilities make it easy to take beautiful and accurate screenshots on your Mac.
• Timing is a complete time-tracking solution for macOS. You can use the tool to understand the time spent on each app.
• Folx is one of the most popular download managers for macOS. It not only boosts download speeds but also supports torrent downloads and scheduling options.
• GoodTask is an excellent task manager who supports to-dos and reminders. You can sync all your data with other devices as well.
• CleanPresenter makes it easy to optimize how you present content from your Mac. This app offers incredible customization options, for starters.

Create

• Ulysses is probably the best distraction-free writing solution out there. It comes with markup support and various editing options. You can also directly publish content from Ulysses if you’re interested.
• Craft is a collaboration-friendly writing app available for macOS. The Setapp subscription brings the fully-fledged version of Craft, which also now has AI-powered tools.
• Typeface becomes a blessing for developers and designers by keeping track of your fonts. The app is an easy way to test your fonts and organize them.
• Swift Publisher makes everyone a potential publisher of books and booklets. You can use the app to design other design products as well.
• CameraBag Pro is a full-featured photo editor that professionals and beginners can rely on. It comes with a great collection of photo filters and presets.

Develop

• CodeRunner is one of the best multi-language programming editors we’ve seen. Not only is it easy to use, it offers extensive support for code completion.
• Hype is a unique app for HTML5 content creators. You can use Hype to create interactive content based on the HTML5 platform.
• SwiftyLaunch transforms how you build apps by saving up to 50 hours. This app can provide essential modules and pre-built features to optimize your next big iOS app.
• DevUtils is a curated collection of developer tools. You can use the app to quickly access generators and debuggers.
• SSH Config Editor is an effective way to manage your SSH config files from the convenience of your Mac. It will help automate many processes, thus saving a lot of time on your end.

Solve with AI+

• MurmurType is probably the best AI-powered we have come across recently. Powered by OpenAI’s Whisper engine, MurmurType can transcribe audio in almost every language you speak.
• Elephas is an AI-powered content editor that works across macOS. You can use ChatGPT’s generative ability without worrying about API keys and other technicalities.
• PDF Pals makes it easy to chat with your PDF documents. It uses the power of ChatGPT and other AI platforms to make things easier.
• Superwhisper allows you to transcribe audio to text on your Mac. You can easily download models to your Mac and get the job done.
• Spellar AI is a real-time assistant that helps you improve your performance in meetings. It can assist with English pronunciation, vocabulary, body language, etc.

Something great here is that Setapp offers iOS apps for many of these solutions. So you can enjoy the same experience on desktop and mobile devices.

Pricing

Setapp starts at $9.99/month for access on one Mac. For a bundle covering Mac plus iOS devices (up to 5 devices), the price is $12.49/month, and for a power user package (up to 8 devices), it’s $14.99/month.

Annual billing offers a 10% discount, dropping the monthly price to $8.99.

Students and teachers can get additional discounts, making Setapp even more accessible.

If you’re unsure, the 7-day free trial offers access to the entire app catalog at no cost.

Exclusive offer for TheSweetBits readers!

Guys, we have great news! Setapp reached out to us and provided a coupon exclusively for our readers. Use promo code THESWEETBITS or follow this link to enjoy a 30-day extended trial. This extended trial gives you even more time to discover the vast collection of high-quality apps Setapp has to offer and see how it can transform your workflow.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Access to a vast, high-quality library of Mac apps, with a growing number of useful iOS companions.
• Simplifies installation, updates, and app management.
• Personalized recommendations enhance discovery.
• Includes AI-powered apps and regular updates.
• Family and device-flexible plans available.

Cons

• Access to apps depends on an active subscription (no ownership).
• Apps may occasionally be removed from the catalog.
• Lacks some full-featured industry-standard apps found elsewhere.

Setapp vs. Mac App Store

Here’s a quick comparison of Setapp and the Mac App Store.

As you can see, the only aspect where the Mac App Store offers better value than Setapp is ownership. When you get an app from the MAS, you get full ownership and offline access. You might also have concerns about Setapp removing apps from its library. So, if you really want to own the Mac apps, you should stick to the Mac App Store.

We also wanted to mention the case of sandboxing. Many apps on the Mac App Store are sandboxed, meaning that all their functionalities are not available. Setapp, on the other hand, offers many apps without sandbox. This makes a huge difference when it comes to customization apps like BetterTouchTool and CleanMyMac.

But you also get the typical benefits of a subscription model without subscribing to different apps/vendors. For instance, Setapp offers continuous upgrades, including major ones. With the Mac App Store, you need to pay for every major upgrade.

Setapp FAQs

Are Setapp apps safe?
Yes. Setapp partners with reputable developers and conducts thorough reviews to ensure safety, privacy, and high functionality.

Is Setapp available on the Mac App Store?
No, Setapp is a standalone platform; you download its desktop app directly from its website.

Can I use Setapp on multiple Macs?
Yes, subscriptions generally allow use on two or more Macs depending on the plan.

Does Setapp Mobile require a special plan?
Yes, the iOS app selection requires advanced plans and, currently, is available only in the EU.

Is Setapp worth it?
If you frequently use multiple apps for productivity, creativity, or development, Setapp offers tremendous convenience and value. Casual users might find buying individual apps more economical long-term.

Final Words

Setapp shines for users who want effortless access to a broad range of quality apps across Apple devices. Its subscription model simplifies app discovery, installation, and updating, while the curated library ensures dependable performance.

For casual users who rely on only a handful of apps, the pay-per-app approach of the Mac App Store might be preferable due to ownership and offline access.

Ultimately, it’s a trade-off between ownership and convenience/value. Thanks to the free trial and our exclusive 30-day extended offer, you can explore Setapp risk-free and decide if it fits your needs.

Updated on Aug.6, 2025.

<p>The post Setapp: A subscription service for Mac apps (& iOS apps) first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

TL;DR: Motion is an all-in-one productivity app that combines smart scheduling, task management, and AI-powered automation. After using it for a week, we found it particularly helpful for reducing decision fatigue, optimizing work hours, and replacing multiple tools like Calendly, Asana, and even Notion.

What Is Motion

Motion calls itself the AI-powered SuperApp for work. This multipurpose platform aims to replace multiple tools you need for your team. Motion aims to replace project, task, calendar, meeting, document, and note management tools with a judicious use of AI.

In doing so, Motion claims to help you get work done at a 10x pace. If these claims are true, having Motion means you don’t need things like Things, Asana/Monday, Calendly, Otter, and Notion/Evernote/Obsidian. In addition, Motion works with platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Calendar.

There are two major USPs to Motion. One, it brings multiple tools together to create a central dashboard for your (personal or team-based) projects. Two, all these modules use the power of AI to boost productivity across your team.

Motion Features

Let’s look at some of the core features that Motion offers:

• AI-Powered Calendar: This Motion AI module lets you make the best out of your time without all the hassle of scheduling. It can efficiently analyze your calendars and find the right spot for your projects and tasks.
• Project Manager: The project management utility from Motion claims to help your team save up to 50% of the time through prediction, analysis, and constant improvement. The AI engine helps your team with analytics and standard proceedings.
• Gantt Charts: Motion brings the power of AI predictions and updates to traditional Gantt charts. This module makes it easy for big teams to manage multiple projects at once while not engaging in micromanaging.
• Task Manager: Motion’s Task Management module also goes beyond the conventional idea. On top of keeping track of all your tasks, Motion will re-prioritize everything to meet your needs. It can also give you a heads-up for tasks that won’t be completed on time.
• Meeting Assistant: Motion also works as a meeting assistant, integrating well with platforms like Google Meet and Zoom. It takes care of scheduling, note-taking, and availability tracking and works with popular platforms.

Motion prioritizes workload and team efficiency instead of focusing on numbers and dashboards.

Our Hands-On Motion Review

Like we do for other products we review, we wanted to test all aspects of Motion. We were a bit concerned, though — our small team and flexible work style might not be the best fit to showcase Motion’s project management and Gantt chart capabilities.

So instead, we focused on how Motion supports individual workflows, daily scheduling, and note/document handling.

Getting Started with Motion

Getting started with Motion is quite straightforward, thanks to a wizard-like interface. As soon as you log into the account, Motion will ask you for a few things. For instance, you can connect all the calendars you want to manage and set up recurring tasks. More importantly, Motion lets you provide details about your work week and timings. The AI engine will use these timings when scheduling your tasks across the week.

Everything is editable and customizable to the dot. For instance, if you want to adjust the working hours for some days of the week, you can do it anytime. We also found that Recurring Tasks add great value. Motion will notify you about these things at the right time—like your lunch or tea break..

In a few seconds, you can complete the setup for Motion, and the dashboard will welcome you.

UI Design and User Experience

Those who are familiar with tools like ClickUp and Notion won’t have any trouble navigating across Motion. The left sidebar is the central navigation element, which lets you access different modules such as Tasks, Agenda, Calendar, All Projects, Team Schedule, and Meeting Notes. This sidebar interface also lets you access your workspaces and some real-time notifications.

Each module has a well-optimized UI of its own. For instance, the Calendar module lets you choose between multiple viewing options.

Similarly, you get to decide how different tasks, projects, and their priorities would be shown on screen. So, Motion retains a design that makes things easier for those who are migrating from platforms like Notion, Monday, or Asana. At the same time, the UI leaves enough room for customization. It is pretty convenient that you can choose between multiple viewing options regardless of the module.

Overall, we really loved the user experience that Motion offers.

Now that we have covered the basics of Motion, we shall see how the AI-powered platform helped us in day-to-day tasks and battles.

Daily Battle Against Decision Fatigue

Prioritizing tasks and making the right decision was something we struggled with, especially when there were too many projects. Earlier, we had to maintain priority lists on different apps in addition to sticky notes on our table.

With Motion, however, we can skip most of these routines. All we have to do is add a task on Motion AI and set the deadline. Because the AI engine knows our working hours and can access our calendar entries, it will assign that task to a suitable slot. Because we receive on-time notifications about starting the tasks, things are easy and hassle-free.

We get more time to focus on the task instead of worrying about whether things will clash with another lecture or a meeting. Because the engine has access to our recurring tasks like food and workout sessions, we can stay away from those worries as well.

Another standout is Motion’s ability to connect multiple calendars to the Motion Calendar. This way, we get to make sure that all parts of our lives are considered before tasks are scheduled.

Overall, we love how Motion helps us deal with the various difficulties we face when it comes to scheduling tasks and following up.

Calendar as Command Center

The AI-powered calendar module on Motion works as a comprehensive command center for all your tasks and projects. First, the calendar on Motion is quite customizable, and you can choose between different viewing modes and priorities. The Day view offers a clear preview of what is lined up for the day as well as how Motion has scheduled the tasks for us.

You can easily add events or tasks to your schedule as usual. With the ‘Reschedule Tasks’ button, Motion will automatically reorganize them for you. If the engine can find a suitable time on the same day, it will be rescheduled accordingly. Otherwise, Motion will push the event or task to the next available period.

It is impressive that we can get to know almost everything about these schedules from a single screen. We must also appreciate how intuitive the User Interface is. It feels so convenient to drag-and-drop or pull-to-expand tasks.

Priority-Driven Deep Work Optimization

Something we deeply appreciate about Motion is that it is not intrusive. At the same time, you can use the platform to prioritize and optimize your work schedule for improved productivity. It’s impressive that we get to choose what tasks are a priority to us.

Thanks to this approach, if we need to ensure that we spend quality time with our family, a week with intensive workloads would not prevent us. As a result, we get to stay calmer about how our work week ahead looks like. The Project Manager feature also deserves a mention.

We tried the feature to create project templates for something up ahead. Motion makes it easy to not only split the project into chunks but also assign sufficient work blocks/chunks to each section. In the end, we don’t have to worry about whether we are on track with the project.

Once again, for someone who overthinks a lot, having a proper plan that is flexible is no less than a blessing. Because we know that the Motion calendar will find time within our time, we are less worried about unexpected meetings or deadline changes.

Performance and Efficiency

Thanks to its different modules working together, Motion has contributed to improved performance and efficiency in work life.

First, because it takes care of scheduling, we can spend more time on the actual tasks. It also considers our workday schedules and other commitments. It essentially makes sure that none of our time is wasted. It is a big achievement for someone dealing with deadlines from multiple realms of their life. Using Motion also helped us realize how much time we normally spend on scheduling our week.

We also noticed that a well-packed calendar has made us more efficient, especially because we know we are getting time for important events, nevertheless. This tool has also helped us recognize underlying patterns in our productivity. We have started relying on these insights while choosing deadlines for tasks and general planning. In short, although Motion is designed for teams, it has made our individual work lives better.

Apps and Integrations

Motion is designed to work with multiple services and apps. It also offers dedicated clients for mobile and desktop devices. For the review, we have used the macOS app for Motion, which works great. You can get the official apps for Android and Windows as well. However, we haven’t heard great things about the Android app.

When it comes to integrations, Motion does not disappoint. First, you get native integration with services like Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, Zoom, Google Meet, and Gmail. You can also set up your Microsoft Outlook account with it. These are the basic options, and you get decent functionalities for accessing all the features that Motion offers.

When it comes to third-party integrations, the list includes platforms like Zapier, Make.com, and Pipedream. All these are designed in such a way that you can get the most out of task automation, custom workflows, and collaboration at the team level.

In short, it works great with existing apps/services that you may already be using.

Pricing and Plans

You can choose between two plans from Motion: Individual and Business Standard.

The Individual plan gives you access to features like scheduling, task management, calendar, etc. It will cost you $19 per month when paid annually. This plan is great for individuals.

The Business Standard plan would cost $12 per user per month and is available for smaller businesses with less than 15 members. You get advanced features like Timeline, Gantt views, project delivery predictions, AI for SOP, etc.

At first look, Motion is indeed expensive. If you are paying monthly, you will have to pay around $34 per month, which is not a small amount. But what you should keep in mind is the time that Motion can help you save.

For someone handling multiple projects every day and having trouble taking care of all these aspects, this could be a good investment by any means. We should also remember that it can easily replace your other premium subscriptions, such as Asana and Monday.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• AI-driven scheduling and task prioritization for optimized workflows.
• Unified platform for calendar, task, and project management.
• Automatic rescheduling of tasks based on changing priorities.
• Time-blocking and focus-time features to enhance productivity.
• Integrates with tools like Google Calendar, Outlook, Slack, and Zoom.
• Mobile, desktop, and web apps for accessibility on the go.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for new users; not very intuitive initially.
• Auto-scheduling may not always align with user preferences.
• High pricing compared to other productivity tools; no free plan available.

FAQs

Who uses Motion?

Motion is for everyone who wants to get organized, stay on top of the tasks, and experience a bit more control over the work they do without having to worry about the tasks and scheduling.

Is Motion worth it?

Yes, Motion is worth it for two reasons. It’s very affordable, AI-powered, and it provides extreme value for individuals, teams, businesses, and even some of the largest enterprises.

Can students take advantage of Motion?

Yes, Motion is ideal for students who have a busy schedule. Inputting tasks that need to be done might take a while but Motion can change how and when you study to maximize your time spent studying.

Is there Motion alternative for smart scheduling?
‘While Motion excels in smart scheduling, several tools offer a different but valuable experience. Reclaim AI prioritizes work-life balance with AI suggestions, while Clockwise focuses on calendar clarity and scheduling efficiency. Research and compare options to find the best fit for your needs.

Conclusion

After testing Motion for over a week, we have found it quite impressive and worth the money it asks for.

Motion has been able to replace multiple services like Monday and Asana and bring the best of AI into rudimentary tasks. In particular, the options for automated scheduling and due date predictions can offer incredible value at individual and enterprise levels.

The macOS app of Motion works flawlessly, offering a seamless experience thanks to keyboard shortcuts and other integrations. But please note 2015 and older Macs currently aren’t supported.

Overall, if you need an AI-powered, centralized way to schedule and manage your work life, Motion is a great choice.

For more details, visit the official site usemotion.com

<p>The post Motion: A multipurpose AI productivity app that delivers first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

If you don’t know, macOS comes with a built-in text expansion utility, but it is hardly enough. TextExpander for Mac, however, addresses the multiple issues with such built-in tools and offers a brand-new experience when it comes to auto-correcting and expanding text on your Mac.

About TextExpander

In its essence, TextExpander is a text replacement and keyboard shortcut management app. It’s available for macOS, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, and Android. It also offers a Chrome extension, which is available on multiple Chromium-based web browsers.

The idea behind TextExpander is simple. When you type something, TextExpander will replace it with content you have decided before. For instance, you can write something like “today”, and TextExpander can replace it with the current date.

This is a simple example, and the possibilities with TextExpander are virtually endless. Depending on where you work and what you do, you can customize TextExpander to suit your needs. But you can get a jumpstart with some resources as well.

Features Highlight

Here are some core features of TextExpander:

• TextExpander can help you save the time you spend on hitting keystrokes. You can use this feature to put your full signature or a cold mail template by typing a single word.
• TextExpander can also help you easily type letters or characters that are difficult to find on a normal keyboard, like the symbols for copyright (©) or infinity (∞).
• All keyboard shortcuts and expansions through TextExpander are 100% customizable. You get to edit not only the content but also how TextExpander behaves across your Mac or iPhone.
• You can download and set up different TextExpander devices for easy use. Then, when needed, you can enter the respective shortcuts to proceed. It could be an offer letter or thank you mail.
• Thanks to its support for fill-ins and macros, TextExpander can help you with form-filling and creating custom content without breaking a sweat.
• The TextExpander apps for macOS, Windows, and iOS integrate so well with the system and third-party apps like note-taking apps and project management suites.

From the TextExpander Team

“We have an exciting year planned, with new features and innovative AI-powered functionality designed to help you curate a valuable Snippet library, more easily access the Snippets you need, keep your Snippet library clean and up to date without lots of manual work, and more.

We’re currently working on features such as:

• Snippet change history and reverting changes
• Suggesting changes to shared Snippets
• Increased admin visibility into org member Snippets
• More powerful search across your library and within Snippets
• Library cleanup tools

We hope you’re as excited as we are for these enhanced curation tools!”

TextExpander Review

All features of TextExpander sound great on paper, but the reality could be different. We wanted to see how TextExpander performs in real life. So, we decided to set up everything and try TextExpander for Mac for an entire week. Here’s a brief review of what we found:

Getting Started

Installing and getting started with TextExpander for Mac takes only a few minutes. You need to download a setup file from the official site and complete the installation. During this process, TextExpander will ask for Accessibility permission, which is needed for text replacement and correction.

You will also have to log in using the TextExpander account. After these steps, TextExpander will run in the background, and you can access the main interface through the dock icon or the menu bar widget. It offers a few more ways to access the snippets and more resources.

You may also want to configure team-based collaboration options during the setup. For instance, you get to control who from your team can access which snippets. Depending on the business plan, you may have other options, such as custom domain setup as well.

UI and Navigation

Something we love about TextExpander is that it integrates well with macOS. So, when it runs properly, you don’t know there is a third-party app under the hood. Instead, you feel like the built-in text replacement has become far better.

When you install TextExpander, you get to install some public text expansion collections. Some of them are Accented Words, Contractions, Past and Future Dates, Symbols, and TidBITS AutoCorrect. When you finally open the TextExpander interface, you can see these collections on the left sidebar.

You can click one of the snippet collections, select a single snippet, and customize it accordingly. It is equally easy to add a new snippet or collection. As you can see above, I am adding a new snippet where the trigger word is “address”, and it will be expanded to the full address.

TextExpander also lets you seamlessly download and install snippet collections from its website. So, if you’d like to have some expansions that would help you in particular instances, you can download them instead of adding individual snippets.

Overall, unlike the many tools we have come across, TextExpander is easy to use and navigate. It does not expect you to be proficient with command-line interfaces or complex coding languages.

Let’s now look at how TextExpander for Mac fares in some important aspects.

Text Expansion and Correction

TextExpander for Mac does an excellent job with text expansion and correction. What makes it great is the amount of customization you can utilize. As we saw, you can customize all personal snippet collections like you want them to. These features can help you optimize productivity across your workflows.

For instance, you can decide the type of content you want to paste when you enter the trigger word. It could be plain text, rich text, Shell Script, Apple Script, and JavaScript. Choosing Rich Text means you can craft fully-fledged content as expanded text.

However, if you want to go a step further, you can use Apple Script or JavaScript.

The interface also lets you choose the case sensitivity of each snippet. We particularly loved the option called Adapt to Case of Abbreviation. It will intelligently alter the content text according to how you type the trigger word.

By the way, you can use a universal search function to access all the (public and private) snippets connected to your account. On Mac, you can use the Command + / shortcut to access the search menu. So, if you don’t want to type the trigger phrase, you can search for it and press the Enter key.

This option works great when you have too many snippets and want to have a preview of what you will be doing to the text.

Overall, text expansion and correction work great when you use TextExpander for Mac.

Personal Snippet Management

Categorization and labeling are two strong suits of snippet management using TextExpander for Mac.

You can have two categories of snippets on TextExpander: Just Me and Public. The first category consists of snippets that you can add and customize as per your choice. On the other hand, Public snippets are mostly read-only, and you can download these templates from the official TextExpander site.

For instance, here’s a snippet collection named CamelCase that I downloaded from the official site. This set of snippets can convert brand names into the correct case, like “car play” to CarPlay and “itunes” to iTunes. Though you can’t edit the snippets in this collection, you can duplicate the set and modify entries later.

You can also subscribe to snippet collections so that you get updates made to them. We also loved the ever-growing collection of ready-made snippets from Public Groups. The core developers make some of these groups, but third-party individuals are also involved.

Team Snippet Management

When it comes to an Enterprise setting, TextExpander offers additional options for snippet management. It has some positive impacts, too. For instance, you can auto-subscribe users to snippets and use organization-controlled snippet sharing.

As an admin, you get more control than ever before when it comes to snippet management. For instance, it helps to have a powerful snippet editor that can deal with images and other multimedia elements. You can also use the three-tier structure—Just Me, Organization, and Public—to manage the collection better.

The statistics you get from TextExpander will also help you analyze how the use of snippets is affecting your team’s overall productivity. We also loved the option of Usage-based billing, where inactive users will not rack up your monthly/annual budget.

Along with these, TextExpander also offers some additional security measures and Single Sign-on (SSO) with some advanced business plans. These features work great in ensuring that your teams follow the structures that you have designed for the organization, starting with how your brand name is stylized.

Macros for Personal Use

If you want to go the extra mile for productivity, you’d love how TextExpander lets you make use of macros and other scripting tools. The best part? You don’t need to be a hardcore coding expert to get this job done.

I will show you a simple example of how I have used these macros.

I want to keep a manual journal for my daily thoughts, and I prefer to use a markup editor, not a journal app. However, having to type the date and time manually isn’t all that fun. Instead, I created a TextExpander snippet, which uses the trigger phrase “timepicker”.

So, whenever I type this phrase, TextExpander will replace it with the current month, day, and time. In the same way, you can make use of other macros related to time, keyboard, special characters, etc. You can use this script to interlink two snippets as well.

Macros for Business Use

Let’s say that you are using TextExpander macros for your team. In this case, the possibilities are endless. I will take you through some examples.

At the base level, you can integrate macros into email messages and templates that you regularly use. This way, users across your team can send standard email messages without typing the same thing again. Because TextExpander macros draw information in real time, you need not worry about accuracy, either.

Another instance where TextExpander can help is with the management of SOPs and FAQs. Because a central authority can control these snippets and make users subscribe to them, you can modify settings once and make sure that all teams follow through.

As you can guess, you can use TextExpander to create and manage signatures. At a business level, you can use this feature to keep things consistent as well. For one, I can use the fill-in function to allow team members to insert a standard signature structure while also allowing them to customize it to an extent.

Overall, the custom macros and scripting options on TextExpander offer so much value for those who need additional options.

Pricing & Plans

We must add that TextExpander is made primarily for enterprise teams, but we have found it useful for both personal and professional environments alike. TextExpander for individuals has plans starting at $3.33 per month.

However, if you have a small team and want collaborative and sharing features, you can get its Business plan for $8.33 per user per month. You can also go for the Growth plan, which will set you back at $10.83 per user per month. Bigger teams may require the Enterprise plan as well.

Regardless of the plan you choose, you can enjoy a 30-day free trial for TextExpander. This free trial provides you with access to features and apps on platforms, including Windows, macOS, Chrome, Android, and iOS.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It can save minutes, if not hours when configured properly
• Integrates so well with macOS; works across most applications
• You get impressive customization options for each module
• TextExpander offers an amazing collection of snippets and templates
• Increasing compatibility with devices like Android and iPad

Cons

• It would be nice to have a free version
• Some issues with macOS Terminal

Final Notes

Compared to the many text expansion apps available for Mac and other platforms, TextExpander is a value-adding solution for most people. It does more than replace text with something else. Its integration with macOS and other platforms makes TextExpander a must-have tool for boosting productivity.

As you have seen, TextExpander for Teams offers additional possibilities as well. The ability to manage and modify snippets at a team level is impressive, indeed. So, you may want to consider that upgrade if you can benefit from consistent text, FAQs, SOPs, and more.

More details, please visit offical TextExpander.com

<p>The post TextExpander: Your secret weapon for typing less first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

What Is Elephas?

Elephas works as a digital assistant app that can help you with many productivity-oriented tasks, such as research, brainstorming, and content creation. However, unlike ChatGPT or Perplexity, Elephas is designed to prioritize context.

Therefore, instead of relaying information between you and an AI service, Elephas understands the resources you provide and comes up with actionable responses. More importantly, Elephas creates a Brain, which is a knowledge base. It lets you have multiple brains that you can use for various projects.

You always have the option to chat with these brains or a mainstream LLM like ChatGPT or Claude. Elephas also packs additional utilities such as system-wide writing tools and grammar checks.

Core Features

Let’s look at the core features of Elephas for Mac:

• Create smart AI brains that you can use to feed information and chat with. These digital brains can access information from versatile document formats like PDF, DOCX, images, and videos.
• The Super Chat function allows you to engage in a semantic chat with your brain and documents. It’s also designed to show references and connections whenever appropriate.
• The Super Command functionality of Elephas can help you with dictation, book summaries, creating presentations, etc.
• Elephas also brings a system-wide AI writing assistant, helping you fix grammar mistakes, rephrase, summarize, and chat with webpages.
• An offline mode allows you to use local-run LLMs to power Elephas and ensure that your documents never leave your premises.

As Ayush Chaturvedi, co-founder of Elephas, notes:

“Elephas today has a range of powerful features, but its core appeal is in its ability to provide a layer of AI anywhere you need on your Mac.”

Elephas Review: A Deep Dive into Features & Benefits

Setting up and getting started with Elephas does not take more than a few minutes. You can get the official app from the website or Setapp subscription. After the installation, you can configure Elephas in different ways. You get to choose between efficiency, privacy, and performance.

One, you can pick one of the integrated service options or connect an existing API for services like ChatGPT or Grok. Alternatively, you can run an LLM on your Mac and ask Elephas to use it.

Once set up, Elephas offers powerful features that transform how you manage information and tasks.

# Super Brain

Super Brain is at the core of Elephas’ functionality. Either way, you can start interacting with Super Brain to interact with complex information from different parts of your Mac. For instance,

• Writing Assistance: As you draft an important email, you can summon Elephas’ writing tools with a quick hotkey. It helps you refine the language, ensuring the message is clear and impactful.
• Research and Summarization: When you’re working on a project that requires extensive research, with Elephas’ Super Brain, you simply feed it with relevant documents, web pages, and your own notes. Then, you can chat with this brain to quickly extract key insights without manually sifting through all the material.
• Content Creation: While brainstorming ideas for a blog post, you can use Elephas to generate outlines, expand on concepts, or even help with writer’s block. Its AI-powered suggestions often spark new angles you hadn’t considered.
• Email Management: When faced with a full inbox, you can leverage Elephas to draft quick replies or summarize long email threads. As Ayush explains:

“Let’s say you want to answer an email, you can bring up the Elephas shortcut menu, and get it to reply to the email. You can even give it a prompt based on how you want the reply to be. And it works right there inline, inside your favorite email app, no need to go to a different browser tab and copy pasting long emails.”

“This is why we built the super brain feature in Elephas. It’s where we integrate with a wide variety of note taking and personal knowledge management apps, and help them bring all their data from different sources into a single ‘brain’.”

# Super Command

Super Command is another game-changing feature that brings almost all of Elephas’ capabilities to your fingertips. Let’s say we need to quickly understand the key offerings of OpenAI. We navigate to openai.com, then activate Super Command by pressing Control + /. From the command palette, we select “Summarize webpage.” Within seconds, Elephas provides us with a concise summary of OpenAI’s main products and services, saving us the time of reading through the entire website.

Additionally, you can use Super Command for tasks like:

• Generating and fixing content directly in emails, notes, and documents.
• Accessing AI features through customizable hotkeys.
• Creating custom AI commands tailored to our specific workflow needs.

Elephas integrates seamlessly with other services we use daily, such as Notion, YouTube, Bear, and Obsidian, making it a central hub for our productivity needs. Plus, with its cloud-sync feature,  you can access your digital brains from your iPhone as well.

# Workflow Automation

Elephas recently introduced a powerful Workflow Automation feature for Mac users, currently in beta. This new functionality allows you to create custom AI-powered workflows, automating complex tasks across your applications. The feature includes a library of pre-built workflows for common use cases such as summarizing brain files, finding files that discuss specific topics, web searching, and drawing mindmaps or charts.

Users can trigger workflows from the Super Chat by typing “@” followed by the workflow name. For example, you can filter specific files using the filter icon in the Chat tab, then type “@Summarize Brain Files” to quickly summarize the selected documents. This feature significantly enhances Elephas’ ability to streamline work processes and boost productivity.

# Our Take

Considering the features it offers and the value you get, Elephas for Mac is an effectiveway to leverage AI for productivity and research. Its context-aware nature improves the accuracy and reliability of results. We also loved the options for using custom AI engines and running the entire thing locally and the newly introduced Workflow Automation feature, which takes task automation to the next level.

Pricing and Plans

Elephas offers a free version that you can use for as long as you like. However, you won’t get some features like Integration.

If you want the complete feature set, you need to purchase an Elephas license, which starts at $7.50 per month. If you are looking for unlimited AI credits, you have to pay $15.83 per month. An alternative option is to grab the basic plan and hook it up with your OpenAI API key.

If you have a powerful Mac (16GB RAM), you can try running the LLMs offline as well.

Folks can check out Elephas from its home page, and note that Elephas requires minimum macOS version of 11.

<p>The post Elephas: A digital second brain that supercharges AI productivity on your Mac first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

But now, when we sit to check the latest Grammarly after five years, it is not as simple as it used to be. On the one hand, Grammarly seems to have (almost) perfected its grammar-checking game. On the other hand, there are too many things to consider when you get the Grammarly package.

TheSweetBits’ key takeaways

• Grammarly excels as a versatile writing assistant with accurate grammar checks, intelligent style suggestions, and adaptable AI features.
• Its seamless integration across platforms and robust plagiarism checker make it a valuable tool for writers.
• However, Grammarly’s macOS app could benefit from additional features, and its suggestions could be more contextually aware for optimal performance.
• Despite these minor drawbacks, Grammarly remains a strong choice for writers seeking to improve their writing.

What is Grammarly?

Grammarly is now a fully-fledged writing assistant that packs multiple modules. Depending on your plan and requirements, you can use one or all of these features. However, overall, Grammarly is now an AI-powered writing tool that can not only detect grammatical errors but also improve/enhance your text for many contexts and purposes.

Core features of Grammarly

• 360-degree grammar, syntax, readability, and flow detection and suggestions
• AI-powered Tone Suggestions that optimize your word choice for contexts
• Full Sentence Rewrites to ensure clarity and brevity for all your writings
• Intelligent style suggestions based on popular guides (APA, MLA, Chicago) and custom styles
• AI-powered Writing Assistant that you can engage in conversations with

In short, Grammarly claims to offer everything you could ever ask from a writing assistant. It feels like having a highly skilled writing assistant by your side. But here are a few questions.

1. How do these features translate to real life?
2. Does Grammarly stay faithful to its promises?
3. How is the experience on a Mac?

Well, we’ve answered all these questions below so that you can make an informed decision.

Using Grammarly for Mac

Before we evaluate the core features of Grammarly, we want to give you a quick overview of how Grammarly works on a Mac. We have been using Grammarly for Mac for almost seven years, and it is the go-to writing assistant on our M2 MacBook Air running macOS Sonoma. Here’s what we feel about Grammarly on Mac.

You can install and use Grammarly on your Mac in three ways:

1. Grammarly Desktop for Mac
2. Grammarly add-on for Word/other apps
3. Grammarly extension for Chrome/Edge/Safari/other browsers

For some reason, we use all these modes. Wondering why?

Ironically enough, Grammarly expects you to write in the same language/dialect across all platforms. It is difficult for a writer who HAS to write in multiple dialects of English, for instance. It is a major hassle when we have to change the language/dialect whenever we change a document.

Unfortunately, this change does not happen instantly. In many cases, we have had to restart. However, we also noticed that the problem occurs mainly on Macs, not Windows devices.

Thus, we have multiple free and paid Grammarly accounts for various apps/add-ons. Fortunately for you, we can quickly tell you the difference between Grammarly Free and Paid.

Installation and Setup

The installation and setup for Grammarly on Mac are pretty straightforward. You can download Grammarly Desktop from the official website and set it up. After installation, Grammarly will ask for some accessibility permissions. These are required to show over apps and offer real-time suggestions.

Once you have provided these permissions, you can start using Grammarly.

User Interface and Usability

The UI and usability of Grammarly Desktop are top-notch. By default, Grammarly works on any app where you open a text field. So, right after you install this app, you can start writing something in Word, and you’ll get instant suggestions.

As for the UI design, you can see a pop-up interface on the bottom-right portion of the window. It will show the current number of suggestions, and you can expand on them as you wish. We often keep the interface closed until we’ve done the writing part.

Once the writing is done, we can entirely focus on the edits. This is where all those powerful AI-powered features come in.

Available Functions and Performance

Most of Grammarly’s advertised features work fine on macOS. However, the Grammarly Desktop app for Mac is not as function-rich as its Windows counterpart. You understand the difference when you use Word on a Windows PC with Grammarly installed.

Of course, essential functions like grammar check, style and tone suggestions, plagiarism check, and AI-powered writing suggestions work across most applications. However, we could not find an option for custom tone control or document-specific settings.

Ironically, these are available when we use a Grammarly browser add-on. Even better, you get better control when you set up Grammarly on a Windows PC.

AI-powered features

Grammarly claims that all of its features are AI-powered and AI-driven.

Grammar and Spelling Checks

Grammarly doesn’t let you down when it comes to basic grammar and spelling checks. As long as you choose the appropriate language and variety (US, UK, Australian, Indian, etc.), you get almost instant suggestions on grammar, syntax, and spelling. You also have the option to correct spelling errors, saving a lot of time automatically.

But, when you write as much as we have, you find a way to navigate grammar rules. In that sense, Grammarly may seem a bit puritan in that it enforces some grammar conventions that don’t make sense anymore. Rest assured, you can really improve your writing clarity and accuracy with Grammarly (Premium or Not).

Style and Tone Suggestions

We could say the same about style and tone suggestions from Grammarly. Then, again, the problem is when Grammarly does not understand the context. In these cases, many suggestions from Grammarly become a little too redundant. We end up dismissing tens of these suggestions in a single document.

But, if you are asking whether Grammarly makes your writing better, the answer is YES. It offers a huge room for improvement. For example, Grammarly suggested changing ‘analyze’ to ‘examine’ in our academic paper, which significantly improved clarity. However, as you continue using Grammarly, you should also develop a sense of discretion. This discretion will help you dismiss the suggestions that need to go.

We have noticed a genre-specific problem when we write for academic purposes. Grammarly tends to suggest words that are meant to make the writing more engaging but end up changing the deeper meanings or arguments.

For beginners, however, the AI-powered tone and style suggestions from Grammarly are great to start with.

Plagiarism Detection

The plagiarism checker utility from Grammarly is minimalistic, but it is quite accurate. We’ve compared the results with those from Quillbot and Turnitin, and they are competitive enough. This feature seems to work fine with most devices and platforms as well.

You can scan the entire document for plagiarism, and Grammarly will highlight the problematic areas in a few seconds. Considering its accuracy, we would say that Grammarly is pretty fast when it comes to plagiarism detection.

AI-Powered Rewriting

We cannot list all the AI-powered rewriting and editing features you can find in Grammarly. Doing so would be impractical. However, here are a few insights on how these features work.

• Complete Rewrites

Complete rewrites with Grammarly are similar to what you would get from ChatGPT or any other AI-based editor. However, you get some great prompt suggestions. For instance, when writing an academic paper, you can ask Grammarly to suggest counterarguments. This feature helps you improve your arguments and the manuscript by accommodating versatile ideas.

• My Voice

When you use Grammarly for some time, it learns about your writing style and creates something it calls as “Your Voice.” These are some characteristics of your writing, and you can ask Grammarly to rewrite anything in your voice. When you select a sentence and launch the Grammarly AI assistant, you can choose between many options.

If you do not find a preset, you can tell Grammarly what to do. Thanks to the powerful LLMs under its hood, Grammarly can make appropriate changes. But this is very unlikely, as you would find quite a lot of prompts within the interface.

In short, the AI-powered features of the Grammarly package are impressive, indeed. Even if you don’t know any better, you can’t go wrong with them.

Performance and accuracy

Here’s a quick look at the performance and accuracy of Grammarly. Since we use Grammarly on a Mac, we could be a little biased. Instead, we have tried to provide an overview of these aspects.

Real-time editing and suggestions

The real-time correction and improvement suggestions from Grammarly are on-point and accurate most of the time. However, we have felt the editors from AI assistants like ChatGPT are more context-aware in many instances. It would be nice to see a more context-aware version of Grammarly. However, this does not ruin the experience by any means.

On the other hand, Grammarly performs well and delivers these suggestions instantly. If you use the built-in editor interface, you can shave a few seconds for every sentence you write. But, in the grand scheme of things, these delays don’t matter much. Instead, you get to enjoy seamless corrections and editing for the various texts/manuscripts.

Comparison with other grammar checkers

Numbers aside, Grammarly has some strong competition in the market. Since we have had some difficulties using Grammarly on Mac, we have tried most other options below.

• LanguageTool is a viable alternative to Grammarly, and it provides fundamental features for not only editing but also improving what you write. However, I have found that LanguageTool is not as accurate as Grammarly in many instances. Using LanguageTool instead of Grammarly cost me a few projects, as a matter of fact.
• Quillbot also has a functional grammar checker and plagiarism checker you can use. However, in addition to being toned-down versions, Quillbot focuses on more academic-centric purposes. It may be overkill for people with diverse needs in content creation and optimization.

We have also tried some apps like Ginger, but they lag behind Grammarly in terms of features and functionality. So, if you need all the premium features (more about that in a bit), Grammarly is a great option out there.

Grammarly on iPad, Android, and iPhone

Here’s a quick look at how Grammarly works on mobile devices, especially iPads, Android, and iPhones.

Grammarly on iPad

You can get Grammarly AI Writing Keyboard for iPad, and it brings some core features like tone detection, spelling corrections, and instant recommendations to polish your writing. It is essentially a third-party keyboard app that you can launch anywhere on your iPad.

In our test, however, Grammarly for iPad needs a lot of work. It functions just right as a keyboard app, but you need more to integrate the app with your iPad experience. We hope Grammarly launches a dedicated writing assistant for iPadOS soon.

Grammarly on iPhone

On iPhone, Grammarly is available as a keyboard app. So, while you get a basic grammar checker and AI rewriting keyboard, it does not materialize as a fully-fledged writing assistant. However, you probably do not need a full assistant on your iPhone.

Instead, we like to use the Grammarly keyboard as a way to ensure that emails don’t have typos or serious grammar errors. For this purpose, Grammarly for iPhone does the job quite well.

Grammarly on Android

Thanks to the customizability of Android, Grammarly functions as a fully-fledged editor, though. Grammarly can work over other apps and can suggest changes based on what you write. These suggestions are great as well as accurate.

It gives you an almost complete Grammarly experience if you have a Premium subscription as well. Overall, the Android version of Grammarly easily outperforms its iPhone/iPad versions any day.

Integration with other apps

Microsoft Word and Google Docs

Grammarly offers integration with Microsoft Word and most other word processors. It just works and gets things right most of the time.

When it comes to Word, you have the added bonus of being able to install the Grammarly add-on, which, in our experience, tends to outperform the general system-wide assistant in various scenarios.

As for Google Docs, you get the best experience when you install the browser extension. You can get it for most web browsers, including Brave, Arc, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

Email Clients and Web Browsers

The compatibility of Grammarly with email clients and web browsers is also impressive. On Windows and Mac, you get full coverage as long as you enable the Desktop Assistant. For web browsers, you can find the official extension from respective marketplaces.

Pricing and subscription plans

So, Grammarly is great, we can tell you that. But do you HAVE to pay for Grammarly? Is its free version enough? Well, here are our thoughts.

Free vs. Premium

Grammarly Free is the basic grammar-checking tool from the company. You can easily detect and remove grammar, syntax, and spelling errors with the free version. But that’s where it stops. Of course, you get three or four premium suggestions every day, and those will keep you wanting more. If you ask us, Grammarly Free will correct your writing, but it won’t help you polish it.

You also miss out on AI-powered features, such as rewriting, plagiarism checker, and style guide support.

Grammarly Premium, on the other hand, is the truly complete package. You get all the features Grammarly advertises, including the AI-powered writing assistant. Unlike its competitors, Grammarly does not limit the amount of text you can check for plagiarism. You get unlimited AI credits as well. Overall, for what you pay, the premium package from Grammarly seems powerful and rich enough. So, if you were thinking of getting an AI writing assistant, Grammarly Premium is an easy choice.

Grammarly Premium costs $12 per month when purchased annually. You get student/other discounts while upgrading. So, even though the yearly amount comes down to $144, you can get a full year of Grammarly Premium for less than $100.

Is it worth the cost?

As we use Grammarly Free and Premium simultaneously, we can tell you that Grammarly Premium is definitely worth the extra cost. We find it convenient that we can worry less about errors and wrong punctuation, even if we spend close to $100 a year.

If you are a student or an employee, you might want to check whether your school/company has subscribed to Grammarly School or Enterprise.

Privacy and data security

In case you are wondering, Grammarly is proactive in terms of privacy-centric practices. The company ensures that your data is safe from prying eyes, including theirs. We have also found some concrete regulations on how Grammarly uses AI within its service offerings. So, this is something you can stay worry-free about.

Final words

Grammarly has become a go-to tool for anyone looking to polish their writing, whether you’re a student, professional writer, or just someone wanting to improve everyday communication. Powered by advanced AI, it not only checks grammar and spelling but also suggests ways to enhance clarity, conciseness, and overall tone.

More details, visit Grammarly official website.

<p>The post Grammarly: Enhance your writing with AI first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>

What can Otter AI do?

Otter AI simplifies the process of capturing, organizing, and sharing meeting information. Here’s how it works:

1. Real-Time Transcription: Otter AI generates live transcriptions of your meetings, helping you focus on the conversation while the tool captures every word.
2. Collaboration-Friendly: Teams can highlight important parts, leave comments, or tag colleagues for follow-up, making it a great tool for collaborative environments.
3. Searchable Notes: Otter saves your transcriptions in an organized format, allowing you to search keywords, phrases, and speaker tags effortlessly.
4. Audio and Text Sync: You can replay audio and see the text highlighted in real-time, making it easier to catch up on discussions or verify details.
5. OtterPilot AI Assistant: With the OtterPilot feature, Otter now goes beyond transcription by providing automated summaries, follow-up emails, and actionable insights in real time.

Pros and cons of Otter AI

Pros:

• Accurate Transcription: Thanks to advanced AI, Otter delivers accurate transcriptions, even in group settings.
• Speaker Identification: It can distinguish between different speakers and label them accordingly, making it easier to follow multi-person conversations.
• Integrations: Works with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams for seamless workflow integration.

Cons:

• Requires Editing for Accuracy: While fairly accurate, some transcriptions might need manual correction, especially in noisy environments.
• Limited Features on Free Plan: Free users get only 300 monthly transcription minutes, which might not be enough for heavy users.

How does Otter AI work in practice?

Otter AI simplifies meeting management by integrating with platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Once connected, OtterPilot can automatically join your meetings, transcribe conversations in real-time, and generate live summaries. You can even paste a meeting link to begin recording manually.

With Otter’s mobile and web apps, you can capture and transcribe meetings from anywhere. The tool achieves impressive transcription accuracy—about 90-97% depending on noise levels—and allows you to customize vocabularies for team-specific jargon. After meetings, Otter automatically organizes notes, highlights action items, and offers smart summaries, so you can focus on the most important takeaways.

For sales teams, OtterPilot for Sales provides deeper insights by analyzing sales meetings and delivering actionable follow-up tasks and summaries. This feature helps sales professionals concentrate on closing deals instead of sifting through raw transcripts.

Otter AI pricing

Otter.ai offers different pricing options:

• Basic (Free): Limited set of features, 300 minutes of transcription per month, and 30 minutes per conversation.
• Pro ($8.33/month): Expanded features, 1,200 minutes of transcription per month, and 90 minutes per conversation.
• Business ($20/month): Team and admin features, 6,000 total minutes per month, and 4 hours per conversation.
• Enterprise (Custom Quote): Tailored to specific business requirements.

Otter.ai verdict

There is no underestimating Otter.ai when it comes to its meeting assistant capabilities. We also loved what the company has done in integrating AI-powered generative features. With reliable live meeting and media transcription, including the user-friendly Otter AI Chat, and flexible pricing plans, it stands out as a versatile service for streamlined collaboration and meeting management.

It is also clear that Otter.ai will help you save a lot of time, which you would otherwise spend on monotonous note-taking, meeting, and summarizing.

FAQs

What is Otter.ai used for?

Otter proves versatile across various scenarios, from recording notes during online lectures and business meetings to capturing brainstorming sessions and transcribing pre-recorded audio/video content. Whether you’re jotting down notes in real time, multitasking during meetings and interviews, or transcribing existing recordings and podcasts, Otter shines as a convenient and efficient tool for pristine text notes.

Is Otter completely free?

Yes and no! Otter offers a robust free plan with many key features. But if you need unlimited transcripts, longer recordings, or speaker identification, paid plans offer even more value.

Can Otter be trusted?

Otter.ai takes security seriously and uses your data to improve its product only if you opt in. We found it reliable and trustworthy in our tests.

Can Otter.ai record Google and Zoom meetings?

Yes! Simply paste the meeting URL or import previously recorded meetings, and Otter.ai seamlessly captures and transcribes the content.

Is Otter.ai worth it?

Absolutely! If you spend time taking meeting notes, recording lectures, or transcribing audio, Otter.ai is a game-changer. Its AI smart captures every word from your meetings, saving you time and effort. It’s a worthy investment for individuals and teams seeking productivity boosts and more in-depth insights.

Which is the best alternative to Otter.ai?

There are different types of meeting note-taking apps that you can consider as Otter.ai alternatives. If you want the best transcription options, Fireflies.ai is a great option. Other options include Fathom and Krisp, which also offer free and paid options.

<p>The post Otter AI: Elevate your meetings with automated transcriptions first appeared on TheSweetBits.</p>