TypeTab vs Cotypist: which Mac autocomplete is right for you?

Let me say the obvious thing first: I make TypeTab. So read this knowing where I sit. But Cotypist is a good app made by people who clearly care, and if you're comparing the two, you deserve a straight answer rather than a hit piece. I'm going to give you the real differences and tell you honestly when Cotypist is the better pick.

Here's the short version, then the detail.

They're more alike than different. Both are fully on-device autocomplete for the Mac — they finish your sentences inline, in your apps, without sending your words to a server. The real decision is how you want to pay (once, or every month) and a few smaller details. If subscriptions don't bother you, you'll be happy with either. If they do, that's the whole ballgame.

What they have in common

It's worth being clear about this, because the shared ground is large:

On-device on Apple Silicon. Both run their models locally. Your text isn't uploaded and isn't used to train anything. Both need macOS 14+ and an Apple Silicon Mac.
Works across your apps, not just one. Mail, Messages, Slack, Notion, the browser, docs.
Whole-line completion, not just next-word nudges.
Learns your style over time, so suggestions sound like you.
Accept with Tab. The core gesture is the same in both.

If you only read this far: you're choosing between two genuinely on-device tools that do the same core job well. Good problem to have.

Where they actually differ

1. One-time license vs subscription — the big one

This is the difference that matters most, so I'll put real numbers on it.

Cotypist is a subscription. There's a free tier (100 completions a day, with an email sign-up to keep using it), then Plus at $6/mo or $72/yr for one Mac, and Pro at $9/mo or $108/yr for up to three Macs.

TypeTab is a one-time license. Free to try — your first 100 word completions and 20 full-line completions, no account, no card — then $49 once (currently $24.50 during launch, 50% off) for unlimited use on up to 3 Macs. No subscription, ever.

Run it forward. On Cotypist Plus you're paying $72 every year. After three years that's $216. TypeTab at its regular $49 is a single payment; at the launch price it's $24.50. You break even against a subscription in a matter of months, and every year after that the subscription keeps charging while TypeTab doesn't.

That's the case in one sentence: if you're going to use this for years, paying once is dramatically cheaper. (All pricing verified May 2026 — check both sites for current numbers.)

2. Accounts

Cotypist's free tier asks for an email sign-up to keep using it. TypeTab has no account and no sign-in at all — you download it and start typing. If "one fewer login in the world" appeals to you, that's a point for TypeTab.

3. The free experience

Both let you try before you pay, but the shape is different. Cotypist gives you 100 completions a day, ongoing, with a sign-up — a generous free tier you can stay on. TypeTab gives you a one-time trial budget (100 word completions + 20 full-line completions, no account) designed to let you feel it, then asks you to buy.

So: if you want a permanent free tier and don't mind the daily cap or the sign-up, Cotypist's free plan is the better deal. If you'd rather try with zero friction and then own it outright, TypeTab fits better.

4. Typo correction and accept keys

Cotypist's full autocorrect is a paid-tier feature; the free tier shows a typo indicator. TypeTab includes inline typo correction and adds a second accept key — Ctrl+E to take the whole line at once, on top of Tab for the next word. Small things, but they add up over a day of writing.

A fair recommendation

Here's where I'll be straight with you rather than just steering you toward my app:

Pick Cotypist if:

You genuinely prefer a subscription, or only want to pay during stretches when you're writing heavily.
You want a permanent free tier and don't mind the daily cap and the email sign-up.

Pick TypeTab if:

You'd rather pay once and never think about it again.
You don't want to create an account.
You want whole-line accept (Ctrl+E) and inline typo correction included from the start.
You're going to use it for years — in which case the one-time license simply costs less.

Both keep your words on your Mac, so you're not trading privacy either way. That's the part I care about most, and it's table stakes for both apps.

The honest bottom line

If I weren't the one who built TypeTab, I'd still tell a friend the same thing: for someone who types every day and plans to keep doing it, a one-time license beats a recurring bill, and not needing an account is a quiet pleasure. That's the bet TypeTab makes.

But Cotypist is a real, well-built alternative, and the subscription model genuinely suits some people. The good news is you don't have to take my word for the experience — TypeTab is free to try with no account and no card, and Cotypist has a free tier too. Spend a day writing in each. Your fingers will tell you which one to keep.