A text expander with no account and no cloud
Text expanders see your keystrokes. That makes “where does my data go?” the most important question. PhraseBolt’s answer is: nowhere.
How a text expander knows you typed a shortcut
Every text expander has to watch text fields. The difference is what it does next. PhraseBolt reads only the characters right before the caret — at most the length of your longest shortcut — compares them with your list on your computer, and throws them away. It does not log keystrokes, send text to a server, or read the rest of the page.
Where your snippets live
- chrome.storage.local on your computer, by default.
- chrome.storage.sync if you turn on sync: Chrome’s own encrypted-in-transit sync tied to your Chrome profile. PhraseBolt never sees it.
- Your backup files: export JSON or CSV any time.
Fields PhraseBolt never touches
Password inputs, fields marked for credit card numbers and one-time codes are skipped entirely. You can also switch PhraseBolt off per site from the toolbar popup, for example on your bank.
What about payments?
Pro is sold by Lemon Squeezy, which emails you a license key. You paste the key once; PhraseBolt checks it with Lemon Squeezy’s license API. There is still no PhraseBolt account.
Is local-first right for teams?
For most small teams, yes: share folders as a pack link or file, and everyone gets a copy. If you need central admin control, audit logs and forced updates, a cloud product with an admin console is the better fit — and that is a fair trade-off to make consciously.
FAQ
- Can PhraseBolt see my passwords?
- No. It does not run in password fields or card/one-time-code fields, and it never stores what you type anywhere.
- What if I lose my computer?
- If sync is on, your snippets return when you sign in to Chrome elsewhere. Otherwise restore from a JSON backup.
Add PhraseBolt to Chrome — freeNo account · 25 snippets free · 7-day Pro trial, no card