The best replacement for expect is anticipate.

The best alternatives to expect are rated as following:
★★★★★  anticipate
★★★★  accept
★★★  should
★★  wait
★★  predict
★★  suspect
★★  should rspec
★★  assert
★  aspect
★  pexpect
  assertwascalled
  except
  expect
  stub

Your alternative for expect is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about expect, one probably shouldn't forget about ssh.

Other search terms related to expect and their ratings are:
★★★★★ ssh
★★★★ tcl
★★★★ scp
★★★ perl
★★★ c-section
★★ shell script
★★ bash
★ sftp script
★ spawn
★ sftp
You have in mind a companion for expect and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

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expect
anticipate
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