Actiona is a free program that automates everyday computer tasks, such as moving the mouse, pressing keys, typing text, and opening files or links. It is for people who want to set up repeated computer tasks without doing them by hand, and it can be used through a simple editor or through JavaScript code.
Has 2 of 6
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Espanso is a free program that watches what you type and replaces short keywords with longer text, such as full sentences, emojis or dates. It is for people on Windows, macOS and Linux who type the same things often.
Has 3 of 6
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
AutoKey is a free program for Linux that lets you automate repeated keyboard and mouse actions, and save text snippets to type with a short shortcut. It is for Linux computer users who want to reduce repetitive typing and clicking.
Has 0 of 6 · Runs on Windows ✗ +1
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Hammerspoon is a free tool for Mac computers that lets people automate tasks by writing short scripts in the Lua language. It is aimed at Mac users who want to control their computer with custom rules, and it does nothing until a user writes a configuration file.
Has 1 of 6 · Text shortcuts ✗ +2
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Keyboard Maestro. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- Actiona: Actiona is a free program that automates everyday computer tasks, such as moving the mouse, pressing keys, typing text, and opening files or links. It is for people who want to set up repeated computer tasks without doing them by hand, and it can be used through a simple editor or through JavaScript code. [Easy setup; Windows · Linux; replaces fully; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/Jmgr/actiona]
- espanso: Espanso is a free program that watches what you type and replaces short keywords with longer text, such as full sentences, emojis or dates. It is for people on Windows, macOS and Linux who type the same things often. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces partly; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/espanso/espanso]
- AutoKey: AutoKey is a free program for Linux that lets you automate repeated keyboard and mouse actions, and save text snippets to type with a short shortcut. It is for Linux computer users who want to reduce repetitive typing and clicking. [Easy setup; Linux; replaces partly; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/autokey/autokey]
- Hammerspoon: Hammerspoon is a free tool for Mac computers that lets people automate tasks by writing short scripts in the Lua language. It is aimed at Mac users who want to control their computer with custom rules, and it does nothing until a user writes a configuration file. [Advanced setup; Mac; replaces partly; MIT; https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/desktop-automation.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/desktop-automation.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea: