7 Keyboard Maestro Alternatives for Mac (2026, Tested)
Keyboard Maestro is still the deepest macro utility on macOS. Conditions, loops, variables, clipboard history, regex, image recognition, timed triggers, app-specific macros. If you have used it seriously, nothing else matches that control surface.
The model has not changed in a decade. Every new automation still means opening the editor, wiring triggers, testing, and debugging. For power users who want that control, KM is unbeatable. For everyone else, including power users tired of maintaining macro libraries, there are real Keyboard Maestro alternatives for Mac.
TL;DR
| Need | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Pixel-perfect, identical every time | Stay on Keyboard Maestro |
| Natural language Mac automation | Dottie |
| Simple built-in flows | Shortcuts |
| Code-level control | Hammerspoon |
| Gestures / input triggers | BetterTouchTool |
| Launcher workflows | Alfred (Powerpack) |
| Folder rules only | Hazel |
Why people look for Keyboard Maestro alternatives
It is rarely about capability. Common reasons:
- The learning curve never flattens. You can use KM for years and still find features you did not know existed.
- Macros are brittle. A UI change breaks image triggers. A renamed folder breaks a path. You spend time maintaining automation that was supposed to save time.
- No natural language. You cannot describe the outcome and have KM figure out the steps.
- $36 + upgrade fees. Not expensive, but you pay ongoing attention as well as money.
None of these are dealbreakers for everyone. They explain the search.
Macros vs AI agents on Mac
Before the list, the real tradeoff.
Keyboard Maestro macros are deterministic. Same trigger, same steps, every time. That is what you want for fixed layouts, data entry sequences, text expansion, and image pipelines that must not freestyle.
AI agents are probabilistic. You describe an outcome; the model picks tools. The same prompt can adapt when Downloads has different files or a window title changed. That is powerful for variable inputs. It is less reliable for mission-critical sequences that must execute identically forever.
Honest line: “Every morning open these four apps, tile them exactly, paste yesterday’s report into Mail” is still KM territory. “Look at whatever is in Downloads and organize it intelligently” is agent territory, and building the KM conditionals would take longer than asking once.
7 Keyboard Maestro alternatives for Mac
1. Dottie — natural language over native Mac tools
Dottie is a free, open-source Mac AI agent (Apple Silicon, macOS 15.4+). You describe the task by voice or text; it executes through 134 system tools rather than a macro editor.
What that means for KM users:
- Files, apps, Terminal, Mail, calendar, screen OCR, settings, clipboard
- No macro library to maintain for ad-hoc jobs
- Zero setup time for a new request; you just ask
Precision tradeoff. A KM macro that resizes a window to exactly 1280x720 at (100, 50) wins on identity across runs. Dottie gets you to “top left” and multi-step Finder work faster, but it is not a pixel recorder. For rigid sequencing, keep KM. For everything natural language can express, the agent is faster.
Three model paths (not “cloud or nothing”):
| Path | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local (MLX / Ollama) | Privacy, offline, zero API cost | Open weights on Apple Silicon |
| BYOK | You already pay OpenAI / Anthropic / xAI / Cerebras | Your key, provider ToS |
| Dottie Pro ($20/mo) | Managed access without key plumbing | Same email as desktop register |
Triggers and scheduled jobs cover the “run this when X” class that people build as KM timers. For setup of local models, see run local AI models on Mac. For the broader automation picture, automate your Mac with AI.
2. Shortcuts (macOS) — Apple’s visual automation
Shortcuts is Apple’s long-term Automator replacement. Drag-and-drop actions, app integrations, iCloud sync, Siri hooks.
For KM users it feels limited: less regex depth, weaker branching, no image recognition, fewer app-specific triggers. For straightforward file conversion, app launch, text steps, and Apple ecosystem glue, it is free and good enough. If your KM library is mostly “do X then Y then Z,” try Shortcuts before paying for another macro tool.
Price: Free, built into macOS.
3. Hammerspoon — Lua over the macOS APIs
Hammerspoon is the closest open-source peer to KM’s power if you will write Lua. Window management, hotkeys, app events, file watchers, menubar, drawing on screen, and more.
Developers who hate visual editors often prefer it. The community “Spoons” library covers common tasks. There is no macro recorder and no drag-and-drop: you write and debug scripts. If that sounds fun, Hammerspoon is exceptional. If it sounds like work, look elsewhere. Launcher-side comparisons: Raycast alternatives and Alfred alternatives.
Price: Free, open source.
4. BetterTouchTool — gestures and input automation
BetterTouchTool started as trackpad gestures and grew into input automation: trackpad, mouse, keyboard, Touch Bar, MIDI. Overlaps KM on key sequences, app control, and light conditionals.
Strength for KM refugees is input diversity. If your macros fire from multi-finger swipes, custom modifiers, or Touch Bar, BTT is more natural. Window snapping is excellent. Action library and scripting are narrower than KM. Think best-in-class triggers that can also automate, not a full KM clone.
Price: ~$10 Standard or ~$22 lifetime (check current pricing).
5. Automator — legacy, still useful
Automator has shipped since Tiger (2005). Apple stopped investing once Shortcuts arrived, but batch image work, PDF jobs, pattern renames, and Finder Services / Quick Actions still work.
Control flow is weak (minimal variables, hard to debug). For right-click batch jobs it still fills a niche. Prefer Shortcuts for anything new.
Price: Free, built into macOS.
6. Alfred Workflows — launcher-based automation
Alfred with Powerpack chains keywords, hotkeys, and file actions into scripts, filters, web searches, and clipboard ops.
Narrower domain than KM, high polish: lookups, snippets, clipboard history, keyword-fired sequences. Community workflows cover a lot. Gaps vs KM: no image recognition, little UI clicking / window geometry, less loop depth, no KM-style scheduled macro engine. Alfred is a power launcher that can automate, not an automation suite that can launch. Deeper: best Alfred workflows and Raycast vs Alfred.
Price: Free basic / Powerpack for workflows (£34 single / £59 Mega Supporter, 2026-08-22).
7. Hazel — folder rules done right
Hazel watches folders and applies rules when files appear or change. Nested conditions, regex, content-based sorting, AppleScript / JavaScript hooks.
If your KM macros were mostly “when file lands in Downloads, rename and file it,” Hazel is better at that job. It is not a KM replacement; it is the right tool for the file-handling subset, and a common hybrid with launchers or agents.
Price: One-time license (see Noodlesoft for current price).
Feature comparison
| Feature | Keyboard Maestro | Dottie | Shortcuts | Hammerspoon | BetterTouchTool | Automator | Alfred | Hazel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation depth | Excellent | High (tools) | Medium | Excellent | Medium | Low–Medium | Medium | High (files) |
| Triggers | 30+ types | Voice, text, hotkey, events | Siri, hotkey, share | Hotkey, events, watchers | 20+ input types | Manual, Services | Keyword, hotkey, file | Folder watch, schedule |
| Scheduling | Yes, precise | Triggers + scheduled jobs | Limited | Yes (timers) | Limited | Folder Actions | Limited | Yes (folders) |
| Conditionals | Full (if/else, loops, regex) | Model + tools | Basic if/else | Full (Lua) | Basic | Minimal | Script-based | Rule conditions |
| Determinism | Deterministic | Probabilistic | Deterministic | Deterministic | Deterministic | Deterministic | Deterministic | Deterministic |
| Learning curve | Steep | Natural language | Low | Steep (Lua) | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
| AI / NLP | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Local models | No | Yes (MLX / Ollama) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Price | $36+upgrades | Free app; Pro optional | Free | Free | Paid | Free | Free / Powerpack | Paid |
How to choose
Stay with Keyboard Maestro if your macros work, you have invested real time, and identical execution matters. Switching costs are real. Nothing else matches KM for complex, repeatable macro trees.
Choose Dottie if you want automation without building automation. Ad-hoc tasks, variable inputs, voice, local models, and agent-style multi-step Mac work. Closest breadth of system control to KM, through AI instead of a macro editor. Requirements: Apple Silicon, macOS 15.4+.
Choose Shortcuts if needs are simple and you want free Apple integration.
Choose Hammerspoon if you are a developer who wants programmatic control and will maintain Lua.
Choose BetterTouchTool if automation is input-centric (gestures, custom hardware).
Choose Alfred if automation lives inside a launcher.
Choose Hazel if automation is file-centric folder rules.
Hybrid is normal. Hazel for files, Alfred or Raycast for launch, KM for the one fragile pixel-perfect macro, Dottie for everything you would otherwise open the KM editor to invent. There is no rule that says you pick one.
Related posts
- Automate your Mac with AI
- Raycast alternatives
- Alfred alternatives
- Raycast AI vs Dottie
- What is Dottie Desktop
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Keyboard Maestro alternative for Mac in 2026?
It depends on the job. For natural language Mac automation without building macros, Dottie is the strongest alternative on Apple Silicon (macOS 15.4+). For deterministic macros with a similar philosophy, BetterTouchTool and Shortcuts are easier than KM. For code-first control, Hammerspoon. For folder rules only, Hazel.
Is Keyboard Maestro worth the price?
At about $36 plus upgrade fees, yes if you build and keep complex macro sequences and need identical runs. If you spend more time maintaining macros than they save, an AI agent like Dottie is often more practical: describe the outcome instead of programming every step.
Can an AI agent replace Keyboard Maestro?
For variable, ad-hoc tasks, yes. Agents handle unpredictability that would need dozens of KM conditionals. For workflows that must execute identically every time (fixed layouts, exact coordinates, mission-critical sequences), traditional macro tools remain more reliable. Many people keep KM for those and use an agent for everything else.
Does Dottie work offline like local macros?
Yes on the local path. Dottie can run open models via MLX or Ollama so speech, reasoning, and tool use stay on your Mac. Cloud models are optional (BYOK or Dottie Pro). Keyboard Maestro macros always run offline by design; the agent path is optional privacy, not a requirement.
Keyboard Maestro vs Shortcuts: which should I learn first?
Start with Shortcuts. It is free, ships with macOS, and covers simple chains. Move to Keyboard Maestro only when you hit a wall on conditionals, image triggers, app-specific macros, or scheduling depth that Shortcuts cannot express cleanly.
What are the best free Keyboard Maestro alternatives?
Shortcuts and Automator (built-in), Hammerspoon (open source Lua), and Dottie (free open-source Mac AI agent on Apple Silicon). Paid options like BetterTouchTool, Alfred Powerpack, and Hazel still earn their keep for specific niches.
Can I use Keyboard Maestro and an AI agent together?
Yes. A common hybrid is KM or Hazel for fixed, deterministic jobs and Dottie for open-ended requests you would rather not encode. They do not conflict; they solve different points on the reliability vs flexibility spectrum.