Automation apps for MacHead to head

Keyboard Maestro vs Alfred

Keyboard Maestro ranks #1 and Alfred ranks #3 in our guide to the best automation apps for Mac. Keyboard Maestro is our pick for most people.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Our pickKeyboard Maestro app iconKeyboard MaestroPick Keyboard Maestro if you repeat the same clicks and keystrokes at work every day and want macros to do them.$36 once#3 in the guideAlfred app iconAlfredPick Alfred if you want automations you start by typing a keyword, plus community workflows to borrow.Free to start

What decides it

  • On price: Keyboard Maestro is $36 once, no subscription. Free trial available. Alfred is free. The Powerpack is £34 once, or £59 with lifetime upgrades.
  • Both run on Mac.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glanceKeyboard Maestro app iconKeyboard MaestroAlfred app iconAlfred
Price$36 once, no subscription. Free trial availableFree. The Powerpack is £34 once, or £59 with lifetime upgrades
How you payPay onceFree, with paid upgrades
3 years of use$36Depends on the plan
Free trialYesFree to start
Runs onMacMac
Where to buyDeveloperDeveloper
FeaturesFree trialNone flagged

Who should get which

Get Keyboard Maestro if

You repeat the same clicks and keystrokes at work every day and would rather your Mac did them.

Get Alfred if

You live on the keyboard and want apps, files, snippets and automations a few keystrokes away.

Skip Keyboard Maestro if

You need 2 or 3 simple automations, and Apple's free Shortcuts app already covers them.

Skip Alfred if

You open a handful of apps a day, and Spotlight on Command-Space already does that free.

Our verdicts

Keyboard Maestro app iconKeyboard Maestro

Build a macro once and your Mac will fill that web form, arrange your windows or clean up copied text whenever you press a hotkey, type a string or reach a set time. Keyboard Maestro has hundreds of built-in actions plus conditions and loops, which takes it well past Apple's free Shortcuts app. It costs $36 once, but expect a learning curve, which is why version 11 added a wizard for your first macro.

Alfred app iconAlfred

Thousands of community-shared workflows plug into this Mac launcher once you buy the £34 Powerpack, which also adds clipboard history and text snippets and includes the free upgrade to Alfred 6. The free version already launches apps, finds files and runs web searches from 1 hotkey. Raycast covers similar ground for free with a newer look, but its extras sit behind a $10 monthly Pro plan, while Alfred's are a one-time purchase priced in pounds.

What each one helps you do

Keyboard Maestro app iconKeyboard Maestro

  • Fill the same web form with 1 hotkey
  • Open your apps in a set window layout
  • Clean up copied text before you paste it
  • Run tasks on a schedule in the background

Alfred app iconAlfred

  • Open any app or file by typing a few letters
  • Paste something you copied an hour ago
  • Expand short keywords into full replies
  • Automate repetitive tasks with community workflows

Where to get them

Keyboard Maestro

$36 once, no subscription. Free trial available

  • From the developerFree trial download on the same site
    $36Get it

Alfred

Free. The Powerpack is £34 once, or £59 with lifetime upgrades

  • From the developerThe Powerpack is priced in British pounds only
    Free downloadGet it

Neither one quite right?

The other picks in our guide to the best automation apps for Mac.

Read the full guideAll Keyboard Maestro alternativesAll Alfred alternatives

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