Automation apps for MacHead to head

Keyboard Maestro vs BetterTouchTool

Keyboard Maestro ranks #1 and BetterTouchTool ranks #4 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#4 in the guideBetterTouchTool app iconBetterTouchToolPick BetterTouchTool if you want a trackpad gesture or mouse button to run a script or paste a snippet.$15 once

What decides it

  • BetterTouchTool costs less over 3 years: $15, against $36 for Keyboard Maestro.
  • Both run on Mac.
  • BetterTouchTool is included with a Setapp subscription; Keyboard Maestro isn't.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glanceKeyboard Maestro app iconKeyboard MaestroBetterTouchTool app iconBetterTouchTool
Price$36 once, no subscription. Free trial available$15 with 2 years of updates, or $25 for lifetime updates. Free for 45 days
How you payPay oncePay once
3 years of use$36$15 Cheaper
Free trialYesYes
Runs onMacMac
Where to buyDeveloperDeveloper, Setapp
FeaturesFree trialFree trial, No account
Last updatedNot tracked1 Nov 2026

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 BetterTouchTool if

You want a 3-finger tap or a spare mouse button to snap a window, paste a snippet or run a script.

Skip Keyboard Maestro if

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

Skip BetterTouchTool if

You just want windows snapped to halves, and Rectangle or macOS itself does that at no cost.

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.

BetterTouchTool app iconBetterTouchTool

macOS gives you a fixed set of trackpad gestures and window snapping to halves, while BetterTouchTool maps almost any gesture, mouse button or key to an action and chains actions into small automations. It also has a launcher with clipboard history and AI agents that work with OpenAI, Anthropic or local models. It costs $15 with 2 years of updates or $25 for life, and building a setup takes real time.

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

BetterTouchTool app iconBetterTouchTool

  • Trigger any action with your own trackpad gesture
  • Remap extra mouse buttons to shortcuts
  • Search apps, files and clipboard history at once
  • Chain several steps into 1 shortcut

Where to get them

Keyboard Maestro

$36 once, no subscription. Free trial available

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

BetterTouchTool

$15 with 2 years of updates, or $25 for lifetime updates. Free for 45 days

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Neither one quite right?

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

Read the full guideAll Keyboard Maestro alternativesAll BetterTouchTool alternatives

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