AutoHotkey vs Hammerspoon

AutoHotkey

• Windows users who want custom hotkeys and key remaps at no cost
• People comfortable writing or adapting short scripts
• Text expansion and repetitive data entry on Windows

Hammerspoon

• Mac users comfortable writing Lua who want to script their own automation
• Custom window management driven by keyboard shortcuts
• Triggering actions from system events such as joining a Wi-Fi network

AutoHotkey

• Windows only: the vendor describes it as a scripting language for Windows and lists no other platform.
• Everything is defined in plain-text script files, so using it means learning AutoHotkey's scripting syntax.
• Games with cheat-prevention measures such as GameGuard or Hackshield are likely to block AutoHotkey.
• Antivirus programs sometimes raise false-positive alerts, more often for compiled and compressed scripts.

Hammerspoon

• macOS only. Release 1.1.1 lists a minimum of macOS 13.0; older Macs need an earlier release.
• Out of the box it does nothing: every behavior has to be written in Lua in ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua or added as a Spoon.
• It depends on the macOS Accessibility permission, which the user has to grant by hand in the system's privacy settings.
• Crash information is collected by default; the FAQ says this can be turned off in the preferences.

AutoHotkey

Hotkeys

Bind keys, key combinations and mouse buttons to scripted actions. Hotkeys can be made window-specific so they work only in certain applications.

Hotstrings

Abbreviations that expand into longer text as you type, which also serve as autocorrect-style replacements.

Key and button remapping

Remap keyboard keys or mouse buttons to other keys, alongside the hotkeys defined in the same script.

Sending input and running programs

Scripts can send keystrokes to simulate typing, run programs and open websites, which covers jobs such as form filling, auto-clicking and macros.

Compile scripts to EXE

Ahk2Exe turns a script into a standalone executable that contains the interpreter, so it runs on a PC without AutoHotkey installed.

A full scripting language

Built-in commands suit beginners, while experienced developers get a language that supports procedural, object-oriented and command-based styles and can build GUIs.

Hammerspoon

Lua bridge to macOS

Extensions expose macOS APIs for applications, windows, screens, audio devices, batteries, clipboards, Wi-Fi, location and low-level keyboard and mouse events to Lua code.

Hotkeys

A keyboard shortcut can be bound to any Lua function, from showing a notification to running a series of window operations or an AppleScript.

Window movement and layouts

Scripts can move and resize the focused window, arrange several apps' windows into a saved layout across screens, and use window filters to act on groups of windows.

Event watchers

A configuration can react to application events, Wi-Fi network changes and USB devices, for example muting the volume when the Mac leaves the home network.

Spoons

Spoons are pre-made plugins, installed by double-clicking a .spoon file and loaded from the config. The official list includes an app launcher and a window switcher.

Menu bar items and URL triggers

Scripts can create menu bar items, draw on the screen and send iMessage or SMS messages, and other apps can trigger them through hammerspoon:// URLs.

AutoHotkey

• AutoHotkey$0

  The full scripting language as an installer or ZIP download, with English documentation included. Donations are optional.

Hammerspoon

• Hammerspoon$0

  The complete app with every extension, as a direct download or a Homebrew cask. Open source under the MIT license.