AutoHotkey vs RoboTask

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

RoboTask

• Windows users replacing Task Scheduler jobs and batch files
• Unattended file transfers, backups and email jobs on a server
• Buyers who want a perpetual license instead of a subscription

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.

RoboTask

• Windows only: the system requirements list Windows 7 to 11 and Windows Server 2008 to 2022.
• The Free License is for personal, non-commercial use and stops at 5 tasks of 50 steps each.
• The Personal License leaves out the Database, CSV Data, WebSockets and Console App plugins, and remote connections need a Business License.
• Updates are included for one year. Renewing costs $59 a year for Personal and $99 for Business; the installed version keeps working without it.

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.

RoboTask

Visual task editor

A task is built by picking and combining actions in a visual editor, with conditions, loops, custom variables and expressions. No batch files or scripts are needed.

Schedules and event triggers

Tasks run on a schedule or when something happens: a hotkey, a file or folder change, a window or process event, a device being plugged in, a logon, or CPU and RAM usage.

Macro recorder

Keyboard and mouse actions can be recorded and replayed, and tasks can send keystrokes, move the pointer and click in any application.

Files, FTP, email and web actions

Actions copy and sync files, transfer over FTP, SFTP and FTPS, send and receive email with attachments, call REST APIs, scrape pages and fill web forms.

Python, JavaScript and PowerShell

Scripts in Python, JavaScript or PowerShell run inside a task alongside the visual actions, with no extra services to install.

Windows service and networking

RoboTask runs as a regular application or as a Windows service that works with nobody logged on. Instances on different machines can launch each other's tasks over a LAN or the Internet.

AutoHotkey

• AutoHotkey$0

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

RoboTask

• Free License$0

  Personal, non-commercial use only. Standard action set, all triggers and the task debugger, with at most 5 tasks and 50 steps per task.

• Personal License$149

  one-time, with 1 year of updates

  Unlimited tasks and steps plus Windows service mode. Leaves out the Database, CSV Data, WebSockets and Console App plugins; network and REST API are local only.

• Business License$249

  one-time per license, with 1 year of updates

  No functional limits: every plugin, remote network and REST API connections, and priority support. Volume pricing starts at 2 licenses.

AutoHotkey

No public discounts listed.

RoboTask

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual license with a one-time payment

  Every license is perpetual and never expires. A purchase includes one year of updates and priority support, and a Personal license upgrades to Business for the $100 difference.

• Other savings

  Volume discounts on Business licenses

  The per-license price falls to $207.50 for 2 to 4 licenses, $166.00 for 5 to 9 and $124.50 for 10 to 49. Orders of 50 or more are quoted.

• Other savings

  Multi-year update renewals at a discount

  Renewing updates for 2 years saves 5% and for 3 years saves 10%: $113 and $160 for Personal, $189 and $268 for Business.