# Keyboard Maestro vs Hammerspoon for Mac

> Both automate the Mac far beyond what Shortcuts can do. Keyboard Maestro builds macros visually from hundreds of ready-made actions, set off by hotkeys, typed text, apps, times and many other triggers, with no code required. Hammerspoon is free and open source and does it all in Lua: you write a config file that hooks into windows, keys, Wi-Fi, USB and other system events. Facts checked 2026-10-19 by MacWorthy; nobody pays to be listed or compared.

## Choose Keyboard Maestro if

- You want to automate without writing code.
- You want a huge library of actions and triggers ready to use.
- You'd like macros you can share and edit visually.

## Choose Hammerspoon if

- You're comfortable writing scripts.
- You want it free and open source.
- You want your whole setup in a text file you can keep in Git.

## Facts

| | [Keyboard Maestro](https://macworthy.com/apps/keyboard-maestro.md) | [Hammerspoon](https://macworthy.com/apps/hammerspoon.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Paid up front | Free and open source |
| Developer | Stairways Software | Hammerspoon |
| Mac App Store | No | No |
| Homebrew cask | keyboard-maestro | hammerspoon |
| Open source | No | MIT |
| Last commit | – | July 2026 |
| GitHub stars | – | 16k |

## Questions

### Is Keyboard Maestro better than Hammerspoon?

Neither is better for everyone. Both automate the Mac far beyond what Shortcuts can do. Keyboard Maestro builds macros visually from hundreds of ready-made actions, set off by hotkeys, typed text, apps, times and many other triggers, with no code required. Hammerspoon is free and open source and does it all in Lua: you write a config file that hooks into windows, keys, Wi-Fi, USB and other system events.

### How much does Keyboard Maestro cost?

Keyboard Maestro is paid software, bought up front from keyboardmaestro.com.

### Is Hammerspoon free?

Yes. Hammerspoon is free and open source under the MIT license. The source code is on GitHub at Hammerspoon/hammerspoon.

### What else is like Keyboard Maestro and Hammerspoon?

Other ai & automation apps on MacWorthy worth a look are Enconvo (free + pro), BoltAI (one-time purchase) and Elephas (subscription).

HTML version: https://macworthy.com/compare/keyboard-maestro-vs-hammerspoon/