Macro Recorder vs Windmill

Macro Recorder records mouse and keyboard actions on Windows or Mac and replays them to repeat desktop procedures. Each recording appears as editable actions that can be adjusted or rearranged, and macros can also be assembled step by step. SmartClick searches for visual context around a captured click target during playback and clicks when it finds a match. The software supports screen image capture, OCR text capture, and barcode or QR code extraction into variables. Optional cloud and self-hosted AI integrations include OpenAI and local models such as Llama and DeepSeek; AI is disabled by default. The maker says the software runs locally, apart from optional update checks and one-time license activation. Freeware is limited to personal use: organizational use and paid-edition features require a license, and financially beneficial use requires purchase after 30 days. Paid licenses are one-time purchases with no recurring payment and apply to versions released during the maintenance term. One license covers either one Mac or one Windows user, not simultaneous use on both computers. Linux is not planned at this time.

Windmill is an open-source workflow engine and developer platform for building endpoints, workflows and user interfaces. It is aimed at teams making internal software across engineering, data, sales, support and marketing. Scripts can be written in TypeScript, Python, Go, PHP, Bash, C#, SQL, Rust, Ruby and R, among other languages. Windmill combines a script editor, low-code flow builder, and low-code, React or Svelte app builders. Scripts and flows can be triggered by webhooks, schedules, HTTP routes, queues or an open API. Its Hub lists more than 200 resource types, including GitHub, Slack, AWS, BigQuery and PostgreSQL; users can also define custom resource types with schemas. Local development through the CLI and Git sync support version control and deployment workflows. Self-hosting is supported. The free and open-source plan is free and includes three workspaces, 50 users, 10 GiB of workspace object storage and 100 guest app users per 30 days. Enterprise is $120 a month and includes a month-long trial. Enterprise features include granular permissions, RBAC, secret management, OAuth, SSO and audit logs.