Anacron vs pywinauto

Struggling to choose between Anacron and pywinauto? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Anacron is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like scheduling, cron, automation, periodic-tasks.

It boasts features such as Allows periodic execution of commands, Does not require the system to be running continuously, Useful for running automated tasks on systems that get powered off and pros including Enables scheduling tasks on systems that are not always on, Can run jobs at specific intervals regardless of uptime, Helps automate tasks on intermittent systems.

On the other hand, pywinauto is a Development product tagged with python, automation, testing, gui.

Its standout features include Automate desktop GUI applications on Windows, Control applications by sending mouse and keyboard actions, Inspect UI elements and read their properties and states, Support for many common UI frameworks like MFC, WinForms, WPF, Qt, Identify UI elements via multiple attributes like name, type, value etc, Interact with common controls like buttons, comboboxes, treeview etc, Integration with other test frameworks like unittest, pytest etc, and it shines with pros like Open source and free to use, Cross-platform support for Windows and Linux, Active development and support community, Supports Python 2.7 and 3.x, Integrates well with CI/CD pipelines, Good documentation and examples.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Anacron

Anacron

Anacron is a utility that allows the user to execute commands periodically, even if the system is not running continuously. It is useful for running automated tasks on systems that get powered off.

Categories:
scheduling cron automation periodic-tasks

Anacron Features

  1. Allows periodic execution of commands
  2. Does not require the system to be running continuously
  3. Useful for running automated tasks on systems that get powered off

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Enables scheduling tasks on systems that are not always on

Can run jobs at specific intervals regardless of uptime

Helps automate tasks on intermittent systems

Cons

Requires some configuration and setup

Less flexible scheduling compared to cron

Not suitable for real-time job scheduling


pywinauto

pywinauto

pywinauto is an open source Python library for automating desktop GUI applications on Windows. It allows you to control and interact with windows and controls programmatically, useful for GUI testing and automation.

Categories:
python automation testing gui

Pywinauto Features

  1. Automate desktop GUI applications on Windows
  2. Control applications by sending mouse and keyboard actions
  3. Inspect UI elements and read their properties and states
  4. Support for many common UI frameworks like MFC, WinForms, WPF, Qt
  5. Identify UI elements via multiple attributes like name, type, value etc
  6. Interact with common controls like buttons, comboboxes, treeview etc
  7. Integration with other test frameworks like unittest, pytest etc

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free to use

Cross-platform support for Windows and Linux

Active development and support community

Supports Python 2.7 and 3.x

Integrates well with CI/CD pipelines

Good documentation and examples

Cons

Only works on Windows desktop applications

Limited support for UWP and web applications

Steep learning curve

Brittle locators can break with UI changes

Does not support image-based testing