AutoIt vs pywinauto

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

AutoIt is a Development solution with tags like automation, scripting, gui.

It boasts features such as Scripting language for automating Windows GUI, Simulates keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation, Can automate repetitive tasks, Integrates with other languages like .NET, COM, etc, Lightweight and fast, Can compile scripts into standalone executables and pros including Free and open source, Easy to learn syntax similar to BASIC, Large community support, Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac), Flexible integration capabilities, Can automate complex workflows.

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.

AutoIt

AutoIt

AutoIt is an open-source scripting language designed for automating Windows GUI and general scripting. It uses a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation to automate tasks.

Categories:
automation scripting gui

AutoIt Features

  1. Scripting language for automating Windows GUI
  2. Simulates keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation
  3. Can automate repetitive tasks
  4. Integrates with other languages like .NET, COM, etc
  5. Lightweight and fast
  6. Can compile scripts into standalone executables

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Easy to learn syntax similar to BASIC

Large community support

Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac)

Flexible integration capabilities

Can automate complex workflows

Cons

Only for Windows automation (no web automation)

Less powerful than other full programming languages

Limited debugging capabilities

Not designed for large applications

GUI automation can be brittle


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