pywinauto vs AutoHotkey

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

pywinauto is a Development solution with tags like python, automation, testing, gui.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including 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.

On the other hand, AutoHotkey is a Development product tagged with keyboard, hotkeys, macros, remapping, scripting.

Its standout features include Keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys, GUI automation, Mouse gestures, Macro recording and playback, Scripting language for automating tasks, Integration with other programs via COM, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Very flexible and customizable, Large community support, Can automate almost any task in Windows, Lightweight and fast.

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.

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


AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is a free, open-source custom scripting language for Windows, initially aimed at providing easy keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys. It simplifies automation tasks such as macros, remapping keys, and application-specific scripts.

Categories:
keyboard hotkeys macros remapping scripting

AutoHotkey Features

  1. Keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys
  2. GUI automation
  3. Mouse gestures
  4. Macro recording and playback
  5. Scripting language for automating tasks
  6. Integration with other programs via COM

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Very flexible and customizable

Large community support

Can automate almost any task in Windows

Lightweight and fast

Cons

Steep learning curve

Documentation not beginner friendly

Not designed for large-scale enterprise automation

Windows only