Automation Tools - Good Tools #22

30+ low-cost, free or freemium tools to automate tasks, workflows, desktop activities or complex online processes involving multiple steps and apps.

Welcome to a new edition of Good Tools.

I write this newsletter to help indie entrepreneurs like me, find alternative, free or quasi-free tools that can help them save time and money.

I have been searching and reviewing tools for communication professionals for over 20 years.

• I do this because I enjoy searching, verifying and organizing.

• I create lasting information resources that can be useful to others.

• Please consider supporting this work (like, recommend, subscribe).

• I’d love to keep on searching.

Personal Update

I am writing you from my new home in Thailand.

I have jumped boat.

Left behind my comfort zone in Mexico.

My many heart-filling and smiling friends, my DJ sets on the beach, the warm and always-calm turquoise waters of Holbox, the colors, the music everywhere feeling, are gone.

Why?

Curiosity, desire to be challenged, to grow and learn new things, make new friends, build new relationships, try new things.

It’s a whole new world out here.

Wish me luck, and reach out if you are nearby.

from Koh Samui (TH)

Robin Good

The focus of this issue is on Automation Tools (30+ free or quasi-free tools and paid/commercial ones with generous free plans).

Specifically:

1. Workflow Automation (18)

2. Browser Automation (5)

3. Windows PC Desktop Automation (3)

4. Mac Desktop Automation (5)

*Discover a special automation tool for directory owners and builders.

*All these tools have been hand-picked, verified and vetted by me, manually. No automations.

Automation Tools

1) Workflow Automation Tools

.

• Make.com (formerly Integromat)
  New kid on the block. No-code web platform, integrated visual editor to create automated workflows. Thousands of ready-made templates. Provides HTTP/SOAP/JSON modules to connect to any web service.
  Free plan - includes up to 1,000 ops/month - Pro starts at $10/mo

  .

• Zapier
  Most popular. Web platform capable of connecting 7000+ apps and to periodically execute specific actions. Visual no-code editor. Ready made editable Zaps (applets). Multi-step. Collaboration.
  Free plan - includes up to 100 tasks/mo w max 2 steps - Pro starts at $29.99/mo
  .

• IFTTT

  The first. Web-based automation platform. Automates tasks and connects more than 700 apps. Mobile apps (iOS/Android). Unlimited ready-made applets. Unlimited applet runs.
  Free plan - includes 2 automations -  Pro starts at $15/mo

• N8N.io
  Web platform to build automation workflows. Web scraping, 400 app integrations. Visual editor. 900+ templates. Enterprise enabled. Self- or cloud hosting.
  Free trial available. Pro starts at $24/mo.
  .

• Nekton.ai
  AI-assisted web workflow automation platform. Describe a task you need to be executed and Nekton generates a custom automation to be run in the cloud. Great for small specific tasks leveraging cloud services and public APIs. Can run automations locally on your computer or use services that are not online. Video.

  Free plan - up to 300 flows/mo - Pro starts at $9 for 1K flows/mo
  .

• Huginn
  Customizable version of IFTTT or Zapier on your server. For tech-savvy users. System for building agents that read the web, watch for events, take actions, scrape websites, connect to systems and APIs, send and receive WebHooks, run custom JavaScripts, etc. Open-source - Self-hosted, Linux or via Slack.
  100% free
  .

• Gumloop (formerly AgentHub)
  No-code web platform for creating AI-assisted automations. Drag-and-drop visual builder. Connects with dozens of apps. Ready-made customizable nodes. Sandbox. Allows for more complex automations than alternative solutions.
  Free plan - includes 1000 credits + 2 concurrent list steps - Pro starts at $97/mo

  .

• Automatisch

  Open-source Zapier alternative. Integrates with 50+ apps and services. Affordable cloud solution or self-host on your own servers.
  100% Free - Self-hosted open-source edition - Pro hosted solution from $20/mo
  .

• ActionsFlow

  Free IFTTT / Zapier alternative to automate workflows based on Github Actions. For developers. Connect your favorite apps, data, and APIs, receive notifications, sync files, collect data, etc.. Supports Webhooks.
  100% Free - requires creating a Github repo.
  .

• Pipes Digital (formerly Yahoo Pipes)
  Web-based automation platform. Logic blocks based. Data then moves through your pipe, block by block, and each block can manipulate it (filtering, combining or extracting parts). Fetch RSS feeds, scrape HTML pages or use one of the ready-made integration blocks.
  Free plan - includes 3 pipes - Pro starts at $5/mo for 10 pipes
  .

• Beehive

  Web-based event and agent system, which allows you to create your own agents that perform automated tasks triggered by events and filters. It can interface and talk to or retrieve information from Twitter, Tumblr, Email, IRC, Jabber, RSS, Jenkins and many more. For Mac, PC and also available as a self-hosted app.

  100% free - Open-source

  .

• Pabbly Connect
  Web-based multi-step workflow automation management tool. Integrates and automates tasks with 2000+ apps, including CRM tools, marketing software, payment portals, and form builders. Advanced features like scheduling, delays, iterations, email parsing and routers. 9000+ video tutorials.
  Free plan (up to 100 tasks/month) - Pro fom $14/mo (12k tasks/mo)

  .

• Parabola
  Web-based automation platform. Collect, manage, and analyze data from a variety of sources. Hundreds of integrations.
  Free plan (3 manual flows + data visualization) - Pro from $80/mo
  .

• Pipedream
  Zapier for programmers. Web-based. Connect and automate APIs, AI and databases. Integrates with over 1,000 apps and 2,200 APIs. 5000+ of ready-to-use triggers and actions. Allows creation of custom ones. Video demo.

  Free plan - includes 3 workflows - Pro starts at $45/mo w 10 workflows
  .

• ZZBots
  Web-based app to sync your apps and automate business workflows. Integrates with apx. 100 apps and systems (list). Bot Store with many pre-made automated bots. Video intro.
  Free plan - includes 4 bots/4 connected apps - Pro from $4.95/mo

  .

• Workload
  Cloud automation platform. No need to script or code. Supports small and very big workflows. Moves data across your apps by integrating 1500+ apps. 

  Free plan - 300 tasks, unlimited workflows / users. Pro from $49/mo, 3k tasks.

  .

• Microsoft Power Automate
  End-to-end AI-assisted cloud automation platform. Connects to 1000+ apps and systems. Ready-made automation templates. Mix/match cloud and desktop workflows. Web-based + iOS, Android and Windows apps.

  Free 30-day trial - Pro from $15/mo w extra connectors, process mining, more.

The Perfect Automation Tool for Directory Builders

I have discovered a brand new web app that does what any directory builder has dreamed of: maintain and update the records in a directory, even when that source information changes page/URL.

I had myself been dreaming of a system capable of going out to check and verify information just like a human being would do, at scale.

Because when you have a directory of a few hundred items or more, especially if these are apps, tools or other digital resources, things like features, prices, free plans are going to change, over and over again. So, how do you keep a directory of tools up-to-date today?

Very, very difficult.

Yes, you can scrape, change detect, monitor and extract any data from any web page stitching together different apps and tools, but when a pricing page changes structure, layout or even URL what do you do? How do you keep with new features, or what the free plan now includes? What abut if they disappear or pivot? Will you know? When?

This is why I’m so excited to share this app discovery.

I think, that this app does something super-useful and that right now there’s nothing else like it.

Here’s in synthesis, what it does, specifically:

* visits websites, 

* understands websites in the same way a human does, 

* navigates any website to find to the data you want, 

* extracts it, 

* validates the results, and 

* synchronizes it somewhere useful for you (Airtable, Google Sheet, Excel, etc.)

It may look a little expensive at first ($99/mo), especially if you want just to play and discover what you could do with it.

But I think that for those running already profitable directories of tools and digital resources this is truly a godsend at a very affordable price.

*I have no affiliation with this company.

Jsonify

• Web platform collects data and maintains any structured data collection. Uses smart AI agents that can discover, monitor and extract data from websites and documents. Visits websites, understands them in the same way a human does, navigates the website to find the data you want, extracts it, validates results, and synchronizes it with your own app, repository, database. Intro video.
  Free plan (limited to one workflow/100 URLs). Pro starts at $99/mo

2) Browser Automation Tools

• Automa
  Chrome extension for automating repetitive tasks you do in your browser. From auto-fill forms, taking screenshots, scraping websites. Record your actions. Visual operation by connecting blocks. Dozens of ready-made workflows.
  100% free. Open-source.

  .

• Taskmagic
  Visual automation. Web app + Mac and PC downloadable app. Scrape websites, automate ChatGPT, auto-like social media posts, etc. Filter, math, delay.
  Free plan - Unlimited apps, steps, tasks, Webhooks. Pro from $29/mo with unlimited workflows.

  .

• UI.Vision RPA
  Chrome extension. Automate browser and desktop. Form filling, screen scraping and Robotic Process Automation. Interprets images/text, executes clicking, moving, dragging and dropping, simulates keyboard inputs. *Requires installing free Ui.Vision XModules for Windows, Mac and Linux. Video intro.

  100% free

  .

• BrowserFlow
  Web and browser-based scraping and automation tool. Actions recording to build flows automatically. Supports custom JS code. Task scheduling. Automates data collection, file saving, backing up, taking screenshots and generating PDFs for any web page. Tutorials.
  Free plan - includes unlimited 1-minute runs - Pro from $19/mo

  .

• Automatio.co
  Chrome extension + web-based control dashboard. No-code web scraper, bot builder, and data extraction tool. Credits-based.

  Free trial includes 20 credits - Pro starts at $10 for 100 credits.

  .

• Web Scrapers & Data Extractors - Good Tools #10
  40+ tools and resources to extract data from any website (and convert it into a database file)

3) Desktop Automation Tools

PC Windows

.

• Stepwise
  Automation tool for Windows that doesn't require any coding.

  Good for general tasks. Easy to learn. Tutorials. Video.

  100% free

  .

• AutoHotkey
  Scripting language for Windows. Downloadable app. Open-source. Allows users to easily create scripts for all kinds of tasks such as filling-forms, auto-clicking, macros, ec. Beginner and advanced user-friendly. Support forum. Tutorials.
  100% free

  .

• AutoIt
  Scripting language with integrated editor. Uses simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control to automate tasks in a way not possible with other languages. Can convert scripts into standalone .exe files.
  100% free

Mac

.

• Apple Shortcuts

  Integrated Mac OS utility. Automates things you do frequently on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch. Multi-step. Hundreds of examples. Drag and drop to create. Includes 300+ built-in actions. Works with Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Music, Photos, Camera, Reminders, Safari, and any app supporting App Intents.

  100% free

  .

• Apple Automator
  Integrated Mac OS utility app. Automate Mac activities and tasks across the Finder and all native Mac apps. Import Automator workflows into Apple Shortcuts.
  100% free

  .

• Raycast 

  Mac app. Create shortcuts for just about any task or series of actions you want to carry out on your Mac. 
  Free plan - all core features + thousands of  extensions - Pro from $8/mo
  .

• ChatPC 

  Use simple English to automate your Mac, from managing files to interacting with other Mac applications through Shortcuts and AppleScripts.

  Paid - from $5/month 5M credits / 200 GP actions

  .

• BetterTouchTool
  Configure gestures and shortcuts for Mac keyboard, mouse, touchbar, trackpad, Siri and more.
  45-days trial - Paid from $12 (for 2 years of updates)

N.B.: If you have found errors or inaccuracies in any of the tools reported, please let me know through the comments or by replying to this email.

If you know of tools and apps that would fit this collection but which I did not include, please do let me know.

---

What Would You Like Me To Research in the Next Issue?

If you have found this newsletter useful, please consider supporting it by activating a paid subscription (gives you access to all collections), liking it or recommending it to your own readers and friends.

Thank you.

Robin Good