Free picks · Windows
Best free automation tools for Windows (2026)
Every pick is listed under Automation in our directory, runs on a Windows PC and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for automation and apps built for Windows.
Short answer
The best free automation tools for Windows are AutoHotkey, gptme and Raycast, the top three of 33 matches in our directory. 8 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 2 have a free plan; 8 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 33
- Completely free
- 8
- Open source
- 8
- Work offline
- 8
- Native apps
- 9
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AutoHotkey | Free | Windows, Offline | Open source | A free scripting tool for creating hotkeys and automating tasks on Windows. |
| 2 | gptme | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | Your agent in your terminal, equipped with local tools. |
| 3 | Raycast | Free plan | macOS, Windows, iOS | — | A launcher that turns your Mac or Windows PC into a command palette. |
| 4 | Espanso | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Offline | Open source | An open-source text expander that types your snippets anywhere on your computer. |
| 5 | Task | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | A modern task runner that turns your repeated commands into short, named steps. |
| 6 | Node-RED | Free | Linux, Windows, macOS | Open source | Free, open-source low-code tool for wiring together devices, APIs and online services. |
| 7 | Nushell | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux, Offline | Open source | A modern shell that treats your data as tables, not walls of text. |
| 8 | Cline for Desktop | Free | macOS, Windows | Open source | The open-source Cline coding agent as a native desktop app. |
| 9 | topgrade | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | Update every app and tool on your computer with one command. |
| 10 | Cursor | Free plan | macOS, Windows, Linux | — | An AI-first code editor that understands your whole codebase. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top Windows pick, rated 4.7/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on Offline. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac). Tagged open source: number 1 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Windows only
Number 2 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for AI productivity, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here), is privacy-focused (the only one here) and has AI features (4 of 10 here). On our Mac list it is number 4. Tagged open source: number 2 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Terminal-first workflow
Number 3 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.9/5, the highest here. Made mainly for workflows, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS and iOS. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here), has AI features (4 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (the only one here). On our Mac list it is number 5. Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Best experience is macOS
Number 4 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS, Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). On our Mac list it is number 6. Tagged open source: number 3 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Setup is done in config files
Number 5 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). On our Mac list it is number 8. Tagged open source: number 4 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Mostly useful to developers
Number 6 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. Runs on a Windows PC, and also on Linux and macOS. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). On our Mac list it is number 10. Tagged open source: number 5 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: You install and host it yourself
Number 7 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS, Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). It is not in the Mac top 10 (11th for Mac). Tagged open source: number 6 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Scripts differ from Bash
Number 8 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for AI productivity, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS. Its listing says it has AI features (4 of 10 here). It is not in the Mac top 10 (12th for Mac). Tagged open source: number 7 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Currently in beta
Number 9 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (8 of 10 here). It is not in the Mac top 10 (13th for Mac). Tagged open source: number 8 on the open-source Windows list.
Watch out for: Terminal only
Number 10 of 10 for Windows, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for AI productivity, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Windows PC, and also on macOS and Linux. Its listing says it has AI features (4 of 10 here). It is not in the Mac top 10 (15th for Mac). Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Heavy usage needs a paid plan
Running these on Windows
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Windows picks are 9 desktop apps (AutoHotkey, gptme, Raycast, Espanso and 5 others) and 1 automation tool (Node-RED).
- 9 of 10 are apps you install on a Windows PC; the other one is a web or cloud tool listed for Windows.
- Every Windows pick here also runs somewhere else. Espanso reaches furthest, on 3 other platforms besides Windows.
- None of these Windows picks is listed on Android.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms, and the other price filter. Only the differences are named.
- Free automation tools for Mac
5 of these 10 Windows picks also make the Mac top 10. 5 are on this list only: AutoHotkey (not listed for Mac), Nushell (11th for Mac), Cline for Desktop (12th for Mac), topgrade (13th for Mac) and Cursor (15th for Mac). In their place the Mac list has Alfred, direnv, Hammerspoon, Karabiner-Elements and iTerm2; none of them is listed for Windows.
- Free automation tools for Linux
7 of these 10 Windows picks also make the Linux top 10; the 3 that do not are AutoHotkey, Raycast and Cline for Desktop.
- Free open-source automation tools for Windows
Want code you can inspect? 8 picks of 10 here are tagged open source; the open-source Windows list ranks 25 such tools, led by AutoHotkey, gptme and Espanso.
More matches
23 more free automation tools for Windows in our directory; the next 20 by our ranking are below.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free automation tool for Windows?
- AutoHotkey is our first pick. A free scripting tool for creating hotkeys and automating tasks on Windows. Yes. AutoHotkey is free to use.
- Are these automation tools really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. AutoHotkey, gptme, Espanso, Task and 4 others are completely free. Raycast and Cursor have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these automation tools are open source?
- AutoHotkey, gptme, Espanso, Task, Node-RED, Nushell, Cline for Desktop and topgrade are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which ones work offline on a Windows PC?
- AutoHotkey, gptme, Raycast, Espanso, Task and 3 others are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- Raycast is rated beginner-friendly. 9 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free automation tools for Windows are in the directory?
- 33 match: listed under Automation, available on a Windows PC and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Automation category page has every listing, paid ones included.
Keep exploring
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