Free picks · Mac · Open source
Best free open-source automation tools for Mac (2026)
Every pick is listed under Automation in our directory, runs on a Mac and is free to use and tagged open source. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for automation and apps built for Mac.
Short answer
The best free open-source automation tools for Mac are direnv, Hammerspoon and gptme, the top three of 33 matches in our directory. All 10 are tagged open source in our directory. All 10 are completely free.
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
- 10
- Open source
- 10
- Work offline
- 9
- 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 | direnv | Free | macOS, Linux | Open source | Automatically load the right settings when you open a project folder. |
| 2 | Hammerspoon | Free | macOS, Offline | Open source | A powerful macOS automation tool you control with simple Lua scripts. |
| 3 | gptme | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | Your agent in your terminal, equipped with local tools. |
| 4 | Espanso | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Offline | Open source | An open-source text expander that types your snippets anywhere on your computer. |
| 5 | Karabiner-Elements | Free | macOS | Open source | Remap any key on your Mac and build your own shortcuts. |
| 6 | Task | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | A modern task runner that turns your repeated commands into short, named steps. |
| 7 | iTerm2 | Free | macOS | Open source | A powerful terminal replacement for Mac. |
| 8 | Node-RED | Free | Linux, Windows, macOS | Open source | Free, open-source low-code tool for wiring together devices, APIs and online services. |
| 9 | Nushell | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux, Offline | Open source | A modern shell that treats your data as tables, not walls of text. |
| 10 | Cline for Desktop | Free | macOS, Windows | Open source | The open-source Cline coding agent as a native desktop app. |
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 Mac pick, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Windows top 10 (not listed for Windows). On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 2.
Watch out for: Only for shell users
Number 2 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A Mac app that runs on a Mac, and also on Offline. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Windows top 10 (not listed for Windows). On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 3.
Watch out for: Mac only
Number 3 of 10 for Mac, 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 Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here), is privacy-focused (2 of 10 here) and has AI features (2 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 2. On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 4.
Watch out for: Terminal-first workflow
Number 4 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 3. On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 6.
Watch out for: Setup is done in config files
Number 5 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Made mainly for workflows, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A Mac app that runs on a Mac and nowhere else. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (2 of 10 here). It is not in the Windows top 10 (not listed for Windows). On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 7.
Watch out for: macOS only
Number 6 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 4. On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 8.
Watch out for: Mostly useful to developers
Number 7 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5. Made mainly for workflows, it is one of 4 picks here that cover automation as a second use. A Mac app that runs on a Mac and nowhere else. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Windows top 10 (not listed for Windows). On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 9.
Watch out for: Mac only
Number 8 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Linux and Windows. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 5. On the wider free Mac list, open source or not, it is number 10.
Watch out for: You install and host it yourself
Number 9 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for automation, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (9 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 6. On the wider free Mac list it ranks 11th, outside the top 10.
Watch out for: Scripts differ from Bash
Number 10 of 10 for Mac, 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 Mac, and also on Windows. Its listing says it has AI features (2 of 10 here). On our Windows list it is number 7. On the wider free Mac list it ranks 12th, outside the top 10.
Watch out for: Currently in beta
Running these on Mac
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Mac picks are 6 desktop apps (direnv, gptme, Espanso, Task and 2 others), 3 Mac apps (Hammerspoon, Karabiner-Elements and iTerm2) and 1 automation tool (Node-RED).
- 9 of 10 are apps you install on a Mac, and Hammerspoon, Karabiner-Elements and iTerm2 are made specifically for Mac; the other one is a web or cloud tool listed for Mac.
- Karabiner-Elements and iTerm2 are listed for Mac and nothing else. Espanso reaches furthest, on 3 other platforms besides Mac.
- None of these Mac picks is listed on iPhone and iPad.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms, and the other price filter. Only the differences are named.
- Free open-source automation tools for Windows
6 of these 10 Mac picks also make the Windows top 10. 4 are on this list only: direnv (not listed for Windows), Hammerspoon (not listed for Windows), Karabiner-Elements (not listed for Windows) and iTerm2 (not listed for Windows). In their place the Windows list has AutoHotkey, topgrade, Gum and Cerebro; AutoHotkey is not listed for Mac.
- Free automation tools for Mac
Fine with closed source? The wider free Mac list ranks 40 tools that run on a Mac, open source or not, led by Alfred, direnv and Hammerspoon.
More matches
23 more free open-source automation tools for Mac in our directory; the next 20 by our ranking are below.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free open-source automation tool for Mac?
- direnv is our first pick. Automatically load the right settings when you open a project folder. Yes. direnv is free to use.
- Are these automation tools really free?
- Yes. All 10 picks on this page are completely free, with no paid plan listed.
- Do these open-source automation tools work on other platforms too?
- 8 picks of 10 also run elsewhere, including direnv (Linux), Hammerspoon (Offline) and gptme (Windows and Linux).
- Which ones work offline on a Mac?
- direnv, Hammerspoon, gptme, Espanso, Karabiner-Elements and 4 others are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- How many free open-source automation tools for Mac are in the directory?
- 33 match: listed under Automation, available on a Mac and free to start, and tagged open source. 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
Wider lists
Related free lists
- Free automation tools for Mac
- Free automation tools for Windows
- Free note-taking apps for Mac
- Free automation tools for Linux
- Free to-do list apps for Mac
- Free open-source automation tools for Windows
- Free project management apps for Mac
- Free time management apps for Mac
- Free writing apps for Mac
- Free AI productivity tools for Mac
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