Went Further into the Dark Side with Automation Started using Alfred

Software
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This past weekend I gave in and started using Alfred completely instead of Spotlight, even bought the Powerpack.

What’s the community thoughts on using Alfred vs Keyboard Maestro for workflows? For me, I think some workflows are better suited for Alfred. For example, currency exchange appears more elegant as an Alfred workflow rather than a Keyboard Maestro macro.

But if I was forced to pick 1 automation tool, it would always be Keyboard Maestro. I’m interested in hearing what the community has to say.

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For me, there’s a very clear line between Keyboard Maestro and Alfred. Anything requiring text input goes to Alfred and anything that’s a single key-command, time based, volume mounted based, etc. is in Keyboard Maestro.

There are a couple exceptions where achieving the automation I’m looking for is easier in one or the other.

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Out of curiosity, what about security? Not concerned about opening up access and possibility of someone hacking or app registering keystrokes or running rogue automations? Maybe I’m overthinking :thinking:

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It’s always a possibility I guess.

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I use whatever I think of at the time. Sometimes one will even feed into the other! I try not to think about it too much.

KM tends to be more powerful, but Alfred has a prettier, habitually-used interface.

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Your mileage may vary but i’ve found Hazel and Alfred together can cover ask my automation needs. I’ve played with KM every few years but never found any additional benefits worth the time investment.

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For automation, I think Keyboard Maestro is more powerful. But I enjoy using Alfred a lot more than KM. I already use Alfred for everything, so it comes naturally to me when using it for automations.

I also feel that it’s easier to find Alfred workflows and that makes it easier for beginners. That said, macOS Big Sur broke many of my workflows, and hence, I am using KM more these days.

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Exactly. I like KM for big Macros like sending automated messages with a time of day triggers or work/home Mac setups. (In fact, I have five macros run daily with a time of day triggers) five days a week.

Alfred, I use for quickly looking up weather, timezones, or currency conversions. Yes, KM can do them, but it takes you to the browser to do it while with Alfred, you get the result right under your query.

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I also make extensive use of Custom Searches in Alfred, for everything from looking up movie reviews to searching for a member on my membership site. I have about 30 Custom Searches at the moment, and continue to add them as needed.

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