Automa is a free, open-source browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that automates repetitive web work by connecting visual blocks into workflows. The public code lives in the AutomaApp/automa repository, and documentation describes it as a low-code and no-code tool for browser automation. Workflow data, logs, and encrypted credentials stay in the browser; only workflows a user chooses to share leave the machine.[1][2][3]
Quick verdict
People doing repetitive work in Chrome or Firefox will get the most from Automa: free block-built workflows with scheduling, cron, scraping to Sheets, and API calls cover the chores that live in browser tabs. A November 2025 hands-on report confirms the payoff on real reporting tasks and names the ceiling honestly: strict bot detection and heavy-duty scraping are out of scope. When the work lives between server-side apps instead of inside pages, n8n or Zapier is the better fit.[1][2][3][4]
Key features
Visual block workflows Connect blocks for clicks, typing, text extraction, screenshots, and HTTP requests into a routine the extension replays for you, with no code required.[1][2]
Nine trigger types Start workflows manually, on an interval, on a specific date or day, at browser startup, with cron expressions, from the context menu, on site visits, or with keyboard shortcuts.[1]
Scheduled and recurring runs Intervals, dates, and cron expressions cover daily reporting, routine form fills, and regular site checks without you being present.[1][2]
Form filling and page interaction Blocks drive the clicks and field entries that make up the most tedious parts of web admin work.[1][2]
Scraping with export Pull text and tables from pages and send the results out as JSON or CSV files or into Google Sheets.[1]
Outbound HTTP requests A documented request block with method, URL, headers, body, and JSON response handling lets a workflow call external APIs mid-run.[1]
Conditional logic and loops A November 2025 hands-on report confirms branching, looping, multi-tab handling, clipboard access, and variables, so routines can adapt instead of following one fixed path.[1]
Marketplace and local vault A community marketplace hosts reusable workflows, while tables, variables, and credentials persist locally in the browser with credentials encrypted and unviewable after saving.[1][2][3]
Who will love it
People drowning in repetitive browser chores: if the day is the same clicks, fills, and checks, building the routine once from blocks pays back immediately, with scheduling and cron for the recurring ones.[1][2][3]
Researchers and operators scraping into spreadsheets: site data flows into JSON, CSV, or Google Sheets, which covers price checks, lead lists, and daily reporting without a scraper codebase.[1][2]
Individuals and small groups who want free and local: the extension installs free from the official stores, keeps data in the browser, and needs no account for core use.[1][2][3]
Who should avoid it
Anyone fighting bot detection or scraping at scale: the November 2025 hands-on report names this directly, since strict bot protection and heavy-duty scraping sit outside what a browser extension can fairly do.[1]
People outside Chrome and Firefox: documentation states those are currently the only supported browsers, so Safari, Edge-only shops, and mobile-first users are out of luck.[1][2]
Teams needing shared workspaces or hands-off AI: there are no team workspaces in the documented product, and the AI block needs your own token rather than working out of the box.[1][2]
How people experience it
One named firsthand report: Afam's November 2025 MakeUseOf staff account of automating daily reporting, scraping Google results into spreadsheets, and cutting a 40-minute tab-hopping dashboard task to minutes. Two labelled excerpts totalling 48 words are quoted exactly; the full report is linked in the readable draft.
1 cited community source. Purposive sample of one inspected firsthand staff report plus official documentation, not a prevalence estimate. The reporter automates reporting and tracking tasks in Chrome; Firefox-only, team, and long-term maintenance experiences are not represented. No Reddit or G2 firsthand report was inspectable for this revision.
Afam wrote in a November 2025 MakeUseOf hands-on report that the extension replaced several manual tasks that had seemed unavoidable and became one of the extensions always installed.[1]
Afam automated daily reporting and dashboard tracking, including scraping Google search results directly into spreadsheets, and cut a 40-minute tab-hopping tracking task to a few automatic minutes.[1]
Afam scoped the ceiling carefully: this is not the right weapon for highly protected websites with strict bot detection or for heavy-duty scraping beyond normal browser use.[1]
How it compares
n8n is the closest workflow-automation incumbent: both cover the scheduled collect-transform-push pattern, such as a daily site scrape posted to another service, but Automa runs the browser-side steps while n8n runs server-side steps. This is an editorial comparison, not a vendor endorsement.[1][2][3]
Zapier covers the same event-driven transfer between web services, such as capturing web form data and routing it onward, but it connects app APIs while Automa acts through the browser. This is an editorial comparison, not a vendor endorsement.[1][2][3]
Questions worth asking
What is the best Automa alternative for non-technical users?
Zapier is the safer pick when the job is connecting apps rather than driving pages: it builds governed workflows across thousands of connected apps with no browser involved. n8n fits the middle ground with visual workflows that move and transform data between apps, self-hosted or vendor-hosted. Pick Automa when the task itself is clicking, filling, and reading pages.[1][2][3]
Is Automa really no-code?
Yes for everyday use: routines are built by connecting visual blocks, and documented triggers, conditions, and loops need no scripts or configuration. Manual unpacked loading exists for local builds but is optional. You only touch anything technical when wiring the HTTP block to an API or supplying your own token for the AI block.[1][2][3][4]
How much does Automa cost per month?
The extension itself installs free from the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons, and no paid tier is documented on the official extension pages. A November 2025 hands-on report notes a paid Pro plan exists, but its price could not be verified on official extension pages during this pass, so no figure is asserted here. The separate enterprise RPA platform on the company site lists its own Pro pricing; that is a different product. Checked October 7, 2026.[1][2][3]
Can you self-host Automa?
No, and the question miscasts the product: there is no server component to host, since the extension runs in the browser with data stored locally. What you get instead of self-hosting is local-first control: logs and extension data stay on your machine, credentials are encrypted, and only workflows you choose to share leave it. Manual unpacked or temporary loading covers local builds, not server deployment.[1][2][3][4]
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 7, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
One named firsthand report: Afam's November 2025 MakeUseOf staff account of automating daily reporting, scraping Google results into spreadsheets, and cutting a 40-minute tab-hopping dashboard task to minutes. Two labelled excerpts totalling 48 words are quoted exactly; the full report is linked in the readable draft. Purposive sample of one inspected firsthand staff report plus official documentation, not a prevalence estimate. The reporter automates reporting and tracking tasks in Chrome; Firefox-only, team, and long-term maintenance experiences are not represented. No Reddit or G2 firsthand report was inspectable for this revision.
- Automa extension page: automate your browser by connecting blocks
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Official extension landing page: block-connection automation, form fill, screenshots, scraping, JSON/CSV/Sheets export, marketplace, Chrome install.
- AutomaApp/automa repository
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Repository page: block-connection positioning, homepage, topics, dual license terms.
- Automa README
official · Observed October 3, 2026
README: scheduling, store downloads, manual unpacked loading, marketplace, dual license.
- Automa LICENSE.txt
official · Observed October 3, 2026
License pointer: AGPL outside the business directory, Automa Commercial License inside; no AGPL version stated.
- Automa documentation home
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Docs home: low-code/no-code positioning; Chrome and Firefox only, installed from official stores.
- Automa trigger block reference
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Trigger reference: the nine documented trigger types.
- Automa HTTP request block reference
official · Observed October 3, 2026
HTTP block reference: outbound requests with JSON response handling.
- Automa storage reference
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Storage reference: tables, variables, encrypted credentials unviewable after saving.
- Automa extension privacy policy
official · Observed October 3, 2026 · Published July 21, 2025
Privacy policy dated 21 July 2025: local data, shared-workflow collection, Supabase/Vercel, AI block token.
- Automa commercial software license agreement
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Commercial license: paid agreement with Bahasalab Automation Pte. Ltd.
- n8n homepage
official · Observed October 3, 2026
n8n homepage: visual data workflows between apps, self-hosted or vendor infrastructure.
- Zapier homepage
official · Observed October 3, 2026
Zapier homepage: automation platform across thousands of connected apps.
- This under-the-radar Chrome extension saved me hours of work (MakeUseOf)
community · Observed October 7, 2026 · Published November 16, 2025
Inspected firsthand staff report: daily reporting automation, Sheets scraping, 40-minute task to minutes, Pro plan exists, bot-detection limits.