At a glance
| Trama | Keyboard Maestro | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | People who don’t want to build automations by hand. | Power users comfortable assembling detailed macros. |
| How you build | Describe it in plain English; Trama builds the steps, explains them and changes them when you ask. | Choose triggers and add actions one by one in the macro editor. |
| What can start it | Every copy, a keyboard shortcut, selected text, a schedule, every new screenshot, a file in a folder, an app opening, a calendar event, a webhook. | A very wide set: hot keys, typed strings, time, apps, clipboard changes, folders, devices and more. |
| Controlling the Mac | AppleScript and shell steps — anything beyond reading is shown to you and needs your approval; typing results into the current app. | Extensive: keystrokes, clicks, windows, menus, images on screen. |
| AI | Built in, with your provider: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq or a local model. | Through actions you configure yourself. |
| Web services | Connect Slack, Google, GitHub, Notion, Linear, Jira, Airtable and more once, with sign-in — no API keys. | Through HTTP requests and scripts you write. |
| Pricing | Free plan; Pro $10/month; Max $18/month. | A one-time license purchase. |
Written in October 2026. Products change — check each company’s site for current features and prices.
When Keyboard Maestro is the better choice
- You need pixel-level control: click this button, wait for that window, press these keys.
- You want everything to work offline, with no account.
- You already think in macros and want the deepest toolbox available on the Mac.
When Trama is the better choice
- You know what you want done but not how to build it. You write “Every time I take a screenshot of a receipt, add the amount to my expenses sheet”, review the steps and switch it on.
- The work is about understanding text — summarizing, translating, extracting, rewriting — which AI handles in one step.
- It needs your work tools, connected with a sign-in instead of API tokens and scripts.
- When something breaks you want it explained in plain English, with a fix you can apply in one click.
Questions
Is Trama easier than Keyboard Maestro?
For people who don’t want to build macros, yes: you describe the automation and Trama builds it. Keyboard Maestro offers more precise control over the Mac for people willing to assemble each action.
Does Trama work offline?
Trama needs a sign-in, and any step that uses AI calls the provider you chose. With a local model (for example through Ollama or LM Studio) the AI part stays on your Mac; steps without AI or integrations run locally.
Can Trama type into other apps?
Yes. The Paste in Place and Type in Place outputs put the result into the app you are using, and AppleScript steps can control Mac apps — Trama shows you the script and asks before anything that changes data runs.