head to head · open source
CloakBrowser vs Automa
CloakBrowser has 32,693 GitHub stars, 2,719 forks, 164 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Automa has 21,705 stars, 2,344 forks, 377 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. CloakBrowser leads on adoption by 51% (32,693 vs 21,705 stars). CloakBrowser is written in Python under MIT; Automa is written in Vue under a custom or non-standard licence. CloakBrowser has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Automa 11%. CloakBrowser was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (browser-automation), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| CloakBrowser | Automa | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 33K | ★ 22K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Vue |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-03-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CloakBrowser if
- You weight community size — 33K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Automa if
- You want the Automa feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Vue
- You evaluated both and Automa fits your workflow better
About CloakBrowser
Stealth Chromium that passes every bot detection test. Not a patched config. Not a JS injection. A real Chromium binary with fingerprints modified at the C++ source level. Antibot systems score it as a normal browser — because it is a normal browser. Cloudflare Turnstile — 3 live tests passing (headed mode, macOS) Drop in Playwright/Puppeteer replacement for Python and JavaScript. Same API, same code — just swap the import. 3 lines of code, 30 seconds to unblock. 87 source level C++ patches — canvas, WebGL, audio, fonts, GPU, screen, WebRTC, network timing, automation signals, CDP input behavior humanize=True —…
read the full CloakBrowser overview →
About Automa
Automa An extension for automating your browser by connecting blocks. Auto fill forms, do a repetitive task, take a screenshot, or scrape website data — the choice is yours. You can even schedule when the automation will execute! Downloads Chrome Web Store Firefox Add ons Marketplace Browse the Automa marketplace where you can share and download workflows with others. Go to the marketplace & 187; Automa Chrome Extension Builder Automa Chrome Extension Builder (Automa CEB for short) allows you to generate a standalone chrome extension based on Automa workflows. Go to the documentation & 187; Project setup Before…
read the full Automa overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is CloakBrowser or Automa more popular?
CloakBrowser has 32,693 GitHub stars and Automa has 21,705. CloakBrowser has the larger community by that measure.
Are CloakBrowser and Automa free?
Both are open source. CloakBrowser is licensed under MIT, and Automa has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between CloakBrowser and Automa?
CloakBrowser is written in Python and Automa in Vue. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, CloakBrowser or Automa?
Choose CloakBrowser if you want the larger community (32,693 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Automa if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.