head to head · open source
dots vs Automa
dots has 32,357 GitHub stars, 4,739 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Automa has 21,705 stars, 2,344 forks, 377 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. dots leads on adoption by 49% (32,357 vs 21,705 stars). dots is written in TypeScript under MIT; Automa is written in Vue under a custom or non-standard licence. dots has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Automa 11%. dots was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (automation, 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
| dots | Automa | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 22K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Vue |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-03-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.7K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick dots if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 dots
dots Every AI agent is a model and a browser. You can swap the model with one flag. The browser is what the website sees. Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then open The conversation on the left, the browser on the right, live. It all comes down to the browser When a web agent fails, the model is rarely why. The page never loaded, a challenge appeared, the login expired, the click did not land. All of that happens in the browser, before the model gets to think. So dots is built around one: A real Firefox engine, patched in C++. The fingerprint is decided inside the engine, not painted over with JavaScript that a…
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 dots or Automa more popular?
dots has 32,357 GitHub stars and Automa has 21,705. dots has the larger community by that measure.
Are dots and Automa free?
Both are open source. dots is licensed under MIT, and Automa has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between dots and Automa?
dots is written in TypeScript 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, dots or Automa?
Choose dots if you want the larger community (32,357 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Automa if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.