head to head · open source
CloakBrowser vs Automa
CloakBrowser has 31,578 GitHub stars, 2,615 forks, 227 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Automa has 21,630 stars, 2,340 forks, 377 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. CloakBrowser leads on adoption by 46% (31,578 vs 21,630 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 | ★ 32K | ★ 22K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Vue |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-03-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.6K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CloakBrowser if
- You weight community size — 32K 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
CloakBrowser is a stealth Chromium build for Python and JavaScript teams that need browser automation to survive bot detection systems, aimed at scraping and AI agent engineers who want to replace Playwright or Puppeteer without rewriting their code.
read the full CloakBrowser overview →
About Automa
Automa browser extension. Automate browser by connect blocks. Vue project. Chrome and Firefox ecosystem. Problem: repeat browser tasks take time. User make workflow with blocks. No code write. Workflows do form fill, repetitive task, screenshot, scrape website data. Can schedule when automation execute. Marketplace share and download workflow. Automa Chrome Extension Builder make standalone Chrome extension from Automa workflow. Project lives as browser extension, not hosted automation service. The project also lists Chrome and Firefox extension downloads.
read the full Automa overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is CloakBrowser or Automa more popular?
CloakBrowser has 31,578 GitHub stars and Automa has 21,630. 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 (31,578 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Automa if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.