autobrr vs Automa
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
autobrr
Automation tool for filtering and processing release feeds
VS
Automa
Browser automation via drag-and-drop visual workflows
| Feature | autobrr | Automa |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 70 · Good |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,077 | ★ 21,640 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zapier | Zapier, UiPath |
What are autobrr and Automa?
autobrr
autobrr is an open-source automation tool that monitors IRC and RSS release feeds, applies filters, and triggers actions such as sending releases to download clients. It is fully self-hosted.
- IRC and RSS monitoring
- Powerful filtering rules
- Download client actions
- Web interface
Automa
Automa is an open-source browser extension that automates repetitive web tasks using a visual block-based workflow builder. Workflows run locally in the browser and can be scheduled or triggered.
- Visual workflow builder
- Browser task automation
- Scheduling and triggers
- Runs locally
autobrr vs Automa: key differences
Autobrr is written in Go, while Automa is built with Vue. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for autobrr versus MIT for Automa. Autobrr is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Automa. Automa has the considerably larger community, at 21,640 GitHub stars versus 3,077. Autobrr lists first-class Docker deployment; Automa does not.
Why pick each one
Choose autobrr if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Automa if…
- Visual block builder
- Runs entirely locally
- Scheduling and triggers
Watch out for
- Browser extension only
- Complex flows get fiddly
Frequently asked questions
Is autobrr or Automa better?
Automa is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider autobrr if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are autobrr and Automa free and open-source?
Yes. autobrr is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Automa under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run autobrr and Automa with Docker?
autobrr: yes. Automa: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, autobrr or Automa?
autobrr has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Automa. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.