Tell Koi when. It does it then.
Give Koi a task and a time: the news every weekday at 8, five new words a day, a website checked for what's new. It runs on your Mac and the notch says when.
Start here
What Keyboard Maestro does, and what it costs
Keyboard Maestro is the deep end of Mac automation: macros that press keys, pick menus, move windows, work with files, the clipboard and text. A Time of Day trigger runs a macro at a set time on the days you pick, and there are many other triggers. It runs on your Mac, and its docs say a macro due while the Mac sleeps won't fire later. It has no AI built in.
It's US$36 once, $25 to upgrade, with a free trial, and needs macOS 10.13 or later. Version 11 is current.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, checked October 26, 2026.
The picks
Keyboard Maestro alternatives for scheduled tasks in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: Tasks that need thinking and the web, not clicks
Write a task in plain words in the notch's Routines tab, like “check this job board and tell me what's new”, and pick once, every day, weekdays or chosen days. Koi's AI searches the web for real, reads the page straight from your Mac, and the notch tells you when it's ready. If your Mac was asleep at the time, the task runs once as soon as it can.
Where Keyboard Maestro is better, plainly: it drives your Mac, key by key and menu by menu, runs with no internet, and is paid once. Koi's tasks give you an answer; they don't click through your apps. Koi is $20 a month or Lifetime, paid once, and each run uses your plan's Koi.
2. Shortcuts, built in
Best for: Free automations on macOS 26
Since macOS 26 Tahoe, Shortcuts on the Mac runs personal automations by itself, like “at 8:00 AM, weekdays”, with triggers for folders, apps, Wi-Fi and more, and a Use Model action for Apple Intelligence. Free.
3. Zapier
Best for: Schedules that act across web apps, with the Mac off
Schedule by Zapier starts a Zap hourly, daily, weekly or monthly in the cloud, with AI steps on Pro. Free for 100 tasks a month. More in our Zapier alternatives.
Comparison
Keyboard Maestro vs the alternatives
| Runs | AI | Missed while asleep | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyboard Maestro | Your Mac | No | Doesn't fire later | $36 once |
| Koi | Your Mac | Yes, with web search | Runs once when it can | $20 a month, or Lifetime, $199 once |
| Shortcuts | Your Mac | Use Model | Not listed | Free |
| Zapier | Cloud | AI steps, Agents | Runs in the cloud | Free 100 tasks; Pro from $19.99 a month |
Honest take
When Keyboard Maestro is still the better pick
Stay on Keyboard Maestro if
- The task is clicks, keys, menus and files on your Mac.
- It must work offline.
- You want one price, paid once.
Choosing
Which one should you pick?
- Driving the Mac on a timer? Keyboard Maestro, or Shortcuts for free.
- Web apps, with the Mac off? Zapier.
- Something read, searched and summed up for you at 8 each morning? Koi.
See Koi's scheduled tasks, or the plans on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
Zapier alternatives for scheduled AI tasks
Zapier alternatives for scheduled AI tasks: Koi on your Mac, Lindy, Keyboard Maestro and Apple Shortcuts. Where each runs, what it can do and what it costs.
Lindy alternatives for scheduled AI tasks
Lindy alternatives for scheduled AI tasks: Koi on your Mac, Zapier and Apple Shortcuts. Where each runs, what starts it, and what it costs.
An AI that controls your Mac, and the buttons it leaves to you
Yes, an AI can control your Mac: open apps, click and type. How Koi does it, the buttons it never presses whoever asks, and how to try any of these apps safely.
Support
Frequently asked questions
US$36 once, or $25 to upgrade from an earlier version, with a free trial.
Not built in, according to its site.
The task runs once as soon as your Mac is awake and online, never once for every time it missed.