Hammerspoon logo

Hammerspoon

Open-source macOS automation tool that bridges OS APIs into a Lua scripting engine for power-user workflows.

-

Our Verdict

The most powerful free macOS automation tool — if Lua and shell thinking dont scare you off.

Pros

  • Lua scripting over macOS APIs
  • Free and open-source
  • Enables arbitrary automation depth
  • Large user-contributed Spoons library

Cons

  • Requires Lua knowledge
  • Documentation scattered across community
  • Breaking changes with macOS updates
  • Setup is developer-only territory
Best for: macOS power users comfortable scripting bespoke system-level workflows Not for: Users wanting polished GUIs or avoiding code entirely

When to Use Hammerspoon

Good fit if you need

  • Custom macOS automation using Lua for power-user workflows
  • Window management scripting integrated with macOS APIs
  • Hotkey-driven context switching between dev environments
  • Automated system actions triggered by application events
  • Personal productivity toolkit built with Hammerspoon Lua

Lock-in Assessment

Low 5/5
Lock-in Score
5/5

Hammerspoon Pricing

Pricing Model
free
Free Tier
Yes
Entry Price
Enterprise Available
No
Transparency Score

Beta — estimates may differ from actual pricing

1,000
1001K10K100K1M

Estimated Monthly Cost

$25

Estimated Annual Cost

$300

Estimates are approximate and may not reflect current pricing. Always check the official pricing page.

Project Health

C

Health Score

15.3k 685
Bus Factor

10

Last Commit

2 months

Release Freq

270d

Open Issues

670

Issue Response

22d

License

MIT

Last checked: 2026-04-21

Community Discussion

Comments powered by Giscus (GitHub Discussions). You need a GitHub account to comment.