I don’t go out of my way to search for new extensions, but I got fed up with copying the same data, typing the same queries, and performing the same little tasks several times a day. These tasks never felt difficult, but I do them so often they end up taking several hours per week and adding a lot of drag to my flow.
I finally came across the Automa extension, and it’s so powerful I’m shocked no one has mentioned it. It’s taken the place of several of the manual tasks that seemed unavoidable, and is now one of the Chrome extensions I always install.
How Automa works inside the browser
A simple block-based system for building time-saving workflows
Automa’s strength is simplicity. After installation, Automa shows your dashboard with workflows. Workflows consist of small, modular blocks, each one representing actions such as button clicks, scrolling, typing, and web scraping. You connect the blocks in sequence to show the extension exactly how it can perform a task like you would.
The blocks come together effortlessly, with you deciding the triggers for your workflow. For instance, opening a page can trigger a workflow, but you can also start it manually or set it to automatically run at a specific time. It’s flexible and can automate one-off jobs as well as repetitive tasks. One of the first automations I tried scraped Google results to a spreadsheet. It automatically went through the different result pages.
It’s also transparent, showing you the sites each workflow interacts with. If you worry about over-granting access to third-party services, this should make you more confident. However, I was sold on how it allows me to tweak a block, add conditions, or reorder the flow in seconds when a step behaves in a way I did not expect.
It gives you power without coding or technical expertise, and you can do much of this for free (there is also a paid Pro plan).
- Browser
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ChChrome, Firefox
- Pricing model
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Free, Pro (Paid)
Automa is a low-code or no-code browser extension for doing browser automation. It automates repetitive browser tasks like filling forms clicking, and data scrapping.Â
The automation that made the biggest difference in my work
Real workflows I built that saved hours of manual effort
My first automation tracked updates across multiple project dashboards. It opened the different dashboards, scrolled through their latest activity, extracted text, and exported it to a spreadsheet. It used to take me about 40 minutes of jumping between tabs; now it runs automatically in a few minutes.
I automated all the repetitive form submissions I needed for my daily reports. I typically would have to type the same information over and over or copy and paste it around. But I was able to link blocks together to fill the needed fields, pick the right options, and submit the entries. Even though I run this particular automation whenever I need it, I can also set it to launch at specific times.
I also created a workflow that monitors activity on key pages. Automa loads the page, extracts specific page sections, and compares them with results from earlier runs. If there are changes, it logs the changes in a spreadsheet. This saved me several hours per week and is one of the automations that help me avoid burnout.
However, the most interesting automations combine several workflows. For instance, I combine navigation and data extraction into multi-site workflows, moving between several sites and pulling the data I need. The best part is all these automations I built didn’t require a Pro plan.
What surprised me while using Automa every day
The features I didn’t expect but now rely on
Automa’s conditional logic was the biggest surprise. I could determine how my flows work based on what a page shows. For instance, it may click one button if a specific promotion exists, and another button if a different promotion appears. I didn’t have to write a single line of code.
Its loops are also incredible and very useful. I can configure events to repeat on a page across multiple items. I use loops a lot to iterate through lists, links, or rows of a table. Previously, I would have to manually click through.
I use Automa for what I consider complex automations, but it excels at the simple tasks too. For instance, it makes handling multiple tabs seamless. Workflows can switch between tabs and open or close them as part of a single flow. This opens doors to complex multi-page tasks with minimal supervision.
It also has a helpful clipboard that I combine with variable blocks for storing information and reusing them between steps. It simplifies aggregating data from multiple sources.
The types of work where automation creates the biggest returns
You should use Automa if your daily work involves repetitive tasks. It’s a perfect addition to the productivity stack of a researcher gathering data, a writer or editor monitoring multiple sources, an analyst checking dashboards, a marketer managing campaigns, or anyone who juggles forms, reports, or multistep tasks across tabs. As long as your workflow happens in Chrome or Firefox and includes a routine, Automa will make it easier.
Automa has made me realize how much time I used to waste on routine tasks. It may not be suitable for tasks that require logging into highly protected sites with strict bot detection or for heavy-duty web scraping, but it’s now one of my top free tools for automating on my PC.