Excerpts from a thread:

Subject: Re: Pros and cons or AutoHotkey, AutoIT (no flames, please)

From: Thorsten Duhn

Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 06:36:00 +0100

Newsgroups: alt.comp.freeware

> Hi. Just wondering whether any of you folks have had any experience with either of these scripting programs and which

> one you prefer. Does either do anything the other can't?

> Which is easier to learn?

I for myself use AutoHotkey only for hotkey text insert.

And have written some tools with AutoIt and like it.

Example: http://lostfound.raum108.de/create_m3u/

I think, that's the difference, AutoHotkey is more for

monitoring key strokes and triggereing scripting with that,

and AutoIt is mainly for creating scripts to start the

usual way, like applications (therefore a to exe compiler

is part of AutoIt).

As AutoHotkey is based on AutoIt version 2 (some call it

rip-off) the language itself is very comparable. But for

what I see, AutoIt has evolved a lot since, especially

the GUI features:

http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/AutoIt2Users.htm

Seem to exist some flame wars between the two language

communities, see threads like this:

http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic4363.html

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34676

Reading this AutoIt scores, but that's maybe also because I

had very helpful experience in AutoIt support forum.

From: MC

> AutoIt has evolved a lot since, especially the GUI features

Another improvment of AutoIt is management of COM/Ole-automation objects. Then, many libraries for drive Word, IE, Excel, MS-agent, etc. are become.

And forums on AutoIt are very actives

(http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.php?)

For AutoHotKey, I had just try few minutes.

AMHA, AutoHotKey is like a sofware, AutoIt is like a language/Development tool.

From: Thomas Lauer

>> Hi. Just wondering whether any of you folks have had any experience

>> with either of these scripting programs and which one you prefer. Does

>> either do anything the other can't? Which is easier to learn? The

>> only other language I ever had any experience with was QuickBasic 4.5,

>> though I got to be pretty good with it.

That's an interesting one. I always wanted to do a proper shoot-out

between the two but never actually came round to do it.

Here's my quick take: both products are very good:-) Both support

strings, easy GUIs, regular expressions, automation, sending keys,

calling external DLLs and can produce EXEs... However, there are also

significant differences.

Good points for AutoHotkey (AHK): better hotkey handling; a nice

hotstring capability (that's one heck of a sensational feature);

comprehensive help file; a supportive and helpful user community; fast

updates and bug fixes by Chris Mallett, the guy behind it. AHK is also

open source under the GPL.

Less desirable in AHK is the abominable script language. The syntax is a

remnant of the old AutoIt 2.x days (parts of AHK are based on an open

source version of AutoIt v2). In fact, the AHK syntax is so ugly and

brain-damaging that I have stopped using AutoHotkey for any script

longer than three lines.

Good points for AutoIt3 (AU3): more stable and much clearer syntax; can

do system level things that are not as easy with AHK; better

integrations via COM/OLE; a very active if somewhat brash user community

with its very own local "prick" (folks, that's his own word); quick

succession of so-called betas between releases.

Less desirable in AU3 is the help file. Though basically a good thing

full of (mostly) working examples it's littered with omissions, errors,

imprecisions. It's in a word, rough and ready and not comparable to

AHK's more thorough help file. And AU3 is (mostly) closed source.

People new to scripting should start with AHK: they will not be

adversely affected by its syntax and the AHK community is helpful and

patient, especially with newcomers.

People with some programming experience might be more happy with AU3. As

you already know QuickBasic, perhaps that's the way to go.

Or simply use both, as I do: AHK for hotkeys, hotstrings and popup menus

(ie the "frontend"); AU3 for bigger scripts and even simple command line

utilities down the line. The programs coexist peacefully on my boxes

even if the communities behind them can't stand each other.

There you have it.

From: Thomas Lauer

>> Good points for AutoIt3 (AU3): more stable and much clearer syntax;

Just to clear up a possible misunderstanding: I wrote "more stable"

purely in connection with the syntax features of AutoHotkey and AutoIt3,

respectively. The remark has nothing to do with overall stability.

Both programs are pretty stable; AutoHotkey shines especially in those

areas where stability is most difficult to achieve: the hotkey handling.

From: ggrothendieck@gmail.com

One thing to note about AutoIt is the existence of AutoItX which is

a COM object that can be used to get AutoIt functionality

from any COM-capable language. With AutoItX you don't have to use

AutoIt's scripting language at all. AFAIK there is no comparable

facility in AHK.