What are the best Android apps for making your phone automatically perform certain actions based on set criteria?

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What are the best Android apps for making your phone automatically perform certain actions based on set criteria?

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The Best 1 of 15 OptionsWhy?

Best Android apps for making your phone automatically perform certain actions based on set criteria	Price	Platforms	Last Updated
93 Tasker	-	-	Mar 28, 2022
77 IFTTT	-	Web, Mobile	Jul 29, 2020
72 Llama	-	-	Jun 6, 2022
-- Automate	-	-	Dec 21, 2020
-- MacroDroid	-	-	Sep 30, 2023

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14 Other Options Considered

IFTTT

Top Con

Recipes aren't guaranteed to work

Sometimes recipes don't work as expected, or fail to launch completely. See More

Top Pro

Extremely simple

While this app can complete complex tasks, it is very easy to use. See More

Peter J. Mello's Experience

While I've always respected Tasker as an automation tool and know that it has advantages specific to onboard device sensors, I never developed any comfort working with it. In contrast, IFTTT makes it so easy to configure these conditional tasks and responses to environment, I can't imagine life without it anymore. I doubt there's a person online who couldn't benefit from it in some way. See More

Specs

Platforms:Web, Mobile

Top Con

Limits only one action per trigger

Instead of allowing users to have a large amount of actions launch based off of one trigger, the limit is only 1:1. See More

Top Pro

No noticeable effect on battery life

This app is efficient with minimal impact on battery life. See More

Top Pro

Free

This app has no download fee and no ads See More

Top Pro

Integrates well with the Internet of Things

Many smartbulbs come with IFTTT integration, which lets you configure your lights to a whole new level. You can create virtually any recipe you could want - have your lights flash red when you get a text, or turn up the brightness when it's raining. How about flashing blue whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs score, or cycling through all the colours during a party? All of this and much more is possible with IFTTT when connected to the Internet of Things. See More

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Llama

Top Pro

Easy to use, yet powerful Events system

Llama's core feature is an easy to understand and use Events system. Events consist of Actions that trigger based on Conditions. You can combine this system with the Area and Profile systems to automatically adjust how your phone behaves in certain situations. Conditions include: Connecting / disconnecting a Bluetooth device Entering / exiting Car Mode Charging / unplugged Day of the Week Entering / leaving / being in / not being in an Area Music starts / stops At a certain time interval Actions include: Adjusting brightness Adjusting music volume Changing profile Killing an app Rebooting Placing a notification Running an app Turn account synchronization on / off Turn Airplane Mode on / off Turn mobile data on / off Turn GPS on / off Turn screen lock on / off Turn Wi-Fi on / off See More

Top Con

Seems to be abandoned by the developers

Last update: October 2014. See More

Top Pro

Free

The app is free, but you can opt to support the developer by purchasing a donation app for $0.99. See More

Top Con

No GPS location support

Top Pro

Highly customizable Profiles

Profiles are a quick way to change your phone's behavior. You can adjust settings such as ringtone and notification volume and sound, music, media, alarm and in-call volume, choose between ring / vibrate / silent modes, among many more options. See More

Top Pro

NFC-based triggers

Llama is capable of triggering when around NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled devices. See More

Top Pro

Won't drain your data plan

Unlike a few other automation apps, Llama doesn't use a data connection so it will not cost to use. See More

Top Pro

Reliable, cell tower-based location triggers

To teach Llama your current position, go to the Areas tab and long-press your current position, then choose Start Learning Area. The app will now and in the future identify that area based on cell towers in the location. The longer you stay within that area the first time you set it to learn, the better Llama will be able to identify that place. You can also manually add or remove certain cell towers to areas. See More

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Automate

Top Pro

Free version

The free version of this app allows 30 concurrent 'blocks' to be run. No other limitations on functionality are set. See More

Top Con

Can't create custom scenes

Automate can't create actionable graphic overlays and dialogs. See More

RationalCaishen's Experience

It has a lot of options and free for limited number of blocks. See More

Top Pro

Uses flowcharts

Flowcharts offer both a nice way of visualizing the logic and an intuitive way of creating it by dragging and connecting the boxes. See More

Top Con

Profiles can't be exported as independent apps

Top Pro

Includes more than 250 blocks

Top Pro

Supports Tasker and Locale plugins

Top Pro

A bit simpler than Tasker

Top Pro

Profiles can be exported as launcher home screen icons

Built into the features of the app, users can create profiles to then export them as a launcher app to easily be launched from ones home screen. Sadly though there is no way to add these to ones app drawer. See More

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MacroDroid

Top Pro

Fully functional (root and non-root) and highly intuitive

ReverentAcheron's Experience

I'm a longtime tasker user, the granddaddy of automation. Decided with my most recent automation ideas to see what the apps had to offer. MacroDroid (free) is highly intuitive and I created my two solutions quickly. See More

Top Pro

Templates section inside the app

You can either share your macros or use shared macros easily. See More

PerceptiveConcordia's Experience

Not complicated at all! Supporting Tasker plugins Awesome developer support See More

Top Pro

Absolutely user-friendly interface

AmiablePhobos's Experience

It is my favourite app, replacing my others apps saved battery and storage. See More

See All

MyProfiles

Top Pro

Free version and pro version

Find out whether the app works well for you before you upgrade to the pro version to unlock an unlimited number of rules. See More

Top Pro

Solves conflict by priority

Of course you can turn rules on and off with a tap, but also you can give rules priorities to indicate which wins in a conflict, so for example, a location based rule says you're at home so volume is normal, but your calendar says you have an event containing the word 'meeting': you can set the "calendar event containing 'meeting'" rule to have a higher priority, so that it applies. See More

Top Pro

Exception groups

You can set an exception group from your Android contacts so that important people can still reach you. See More

Top Pro

Wide range of triggers for rules

You can base rules on: Time of day or week Location Calendar events Bluetooth events (specific device or any device) Wifi connection (specific network or any network) Whether the screen is on Whether you're charging the device When the battery level is in a specified range Whether your earphones are plugged in If your car dock is connected If your desk dock is connected If a particular app is in the foreground See More

Top Pro

Works with the vast majority of system settings

It can change lots of settings on your phone, for example you can use MyProfiles to put the phone on silent at the times in the week or in locations you shouldn't be disturbed. You can use it to put your phone into airplane mode overnight to save batteries, or when you have a meeting scheduled in your calendar. See More

See All

Automagic

Top Pro

Live view of executing flows

Top Con

You are forced to draw out flow diagrams

Pretty, but at the end of the day a pain to maintain diagram readability AND logic. See More

Top Pro

Flows can be defined graphically like a flowchart

Top Con

Not popular

It's not as popular as Tasker. See More

Top Pro

Easy

It's easier than Tasker to me. See More

Top Pro

Plug in

It supports all the plug in which supports Tasker. See More

Top Pro

Better programming

Some flows work better than Tasker. In fact, some tests that often don't in Tasker do so easily in Automagic. See More

Top Pro

Less or no dependency

It doesn't need an app like 'auto voice' or something like this of Tasker app. See More

Top Pro

Scripting language is superior

This app has a much more intuitive scripting language with tons of snippets and function examples. More powerful, elegant, flexible, and seems less resource intense. See More

See All

Locale

Top Pro

No noticeable effect on battery life

Even with Locale's advanced functionality, users have reported no noticeable effect on battery life. See More

Top Pro

Uses Google data backup API

All the "situations" used on Locale are saved using Google data backup API, so once the variables are right, they will never be lost. See More

Top Pro

Balances ease of use and complexity

This app is complex, but the UI makes it easy for anyone to use without much of a learning curve. See More

Top Pro

Optimized for low battery drain

Top Pro

Uses WiFi to determine location

Instead of using GPS like other apps, Locale uses WiFi to determine a user's location when possible. This is one of the reasons that Locale is so efficient when it comes to battery life. See More

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On{x}

Top Con

Project seems to be dead

There are several forum posts on their website inquiring if the project is still being developed, and there do not appear to be any responses from developers. To add to this, the last update for this app was in February of 2014 See More

Top Pro

Access to scripts

On{x} users have access to a whole database of specialized scripts that can be edited or used as they are. See More

Top Con

Forced Facebook login

Although all the recipes can be seen and used without Facebook login, many users find Facebook integration unnecessary. See More

Top Pro

Program remotely

Instead of having to edit code directly from your phone, code is edited through Microsoft's onx.ms website. See More

Top Con

Bad for battery life

The GPS tracking is horrible for battery life, but other variables might make this con bearable. See More

Top Pro

Detects speed and acts accordingly

This app tracks users by GPS and knows if they are sitting still, walking, running, or driving. This functionality can be used to trigger actions when a certain pace is achieved, such as "Play music when I start running." The GPS integration can also be useful for triggering actions when a user leaves or arrives at a location. Popular recipes that use the GPS function are "Remind me to work out if I haven't been to the gym in 3 days" or "Text my boyfriend when I leave work". See More

Top Con

Bare

While this app is incredibly useful, not much emphasis is put on making the UI pretty. This in no way effects the functionality of the app, but some users might find the basic interface unappealing. See More

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Tasker

Top Pro

Infinitely tweakable

Tasker has an impressive amount of triggers, actions, and parameters that can be used together in an incredible variety of ways. It can even accept scripts to follow instructions. See More

Top Con

Awful user interface

While it's incredibly powerful, Tasker's user interface is counter-intuitive, confusing, and just plain clunky at every turn. See More

Yanis's Experience

Very efficient ! See More

Top Pro

Create powerful custom applications

Tasker has the ability to create custom applications, effectively replacing multiple installed apps in your phone with tasks that are triggered automatically. What's even better is that they will be custom tailored to fit your specific needs. See More

Top Con

Steep learning curve

Tasker lacks good documentation or tutorials, which is important as the learning curve is very high if you want to use its advance features where this app actually shines. See More

Top Pro

Can adjust system software

With Root access it can also dabble with system software which other apps are not likely to achieve at the moment. See More

Top Pro

Export tasks as standalone apps

Tasker allows exporting workflows you've created as standalone applications that can then be shared or even put on the Google Play store. See More

Top Pro

Awesome plugin support

Tasker has awesome plugin support to connect with hardware that usually requires installing specific apps. For example, it has a plugin for Pebble smartwatch so that you can automate tasks that require using Pebble. See More

Top Pro

Purchase only once

The dev does not keep bringing out revised apps expecting you to pay each and every time; the same app has been developed consistently for nearly a decade. See More

See All

The Best 1 of 15 OptionsWhy?

My Recommendation for Tasker

My Recommendation for Tasker

Infinitely tweakable

Awful user interface

Create powerful custom applications

Steep learning curve

Can adjust system software

Export tasks as standalone apps

Awesome plugin support

Purchase only once

14 Other Options Considered

My Recommendation for IFTTT

My Recommendation for IFTTT

Recipes aren't guaranteed to work

Extremely simple

Limits only one action per trigger

No noticeable effect on battery life

Free

Integrates well with the Internet of Things

My Recommendation for Llama

My Recommendation for Llama

Easy to use, yet powerful Events system

Seems to be abandoned by the developers

Free

No GPS location support

Highly customizable Profiles

NFC-based triggers

Won't drain your data plan

Reliable, cell tower-based location triggers

My Recommendation for Automate

My Recommendation for Automate

Free version

Can't create custom scenes

Uses flowcharts

Profiles can't be exported as independent apps

Includes more than 250 blocks

Supports Tasker and Locale plugins

A bit simpler than Tasker

Profiles can be exported as launcher home screen icons

My Recommendation for MacroDroid

My Recommendation for MacroDroid

Fully functional (root and non-root) and highly intuitive

Templates section inside the app

Absolutely user-friendly interface

My Recommendation for MyProfiles

My Recommendation for MyProfiles

Free version and pro version

Solves conflict by priority

Exception groups

Wide range of triggers for rules

Works with the vast majority of system settings

My Recommendation for AutomateIt

My Recommendation for AutomateIt

Developer unresponsive

Rules can be shared

Easy to use

No noticeable effect on battery

Works perfectly out of the box

Free version

My Recommendation for Automagic

My Recommendation for Automagic

Live view of executing flows

You are forced to draw out flow diagrams

Flows can be defined graphically like a flowchart

Not popular

Easy

Plug in

Better programming

Less or no dependency

Scripting language is superior

My Recommendation for Locale

My Recommendation for Locale

No noticeable effect on battery life

Uses Google data backup API

Balances ease of use and complexity

Optimized for low battery drain

Uses WiFi to determine location

My Recommendation for On{x}

My Recommendation for On{x}