Custom cursor
Juno
Download

Mac automation

Juno vs macOS Shortcuts

Shortcuts can only drive the apps that opted in. Juno works the screen, so it does not need anyone's permission.

Shortcuts is Apple's built in automation app. It is free, it is well integrated, it works with Siri, and for system level jobs it is the obvious first choice.

Its ceiling is the framework. A Shortcut can only use actions an app chose to publish, and most software never published any. When an app is not in the list, there is nothing to build with.

Juno does not need an app's cooperation. It reads what is on screen and operates the mouse and keyboard the way you would, so it works with software that has no automation story at all.

Side by side

  • Works in any app

    Juno
    Yes, it reads the screen

    macOS Shortcuts
    Only apps that support Shortcuts

  • Built into macOS

    Juno
    No, a download

    macOS Shortcuts
    Yes

  • Plain language input

    Juno
    Yes, typed or spoken

    macOS Shortcuts
    Limited, through Siri

  • Voice

    Juno
    Wake word plus the whole task

    macOS Shortcuts
    Hey Siri, plus a simple command

  • Multi step tasks

    Juno
    It works out the steps

    macOS Shortcuts
    You build each step

  • Predictable every time

    Juno
    No, it reasons

    macOS Shortcuts
    Yes, deterministic

  • Where your data goes

    Juno
    Screenshots to your chosen model, only during a task

    macOS Shortcuts
    Stays on device

  • Dictation

    Juno
    Local Whisper, 99+ languages

    macOS Shortcuts
    Apple dictation

  • Price

    Juno
    Free, you bring the model

    macOS Shortcuts
    Free

Where macOS Shortcuts is the better pick

  • Simple system level automation: toggling settings, opening apps, sending a message.
  • Anything inside the set of apps that already ship Shortcuts actions.
  • Fully local execution. Nothing leaves the machine and nothing costs anything per run.
  • Deterministic triggers fired from Siri, the menu bar or a schedule.
  • If your task fits in Shortcuts, use Shortcuts. It is free, instant and already installed.

Where Juno pulls ahead

  • Apps that never shipped a single Shortcuts action, which is most of them.
  • Work that needs visual understanding, like find the button that says Export.
  • Research, comparison and anything requiring a judgment call.
  • Multi app jobs where the next step depends on what just happened.
  • When you would rather describe the task than build the process.

A straight note on privacy

Shortcuts runs entirely on device and that is a real advantage. Juno's dictation is also fully local, through Whisper, and nothing about your voice is uploaded. The agent is different: while a task is running it sends screenshots to the model provider you chose, and they are not kept afterward. If a job involves data that must never leave the machine, use Shortcuts for that job, or run Juno in companion mode where it can watch and advise but not act.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Juno and macOS Shortcuts?
Shortcuts composes predefined actions from apps that support the framework. Juno reads the screen and operates any app the way a person would, including apps with no Shortcuts support. Juno also takes a whole multi step task described in ordinary words.
Is Shortcuts more private than Juno?
For the agent, yes. Shortcuts runs entirely on device, while Juno sends screenshots to your chosen model provider during a task. Juno's dictation is a different matter: it runs locally through Whisper and uploads nothing.
Can Juno work with apps that do not support Shortcuts?
Yes, and that is the main reason to use it. Juno sees the screen and drives the mouse and keyboard, so it does not care whether an app published automation actions.
Can I use both?
Yes, and it is a good setup. Let Shortcuts handle the deterministic system level jobs it is built for, and hand Juno the ones that fall outside the framework.

Free, and the source is public. macOS 14+.

Download Juno