Autotab
Dev tools
browser automation
SHOW HN2024
How HN took it
6 positive, 26 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 14 critical, out of 50 comments about the project. Thread score -0.15.
Idea: 3 for, 4 againstExecution: 1 for, 3 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 3 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Impressive product and idea for AI browser automation
From 3 comments
Pretty slick. I recorded a session for ordering from a restaurant website, and it did repeat the entire workflow. It had some issues with a modal popped up but all in all well…
pacifi30 on HNI love the idea - owning the browser definitely seems like the right approach. I tried it out on a workflow I've been manually piecing together and it gave me a bunch of "Error…
pugio on HNSuper cool. Congrats & well done. Can I install a Chrome extension within this browser and automate some actions on it?
N4der on HN
Objections
Pricing unclear and seems expensive
From 2 comments
You say "try it for free" but your website has no pricing information at all. Is this free for just a while? Free forever? What is your monetization strategy? Can I point it at…
Carrok on HNLooks nice. Anybody else in this space? This one is on the pricier end but I’m just a single user so maybe not the target customer
replwoacause on HN
Privacy policy broadly collects desktop recordings and shares with affiliates
From 1 comment
The functionality looks very very cool. But the privacy policy raises an eyebrow - am I overreacting? Usage Information. To help us understand how you use our Services and to…
alex_c on HN
Errors and failures on forms and modals in testing
From 3 comments
I love the idea - owning the browser definitely seems like the right approach. I tried it out on a workflow I've been manually piecing together and it gave me a bunch of "Error…
pugio on HNI tried it out on a website I am testing at work but sadly it failed to complete a form :(
eddjlsh on HNMacBook Pro m3 max; latest macos version: Autotab has exited due to multiple fatal errors. Please contact support for assistance: contact@autotab.com.
surrTurr on HN
Docs and install instructions are lacking
From 3 comments
One thing I would recommend. Install instructions for Linux/Windows/Mac. Not finding them in the documentation.
linuxrebe1 on HNI don't read docs. Didn't get it to work the way I wanted... It needs simplification.
hmontazeri on HNHonestly, the video feels like just any low/nocode tutorial video in a sense “that we’re going to automate something” and a minute later we are copying urls into some complex…
wruza on HN
Requests
Add Google SSO and Microsoft SSO
From 1 comment
'Google SSO' Urgh. I was excited about this. Anxiously awaiting email/other SSO (we use MS).
artificialLimbs on HN
Export scripts that run locally
From 1 comment
I love the idea - owning the browser definitely seems like the right approach. I tried it out on a workflow I've been manually piecing together and it gave me a bunch of "Error…
pugio on HN
Lower-cost or personal plan for testing
From 2 comments
That sounds like a really good use case! we're constrained by model costs but are interested in offering a lower cost plan – if you email me I'll see what we can do…
alexirobbins on HNIs it possible to get a personal license for testing ??
sciencesama on HN
Questions
How is 2FA and CAPTCHA handled
From 1 comment
Have you considered how to handle mobile verification codes, graphic verification codes, and "proving you are not a robot" verification methods?
nagisa12321 on HN
How IP blocking is handled
From 1 comment
This is awesome. I was just trying to get a rudimentary version of this for some "user" interaction heavy data extraction. Definitely giving it a try. For a case with lots of…
diegolazcano on HN
Whether it violates website terms of service
From 1 comment
If this was an OSS project automating a specific service many HN-ers would come and bleet about TOS violations & being scared/wary of C&Ds. How does this not violate TOS? Do you…
smashah on HN
Alternatives named
Scribe
From 1 comment
This is awesome! What is your most common use case? Have you thought of competing with https://scribehow.com/ in the documentation space?
adamkhakhar on HN
AskUI vision agent
From 1 comment
AskUI could be a solution. It's also not just in browser, but the whole desktop: https://github.com/askui/vision-agent
hailpixel on HN
OpenAdapt
From 1 comment
https://openadapt.ai is open source (MIT license).
abrichr on HN