If you are just getting started with tasker, we suggest you check out these cool Tasker profiles and these 3rd party plugins which you can use to increase its functionality. But Tasker is not for everyone. Even with tremendous capacities for automation in Tasker, there is one major drawback of the application, it’s complicated. There is a huge learning curve that comes with tasker. And if you are just looking to create some simple profiles, then you don’t have to spend time learning Tasker. And thanks to the enormous ecosystem of Android development, we have a number of alternatives for Tasker which offer similar functionality but are easier to handle. Here we are going to discuss those alternatives so that even a beginner can automate his Android.
Best Tasker Alternatives
#1 Automagic Automation
Whenever we think about an algorithm we usually think of it as steps that we are going to follow in serial order. So, the conventional way to put any algorithm on paper is by using flow charts. Granted, Tasker is the most powerful tool for automation but it lacks the flow chart approach which is very convenient if you want to implement an idea in programming.
Automagic Automation is a popular application which uses flow chart approach. As the rating reflects, the application is an excellent alternative to Tasker because of its powerful interface and its simplicity when it comes to debugging the algorithm. The execution of your complete automation action can be seen with cool animations which make it easier to see the pattern that the flow chart is following. Download: Automagic Automation Community: Automagic Automation Community
#2 Automate
Automate also uses the flow chart approach to implement automation tasks. The idea is very simple, you have a grid and you can select different blocks from predefined category and connect them over the grid. You can rearrange the blocks whenever you want by simply dragging them and it is possible to change connections as well as block parameters as per your heart’s desire. All in all, Automate is the most intuitive and user-friendly automation application for Android.
Download: Automate Community: Automate Community
#3 AutomateIt
AutomateIt tries to simplify the automation procedure by allowing the user to create automation actions using Rules/Behaviors. A rule is associated with a pair of Trigger-Action where you can select different options for Triggers and Actions. To make the process smooth, AutomateIt works in a wizard mode where you can start from selecting the Rule parameters and end by assigning Actions for Triggers.
The application comes in two flavors: a free version and a paid one. The community for the application has also developed some Rules that you can get from Rules market. The paid version allows the users to directly use these Rules from market whereas the free users need to earn points to do the same. In the end, we suggest AutomateIt for users who want to go for Automation in a simple way or for those who wants to try it for the first time. Download: AutomateIt Community: AutomateIt Community
#4 Contextual App Folder (C.A.F)
Contextual App Folder is an awesome application from automation category which works on a completely innovative idea. The contents of the C.A.F changes according to the context which can be set by the user. The folder will contain all your music and navigation apps whenever you connect your phone to your car’s Bluetooth and the same folder will contain your office application if you are in office.
The contexts present inside this application are completely customizable on the basis of Location, time, Connected Wi-Fi SSID and much more. The application is still in unreleased mode but you can access it via early release channel on Google Play. Download: Contextual App Folder (Un-released Verison) Community: Contextual App Folder Community
#5 E-Robot
This is a free alternative to Tasker with similar interface and good control over automation functionality. Users can create Events in this application and those events can be handled on the basis of location or time with specific commands. The application contains ads and user needs to buy a Pro-key to remove ads.
Download: E-Robot Community: E-Robot Community
#6 IFTTT
IFTTT stands for “IF This Then That” and works with a simple yet powerful mechanism by covering a larger domain compared to Tasker. We all use different services from our devices like Facebook, Twitter, and Pocket etc. IFTTT allow you to connect different services together with conditions to make powerful applets which are comparatively hard to implement in Tasker. The application contains predefined applet templates that you can try or you can even create your own applet according to your taste e.g. I am an astronomy freak so I am using an applet which changes the wallpaper of my device with new NASA photos every day which is awesome.
Download: IFTTT Community: IFTTT Community
#7 Llama
If you are someone who loves only the location based profiles for automation, then Llama definitely beats other applications. Llama splits the automation into three major parts named as Area, Event, and profiles. The Area in this context is nothing but the location which we want to use for automation. The trick is once you select a location, Llama tries to learn about that location using cell towers rather than GPS.
Basically, you have to tell Llama that you are going to spend certain time at particular location and Llama will store all the cell towers in that location for identifying it. After selecting the Area, now you can set the events for that particular Area like “upon leaving Area” etc. The last and final step is to select profiles (to tasks that you wish to perform) for the corresponding event which we have already set earlier. Llama also provides some basic profiles which are mostly sound profiles that you can use for automation. The bottom line is Llama is the best Android Automation solution for location-based profiles. Download: Llama Community: Llama Community
#8 MacroDroid
Macro is nothing but a set of instructions that will be executed to perform a specific task. MacroDroid is an application which uses the concept of Macros to perform automation. The user interface of this application is clean and less daunting compared to Tasker. When you open the application for the first time just head to Macros section and you can start building your own Macros.
Some simple tasks like toggling the mobile data or GPS switch are very difficult in Tasker as you need some plugins to get your work done on Android 6.0+. MacroDroid performs all the toggling very easily provided that root access is granted. So, if you are new to automation and have some ideas that you want to implement then MacroDroid is the best solution, however, the number of Macros are limited to 5 for the free users. Download: MacroDroid Community: MacroDroid Community
#9 QuickClick
Whenever I enter a cinema hall or any other dark place, my first instinct is to turn on my phone’s flashlight and use it as a torch. But to do that I have to unlock my phone and then I have to toggle the torch from the quick notifications panel. This is quite hectic when you want to get things done quickly. Is there a simple way? What if I can turn on the torch with my volume keys?
QuickClick allows exactly this facility in your Android device to make automation simple. This application can trigger certain actions based on the pattern of volume keys pressed. You can assign a specific pattern to trigger specific actions and it can be implemented even when the phone screen is off. It is true that this application cannot match the functionality of Tasker but it is a great choice for people who want to have simple automation actions. The application comes with ads and you need to buy premium version to remove the ads. Download: QuickClick Community: QuickClick Community
#10 Conscient – Context Aware app
Conscient is a simple app, that lets you launch certain apps whenever certain conditions are met. For instance –
Running and Headphones Plugged open fitness app. When In car, show a notification to navigate to work/home.
In the free version of the app, you can create only 3 profiles (in Conscient, profiles are called Fences) but upgrading to the pro version will give you unlimited profiles. Download: Conscient – Context Aware app
Wrapping Up
As we mentioned earlier, Tasker is the King but these alternatives can show you some other intuitive ways to implement automation on your device. They may not be able to compete against Tasker Face to Face but in a specific domain, they can be much better than Tasker. Try these alternative applications and create some new and powerful automation actions and don’t forget to mention them in the comments section.
