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Utilities · head to head

AutoHotkey vs Everything

AutoHotkey logo

AutoHotkey

Utilities

Windows scripting language for hotkeys, text expansion and desktop automation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Everything logo

Everything

Utilities

Instant filename search for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AutoHotkey version 2 is a different language rather than a new release, so v1 scripts must be rewritten and the conversion script handles only routine cases, leaving years of accumulated internal automation stranded.; Everything searches filenames only, not file contents, which is the deliberate trade for its speed
  • They diverge on capability: AutoHotkey covers Hotkeys and hotstrings, Everything covers Instant results.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AutoHotkey and Everything actually diverge.

Attributes where AutoHotkey and Everything differ
AttributeAutoHotkeyEverything
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeFree; donations accepted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AutoHotkey

  • Hotkeys and hotstrings
  • Synthetic input
  • Window and control access
  • COM and DLL calls
  • Built-in GUI toolkit
  • Script compilation

Only in Everything

  • Instant results
  • MFT-based indexing
  • Tiny footprint
  • Regex and filters

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AutoHotkey

  • Remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers nonenot Everything
  • Automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no API or command linenot Everything
  • Standardising clinical, legal or insurance text snippets across a team through hotstringsnot Everything
  • Driving a vendor application through its interface as part of a nightly unattended processnot Everything

Everything

  • Finding a file by name instantly instead of waiting on Windows Searchnot AutoHotkey
  • Locating duplicates and stray files across large drivesnot AutoHotkey
  • Navigating a machine with hundreds of thousands of filesnot AutoHotkey

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AutoHotkey

  • Version 2 is a different language rather than a new release, so v1 scripts must be rewritten and the conversion script handles only routine cases, leaving years of accumulated internal automation stranded.
  • Version 1.1 receives no active development, so teams that decline the rewrite are running an interpreter that will not get fixes for future Windows changes.
  • Antivirus and EDR products frequently quarantine the interpreter and compiled scripts because the same capabilities are used by keyloggers, which turns deployment into a security exception request.
  • Automation depends on window titles, control classes and screen positions, so a vendor application update can break every script overnight with no compile-time warning.
  • It is Windows only with no path to macOS or Linux, so any process automated with it cannot follow the organisation if it moves platforms.

Everything

  • Searches filenames only, not file contents, which is the deliberate trade for its speed
  • Windows and NTFS only: no macOS or Linux build, and non-NTFS volumes fall back to slower indexing
  • Requires administrator rights to read the Master File Table

Pricing, plan by plan

AutoHotkey

Free
  • AutoHotkeyFree
    • GPLv2 licence with no paid edition
    • v2 and legacy v1.1 branches both downloadable
    • Script compiler included

Everything

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core functionality
    • Personal use

Which should you pick?

Choose AutoHotkey if

  • You need hotkeys and hotstrings.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want synthetic input.
AutoHotkey review

Choose Everything if

  • You need instant results.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want mft-based indexing.
Everything review

Questions people ask

Is AutoHotkey or Everything better?
Neither clearly leads. AutoHotkey starts at Free and Everything at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AutoHotkey or Everything?
AutoHotkey starts at Free and Everything at Free.
Does AutoHotkey or Everything run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use AutoHotkey for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AutoHotkey best used for?
AutoHotkey is most often used for remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers none, automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no api or command line, standardising clinical, legal or insurance text snippets across a team through hotstrings, driving a vendor application through its interface as part of a nightly unattended process. Of those, remapping keyboard layouts or adding shortcuts to software that offers none and automating repetitive data entry in a legacy application with no api or command line are not what Everything is typically brought in for.
What can AutoHotkey do that Everything cannot?
AutoHotkey covers Hotkeys and hotstrings, Synthetic input, Window and control access, COM and DLL calls. Everything covers Instant results, MFT-based indexing, Tiny footprint, Regex and filters.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AutoHotkey: Should a new project start on v1 or v2?

Version 2. Version 1.1 is not actively developed and every new script written against it adds to a future rewrite.

Everything: Is Everything free?

Yes, free to use with donations accepted.

AutoHotkey: Will compiled scripts trigger antivirus?

Often yes. Compiled AutoHotkey executables are a known malware pattern and usually need to be allowlisted by hash or signed with your own certificate.

Everything: Why is it so much faster than Windows Search?

It reads the NTFS Master File Table directly instead of crawling the filesystem, so indexing a whole volume takes seconds.

AutoHotkey: Can it automate a web application?

It can drive a browser as a user would, but it has no page object model, so a CSS change breaks it. Use a browser automation framework where one is available.

Everything: Can it search inside files?

Only in a limited way. It is built for filename search, and full content search is not what it is for.

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