Quick verdict
Automa is the OG of open-source browser automation extensions. It pioneered the visual block editor for Chrome workflows back in 2021 and still has a healthy GitHub community. BNOD is a clean-room rewrite that takes Automa's editor metaphor and adds three things Automa never built: an AI Workflow Builder that drafts workflows from a prompt, BYOK AI providers wired into a typed agent block, and typed sub-workflows that work as tools.
Pick BNOD if you want AI-assisted authoring, modern visual nodes, and active development. Pick Automa if you specifically need the existing community marketplace, or if you've already invested in writing workflows there and migration cost outweighs the upgrade.
Feature matrix
| Capability | BNOD | Automa |
|---|---|---|
| Visual block editor | Yes (n8n-style typed ports) | Yes (original) |
| Block count | 42 typed blocks | ~60 blocks |
| AI Workflow Builder | Yes (BYOK, 7 surgical tools) | No |
| AI Agent block (runtime) | Yes (4 BYOK providers + Gemini Nano) | No |
| Sub-workflows as tools | Yes (typed inputs/outputs) | Partial (no typed I/O) |
| Scheduling (cron + interval) | Yes | Yes |
| Recording → workflow | Yes (low-noise selectors) | Yes |
| HTTP block + retries | Yes (fail branch, sendCookies, retry) | Yes (no fail branch) |
| Proxy support | Yes (per-step + global, auth) | Partial |
| Variables + env-store | Yes (typed scopes, secrets) | Yes (untyped) |
| Export/import JSON | Yes (with deps + env-key manifest) | Yes |
| Marketplace | Curated (14 + growing) | Community-driven (hundreds) |
| Open source | Closed source MVP | MIT licensed |
| Active development | Yes (2026 active) | Sporadic in 2026 |
| Pricing | Free MVP, BYOK keys | Free + Pro tier |
Where BNOD wins
AI as a first-class citizen. BNOD ships an AI Workflow Builder that takes a natural-language prompt and builds the graph for you via 7 surgical tool calls (validated against a schema before each mutation). Once built, you can also drop an ai_agent block into any workflow, connect a BYOK provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter) and tool blocks via typed sub-edges, and let the agent decide which tool to call at runtime. Automa has no equivalent — its block library is fully manual.
Typed sub-workflows. BNOD's manual_trigger has typed inputs (string, number, file). Any saved workflow with typed inputs is automatically callable from another workflow as a sub-workflow, or from the AI Agent as a tool. This is how you compose larger automations without monolithic graphs. Automa supports nested workflows but inputs are untyped strings.
Modern editor UX. n8n-style typed ports (dashed sub-edges for agent tools, solid output edges for control flow), per-node Schema Tree showing the exact variable shape produced by that step, Last Run inspector, and a built-in Try Step button to test any node in isolation with mock inputs. Automa's editor predates these patterns and feels closer to a 2021 visual scripting tool.
Active maintenance. BNOD shipped 40+ new blocks and 8+ major features in the last 3 months, with audit cycles after each. Automa's main branch in 2026 has been quieter, with most recent commits focused on bug fixes rather than capability expansion.
Where Automa wins
Community workflow marketplace. Automa's user marketplace has hundreds of community-submitted workflows you can install with one click. BNOD ships 14 curated templates today — a fraction of what's available on Automa.
Open source. Automa is MIT-licensed. You can fork it, audit every line, and self-host. BNOD's MVP is closed source while we stabilize the core; we may open later but that's not a commitment.
Browser-only telemetry-free promise. Automa makes a stricter promise around zero network calls outside what your workflows initiate. BNOD currently sends anonymized PostHog product events (no PII, no workflow content), which some users prefer to avoid.
Migration notes
If you have existing Automa workflows you want to bring over, there's no automatic importer today. Block names overlap (new_tab, take_screenshot, http_request) so manual recreation is straightforward for simple workflows. Complex Automa workflows that rely on its JavaScript block or its community-specific blocks (e.g., its OAuth integrations) will need rethinking — BNOD's javascript_code block exists but the JS execution model is page-evaluate, not the Automa worker model, so JS that depended on Automa's sandbox won't port cleanly.
A practical migration path:
- Export your Automa workflow as JSON to read the structure.
- Recreate it in BNOD's editor — usually faster than translation because BNOD's typed ports catch wiring mistakes immediately.
- Use the Try Step button on each node to validate behavior in isolation before running the whole graph.
FAQ
Is BNOD a fork of Automa? No. BNOD is a clean-room implementation. It shares the visual-editor metaphor (which Automa popularized) but the architecture, engine, block schema, and AI surface are all new.
Can I use BNOD's AI features without an API key? Partially. Chrome's built-in Gemini Nano (Prompt API in Chrome 148+) is supported on-device with no key. For larger models you bring your own key — Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, or OpenRouter (one key, 100+ models).
Does BNOD work on Firefox? Not yet. Chromium-based browsers only (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc). Firefox support is on the roadmap but not in MVP.
Will my Automa workflows keep working if I install BNOD? Yes — they're separate extensions with separate storage. You can run both side-by-side during migration.