An iMacros alternative

What I mean by an iMacros alternative

iMacros let you record clicks, key presses, and form fills into a script that you could replay on demand. axiom does the same job from a different angle. Instead of recording the literal sequence of inputs, you place steps in a visual builder. "go to URL", "click selector", "enter text from a Google Sheet column", "scrape this list", "wait". And chain them into a bot. Same outcome (a repeatable browser routine), a more durable shape (selectors survive small redesigns better than raw coordinates).

For long-time iMacros users, the mental model is straightforward: every iMacros command has a step equivalent, and the steps are easier to maintain because they're named, not raw.

What axiom does that iMacros didn't

A few things iMacros never shipped that you get out of the box:

• Runs in the cloud. Trigger the bot from anywhere, on a schedule, or via API. It executes on our infrastructure with no Chrome window of yours involved.
• Google Sheets in and out. Read a sheet as input, write results back, no glue code.
• Claude in the loop. Describe the bot in plain words and the AI lays out the steps.
• Selector tool with point-and-click. Click an element in the page, get a stable selector, no XPath authoring.

If you only need the local record-and-replay, axiom does that too. Install the Chrome extension, install the desktop app, and the bots run on your machine.

Who this is for

This is for the iMacros user whose Chrome extension stopped working. And the broader population that wants browser automation without writing code. Operations teams replacing scripts that stopped maintaining themselves. Data teams pulling routine reports from web apps that don't have an API. QA folks running the same click-through smoke test on every deploy. Anyone who used to write TAG POS=1 TYPE=A and now needs an alternative that's actively maintained.

How I'd approach it

Start by listing what your old iMacros script did. Opens URL, fills these fields, clicks submit, reads the result, saves to file. That list maps almost one-to-one onto axiom steps. Build the steps in the Chrome extension, run it once to confirm the selectors hold, then schedule or wire it into your stack.

For complex flows that branched in iMacros (IF on a page element), use the no-code logic steps. If element exists, Loop through rows, Wait for selector. They do the same conditional work without the script.

Build a browser bot from a description

Describe the bot in plain words in the Chrome extension and it builds the steps for you. Tell it the URL pattern, the form fields, and what the result should look like. Explore no-code.

Build a browser bot in code

Build with code. If you would rather script it yourself, this is the path. Explore code

import { chromium } from "playwright";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
  `wss://cdp-lb.axiom.ai/?token=${process.env.AXIOM_API_KEY}`
);

try {
  const context = browser.contexts()[0];
  const page = context.pages()[0] ?? await context.newPage();

  // Each row would come from your Google Sheet (replacing what iMacros
  // would have stored in DATASOURCE / iimSet variables)
  const rows = [
    { name: "Ada Lovelace", email: "ada@example.com",  orderId: "A-101" },
    { name: "Alan Turing",  email: "alan@example.com", orderId: "A-102" },
  ];

  for (const row of rows) {
    await page.goto("https://example.com/form");
    await page.locator('input[name="name"]').fill(row.name);
    await page.locator('input[name="email"]').fill(row.email);
    await page.locator('input[name="orderId"]').fill(row.orderId);
    await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" }).click();
    const confirmation = await page.locator('.confirmation-number').textContent();
    console.log(row.orderId, "→", confirmation?.trim());
  }
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

+

Build with a Claude skill

Build no-code or code bots with a skill.

Add the Claude skill and describe the iMacros routine you used to run. It builds the bot for you, no-code or code, picking the right steps for each old iMacros command.

Install the skillLearn more

What can you automate?

Anything iMacros could, and several things it couldn't.

What I'd watch out for

iMacros users have a few habits worth unlearning when moving to axiom.

Selectors, not positions

iMacros often targeted by tag position (TAG POS=3). axiom uses CSS selectors and the selector tool. Pick a selector that matches what the element is (a label, an aria attribute, a stable parent) rather than where it sits on the page. Selectors that match by attribute survive redesigns better.

Loops are a step, not a script construct

Where you'd write a LOOP in iMacros, in axiom you wrap the inner steps in a Loop through data step pointed at a sheet column. The bot iterates rows automatically.

Variables are sheet columns, not iimSet

iMacros variable substitution ({{var}}) maps to axiom's per-step "value from sheet" picker. Pick the column once at the step level and it's bound for the loop.

Cloud vs desktop

iMacros only ran where Chrome was open. axiom runs in the cloud too, on our infrastructure. Useful for scheduled bots that need to run while you're not at the computer.