Lapu AI vs AskUI

What is AskUI?

AskUI is a vision-based automation platform that drives applications by seeing the screen the way a person does, so it can automate Citrix desktops, mainframes, SAP, and legacy ERP where DOM selectors and source-code access are unavailable. It ships as a developer CLI and SDK on GitHub, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and lets teams use AskUI's own vision models, Anthropic or Google models, or bring their own. Deployment ranges from AskUI cloud to fully on-premise for enterprises that need data to stay inside their network. It sits in the same Windows automation space as Lapu AI, which makes it the closest positioning twin — both drive apps that expose no API by looking at the interface rather than calling it.

Feature comparison

Where Lapu AI is stronger

• Drives apps through the accessibility tree, not a scripted flow -- Both tools avoid DOM selectors, but they read the screen differently. Lapu AI reasons over the operating-system accessibility tree at run time and decides what to do from the task, so when a form field is reordered or a screen is re-skinned it adapts without a rewrite. AskUI recognizes elements with vision inside an automation an engineer authored — powerful and resilient in its own right, but the flow is fixed in code that someone maintains. For everyday LOB apps whose UI drifts, run-time reasoning means less to keep repairing.
• Built-in frontier models with nothing to wire up -- With AskUI you choose a model backend — AskUI's vision models, Anthropic, Google, or your own key — and configure it. Lapu AI ships frontier models routed automatically, so there is no provider account, no API key, and no model-selection step before the agent does useful work.
• Per-action permission with a local audit trail -- Lapu AI prompts before each sensitive action and writes a 90-day local action log you can review afterward — the model is documented in the security overview and agent-security explainer. AskUI's safety lives in the code an engineer authored and the environment it runs in, which suits CI but not an end user who wants a consent prompt on each step.
• Local-first execution with no cloud dependency for files -- Lapu AI runs on the user's own machine and keeps files local, sending only task context to model providers. AskUI can be self-hosted or on-prem, but its default path starts on AskUI cloud with SaaS vision inference — reaching full local isolation is an enterprise deployment project rather than the out-of-box default.
• Turnkey the same day — no SDK, no RPA developer required -- AskUI is a developer SDK: you install it, configure a model, and author and maintain the flow in code. Lapu AI is download, sign in, and describe the task in plain language — see the general approach in automating a legacy Windows app without an API. It trades AskUI's programmability for a much shorter path to a first result, which is also why a finance or ops team with no RPA developer on staff can run it.

Where AskUI is stronger

• Mature Citrix, mainframe, and remote-desktop automation -- AskUI's vision agents automate Citrix sessions with nothing installed on the remote host, which is exactly where selector-based tools fail because the app arrives as an image stream. For teams whose critical systems live behind Citrix, AS/400, or virtualized desktops, this is a genuine, hard-to-replicate strength that Lapu AI does not target.
• A real developer SDK and framework -- AskUI is open-source on GitHub with a CLI and SDK, so engineers can version-control automations, run them in CI, write assertions, and embed them in a broader test or RPA pipeline. That programmability is a category of capability Lapu AI deliberately does not offer — Lapu AI is a finished app, not a toolkit.
• Flexible model backend, including on-prem inference -- AskUI lets teams run AskUI's own vision models, Anthropic, Google, or a bring-your-own key, and enterprises can deploy the inference backend on-premise with no internet connection. For organizations with strict data-residency or air-gap requirements, that choice and self-hosting depth exceed Lapu AI's built-in, provider-routed model approach.
• Cross-platform reach — desktop, mobile, HMI, and Linux -- AskUI automates far beyond the standard desktop: browser, mobile devices, industrial HMI panels, and Linux are all supported targets. Lapu AI concentrates on macOS and Windows desktop and web apps, so any workflow that needs mobile, HMI, or Linux coverage is a fit for AskUI, not Lapu AI.
• Established footprint in regulated enterprise RPA -- AskUI has a longer track record inside regulated, legacy enterprise environments, with on-premise deployment, high-availability infrastructure, and SLAs aimed at production automation at scale. Buyers running a formal RPA program with procurement, compliance, and uptime commitments get an established enterprise contract surface that a younger product cannot yet match.

Which should you choose?

Frequently asked questions

How is Lapu AI different from AskUI if both automate apps without an API?

The technique is similar — both drive applications by working with the interface rather than calling an API — but the audience and packaging differ. AskUI is a developer SDK: an engineer writes vision-based automation in code, chooses a model backend, and runs it in CI or on a schedule. Lapu AI is a finished desktop app for non-technical users: you describe the task in plain language, approve each step, and it works on your local files and apps with built-in models. AskUI is the better fit for engineered, at-scale RPA; Lapu AI is the better fit for a person who just needs the work done. See automating a legacy Windows app without an API for how the no-API approach works in general.

Can Lapu AI automate Citrix or remote-desktop sessions like AskUI?

No — that is AskUI's strength, not Lapu AI's. AskUI's vision agents are purpose-built to automate Citrix and other streamed remote desktops with nothing installed on the remote host, which is where selector-based tools fail. Lapu AI targets local macOS and Windows desktop apps and web apps. If your critical systems live behind Citrix, AS/400, or virtualized desktops, AskUI is the right tool; if the apps run locally on the user's machine, Lapu AI fits.

Do I need a developer to use AskUI or Lapu AI?

AskUI effectively assumes one. It is an open-source CLI and SDK, so someone writes, tests, and maintains the automation in code, and configures the model backend. Lapu AI is designed for people who do not code: download it, sign in, and describe what you want in plain language. If you have an automation engineer and want programmability, AskUI rewards that. If you do not, Lapu AI removes the developer from the loop.

How do the two handle models and setup?

AskUI lets you choose a model backend — AskUI's own vision models, Anthropic, Google, or bring your own key — and configure it, and enterprises can run inference on-premise. That flexibility is real but it is a setup step you own. Lapu AI ships built-in frontier models routed automatically, so there is no provider account, no API key, and no model selection before the agent starts working.

Which one is safer to run on a work machine?

They protect against different things. AskUI's guardrails live in the code an engineer wrote and the environment it runs in, which suits controlled CI and production RPA. Lapu AI adds a per-action consent model — every sensitive action prompts for approval, and each action is written to a 90-day local audit log you can review later, as described in the security overview and agent-security explainer. For an end user who wants to see and approve each step, Lapu AI's model is more direct; for a locked-down automation pipeline, AskUI's is appropriate.

What does each cost?

Lapu AI has flat published plans: Free with no card, Premium $20/mo, Pro $60/mo, and Max $100/mo, with custom Teams and Enterprise pricing. AskUI's SDK is free to download, but vision inference and enterprise or on-premise deployment run on custom pricing you arrange with their sales team — normal for an enterprise RPA platform, though it means there is no simple public per-seat number to compare against.

Can I use both AskUI and Lapu AI?

Yes, and for some organizations that is the sensible split. Use AskUI where you need engineered, version-controlled automation across Citrix, mainframe, mobile, or HMI targets at scale. Use Lapu AI for the everyday desktop work your non-technical team needs done on local files and apps — the Windows automation hub covers where each approach fits. They occupy the same no-API space but serve different operators.

Sources

1. AskUI Vision Agent SDK (vision-first, open-source CLI/SDK, Windows/macOS/Linux/Android/HMI, choose Anthropic/Google/AskUI/own model) | GitHub
2. What's the Best Automation Software for Windows? (legacy enterprise apps, Citrix VDI, HMI, cross-platform, no selectors) | AskUI
3. For Developers | AskUI (code-first Python SDK, on-device AgentOS runtime, automating where APIs and selectors do not exist)

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