PETERNSTEINMETZ  An affordable keyboard switcher and macro solution which is easy to learn and use.

Includes a program switcher and window switcher.

Very responsive developer and Stairways has long produced high quality software for the Mac.

(Hopefully the upcoming version 4 will soon include the ability to map the program switcher to command-Tab, thus replacing the no longer available or supported LiteSwitch)  
(Version 3.5)

TICONUCK  I love it. This app will save me a lot of time, and without much of a learning curve, or initial setup time. Very powerful in terms of the number of tasks it can automate, and very flexible in how those tasks can be triggered. Probably one of the best software purchases I've made.  
(Version 3.5)

SCOTTY321  We've been using Keyboard Maestro since the very first version came out in 2001, and this program just keeps getting better and better as time goes by. We can honestly say that a Mac just wouldn't be a Mac without Keyboard Maestro running on it. If you like using your keyboard to control your Mac, Keyboard Maestro is a must-have utility. The technical support is excellent, the program is continually updated with new features, bug fixes, and OS compatibility, and the program is just a sheer delight to use for just about anything that you can think of doing with your keyboard. Keep up the great work, Stairways Software.  
(Version 3.5)

IJONTICHY  We used KM in Editorial on Journey to the Center of the Earth to automate our dailies creation. Once the footage was organized in the Avid we exported an EDL and used KM to automatically add chapter markers with the name of each clip--the first step in creating a navigable DVD for the executives who needed to watch the footage and skip around to key takes.

It was easy to use.

It was powerful.

That combination doesn't happen enough in software, I feel.

I know I've barely scratched the surface but I've used it ever since with great joy.

And might I had how awesome the technical support is. I had a question and had a working answer in no time at all that went WAY above what I needed to know.

Three cheers for KM

(actually I only gave one cheer but used KM to replicate it twice more.)  
(Version 3.5)

WALEED JAMEEL  KM works very well for me. It matches my GTD shortcut keys in Entourage, Safari (makes it behave like Firefox --> one set of shortcut keys only!). Use KM constantly now.

30 day trial was very useful - was a believer shortly after. The buying part was one of the smoothest I've seen - via the software itself. Entered details, done, went on with life without stopping other work.

Amen.  
(Version 3.5)

MARZBOT  For automation on your mac KM integrates with anything and everything. Being able to create macros that include applescript and unix makes it versatile and powerful enough for every level of user. Whether you just want a key to start and stop itunes from any app or create a complex sequences of events throughout the mac environment KM is the tool that does it.  
(Version 3.5)

KAIDOH  The ability to record mouse actions, address menu items and to simulate keystrokes is quite powerful and makes this app different from other launchers. Keyboard Maestro shouldn't be taken as a launcher at all (although it works fine as one). It's a utility to stick together any interaction with your Mac you can think of and makes it repeatable. I yet had not had a customization problem the Maestro could not provide a solution for (although some solutions might be clumsy workarounds - but as long as they work ...)

Whoever thought that Apple's Automator could have been a good idea but falls short in some regards: Give this little gem a serious try!   
(Version 3.4)

TEKL  It would also be nice to send keystrokes to hidden apps.  
(Version 3.4)

TEKL  I'm missing the feature to create groups which activate the keys only if an app is running. So I can control iTunes and SidPlay with the same Key.  
(Version 3.4)

PRINTDEVIL  Whenever I put a new OS on my Mac this app is always the first go on. Without KM, my Mac feels like someone else's computer, my productivity is working at 50% capacity. The support from Peter is also as good as the product. I emailed with a query and had the answer by the morning, and a comprehensive one at that.

Keep up the good work, this was and always will be a 5 star application.  
(Version 3.4)

SHARIK14  KM is a fantastic app. I've used it constantly for about 5 years now, and it's become absolutely essential to my workflow. Every time I end up on someone else's computer I find myself desperately, longingly looking for my frequent shortcuts. Makes a huge difference.

The app is stable, intuitive and straightforward, and has a pretty rich set of macro functions you can use. The developer is quite responsive to email, and has been on a tear lately, releasing lots of bug fixes and new features -- including a few that I've wanted for some time (like the ability to use *any* key combo for triggers, not just command/opt/etc.)

All in all - 2 thumbs up. Well worth it.  
(Version 3.3)

DANA SUTTON  Ahhh, that's better. This new version works fine, it's its usual self and better than ever. But I do have one small niggle: this version adds a menu icon and there doesn't seem to be any Preference option for turning this icon off t I resent software authors who clutter my menu with their icons without my permission. I'm assembling quite a collection of these unwanted icons, and personally I think this practice is unethical.  
(Version 3.3)

DANA SUTTON  (This review is for the current version, v. 3.3 only). Won't launch properly.  
(Version 3.3)

BILL CLINTON  I have used version 1.x for a very long time and love it. However, I never upgraded to 2.x (or now, 3.x) because I feel that I didn't need all of the added features. (I would concur with one person who requested a light version). However, this is all moot as long as the program doesn't use tons of RAM or CPU cycles. Now, I see "built-in web server" and I can't help but think that this version will truly use lots of RAM. Can anyone enlighten me on this? How much RAM does it use?  
(Version 3.0.1)

DONPERREAULT  I had used KM for long time when Michael Kampraph was developing KM. I have used numerous other macro programs in the past few years and have been using iKey for the past year. However, this new version of KM really, really ROCKS! KM's built in web server allows me to launch any one of my numerous macros from my iphone. I can do things that I never expected from a macro program. Many macro utilities seem to not always work. For the past couple weeks I have been putting KM to rigorous testing and it has not failed me yet. The macro capabilities seem endless and the built in server is brilliant. It is freak-in awesome to be able to launch macros from my iphone, from anywhere in the world. I am not affiliated with the developer in anyway, I just think this new version is Brilliant!  
(Version 3.0)

DANA SUTTON  Apologies for that last comment, I later found out that MM allows you to create folders and group your macros however you wish. No nothing but raves for a great app.  
(Version 2.1)

DANA SUTTON  I bought the original Keyboard Maestro and the haxie Fruit Menu the day I first switched to OSX, since they gave me back two features I missed from Classic, the apple menu and the ability to control function keys. Since then I have relied on them every day, and have never had any trouble with either. Since there are much better multi-clipboards out there, such as iClip, I never used that feature of v. 1, nor did I see any need to upgrade to v. 2. I had also used the haxie Menu Master to assign keyboard equivalents to self-created CSS commands with Dreamweaver. All was good until Dreamweaver CS3 was released, Menu Master proved to be incompatible with that version, and Unsanity has so far been unable to resolve the difficulty (for quite a while they even seemed to be in a state of denial about its existence). Then I found out that Keyboard Maestro v.2's macro creation function allows me to do everything I used to do with Menu Master. So buying the upgrade was well worth it. Bye-bye MM! Only quibble: since you can build up a huge library of commands with KM, the window that displays them all can look quite cluttered and confusing. I wish there was a way I could group them by categories.  
(Version 2.1)

DOUGLAS ENGELBART  Keyboard Maestro for OSX is a worthy successor of KeyQuencer which runs only in OS7/8/9. But many macro features in KM must be improved, for example: Those 'tokens' for typing the date and time should be selectable in more detail (e.g. I need the format 20050815-235958, but there are only 3 other formats).   
(Version 2.0.3)

TOMCAT  Keyboard Maestro is extremely useful. I downloaded the free version (availible at the developper's website) and installed it in a click. The interface is nice and polished and the app is super easy to use. It's fast, simple, has tons of useful possible actions you can perform, and it doesn't even have to run to use your hot keys. I think everyone should have this, as it is a big time-saver. I had no problems whatsoever. Great program !  
(Version 2.0.2)

T  Yep, this does it. I must say this app rocks and far exceeds my expectations. And adding key commands and menu commands is so easy and can be done in 30 sec or less. Now I automate everything. I added scrollwheel capability to my wireless keyboard, assigned numerous shortcuts, and added application specific commands like show/hide drawer and automate repetitive tasks like select all/paste style/arrow down. I also added the ability to auto hide or minimize the iTunes window when leaving iTunes, and also done it for the Finder - with a little help from AppleScript. Totally worth the money.  
(Version 2.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  Looking very good. No problems so far. First looked at iKey 2, as I used Youpi Key in the past, but that app has become very frustrating to use. How can something so good become that bad? Keyboard Maestro, by comparison, is very easy to use. Highly recommend this app when you want to assign keystrokes to do certain commands, which you can assign to specific apps! Will register when trial has run out.  
(Version 2.0.2)

MACMIKE  Now that Keyboard Maestro has been taken over by Peter N. Lewis and Stairways Software, it is finally the stable, reliable, easy-to-use program that it always had the potential to be. I have had several communications with Stairways, and they have been very responsive to inquiries and grateful for product suggestions. There are a couple of features I would like to see added to KM, and I have every confidence that these will be implemented in, or at least considered for, future versions.  
(Version 2.0)

FLARCH  Great!

With a few reservations:

1- Hotkeys set to type finder menu keyboard shortcuts don't always work.

2- Hotkeys to execute menus don't always work

3- Asks for the Menu Title to activate menu items. What if it's an iconic menu?

THESE COMMENTS ARE REFERRING TO VERSION 1.2.3

Too stability conscious right now to use beta software dated nearly a year ago!  
(Version 2.0b6)

BILL  IMO, this is the program QuicKeys should be, a a fifth the price. It does exactly what I want it to do, unlike QK, which does exactly what it feels like doing.

The only problem I've had w/KM is that two of the preset macros (two of the scroll options) used the same key-combination I use in Word to jump & select to the next paragraph (Ctrl-Shift-Up/Down Arrow) and that would mess up the menus (every time I opened a menu, the selection bar would either run from the bottom up or the top down, depending on which combination I'd used). Changed those cominations in KM & no more problems.  
(Version 2.0b6)

MILKBONE  This is a good application. Very versatile, and give Quickeys a run for its money. Seems to have some problems with Eudora macros for some reason, and since I upgraded to Panther, I have lost the ability to create and save new Macros (unexpectedly quits when saving). I'm hopeful that the author will issue an update for Panther soon.  
(Version 2.0b6)

ALEXMATHEW  This app is great...

Just ONE ability - to Ctrl-Tab between Application Windows is enough for the price - is this not possible even in Panther ? or am I missing something with OS X's ability to do this.

The Command-Tab switching is nice - could be a bit faster on my PB G3 400 Pismo OS 10.2.8.

Thanks for offering the lite version which is not too dumbed-down. And can you drop the price a bit for Jaguar users who dont want to upgrade to 10.3 yet! ?!!

AM  
(Version 2.0b6)

AREZEEMAN  A good package, overall--it does a bunch of useful things, and does most of them pretty well. There are a number of applications with overlapping functionality that I like better: For keyboard shortcuts/macros, you can't beat Youpi Key (imho). Another advantage of Youpi Key is that the full version is free. LiteSwitchX is a more elegant application switcher, and it also lets you use command-tab as the hot key. Keyboard Maestro claims that it cannot use command-tab because it is reserved by Apple, but apparently it is possible to bypass the restriction, and it makes a big difference if your hand is used to going there. The window switcher is nice, but some of the hot keys that are supposed to be available for it (like option-tab) don't work correctly on my system. In general, Keyboard Maestro does what it says it will do and it's stable. It's very useful, even in the free mode, and well worth a try.  
(Version 1.2.3)

FREE CANADIAN  Agree with Jer189 ! The application works well but after playing with another launcher utilities : HotApp I will rather recommand the last one. It offers almost the same features if not more (and cheaper too) but HotApp is completly integrated in OS 10 as a preference pane.  
(Version 1.0)

JER189  Good utility application, but many things can be better : first the UI is disturbing, and you have to always save your changes in order to have it work as expected.   
(Version 1.0)