Stairways Software

What Stairways Software does

Stairways Software Pty Ltd is a privately held Australian software company founded in 1990, headquartered on the Gold Coast, and best known for its flagship product Keyboard Maestro, a macro automation platform for macOS. The application enables users to design custom triggers (hotkeys, application launches, time-based events, menu selections) that automate repetitive tasks across the operating system, applications, web browsers (Safari, Chrome), the clipboard, files, images, and external services via AppleScript, shell scripts, and third-party integrations (Alfred, 1Password, OmniFocus, Evernote, Dropbox, Automator). Version 11 (2025) adds a new Macro Wizard, a Security preference pane, a command-line tool, Apple Text Recognition support, and several new actions; the company maintains backward compatibility with versions as old as 4.3.2 on macOS Tahoe.

The business runs on a product-led, self-serve model. Keyboard Maestro is sold as a one-time perpetual license for $36 USD, with a discounted upgrade license for existing customers at $25, deliberately avoiding a subscription model to align incentives with long-term users. Distribution is entirely direct via the company's own purchase and download storefronts, having exited the Mac App Store in 2013 due to Apple's sandboxing and upgrade policies. Customers are primarily Mac power users and professionals seeking workflow automation, with no named enterprise accounts disclosed. The company is bootstrapped and founder-led by Peter N Lewis, who appears to be the sole developer, supported by a volunteer-driven user forum of ~1,500 topics and a maintained wiki.

Name

Stairways Software

Legal name

Stairways Software Pty Ltd

Website

https://stairways.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stairways Software develops and sells Keyboard Maestro, a perpetual-license macOS macro automation tool used by individual Mac power users and professionals to automate repetitive tasks via direct, self-serve downloads.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mac Productivity Software

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

IT Workflow Automation & Orchestration Platforms (HDAEALAF)

Keywords

• Mac macro automation
• Macos productivity software
• Keyboard shortcut automation
• Workflow automation tools
• Mac automation software

Headquarters

HQ city

Gold Coast

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Keyboard Maestro License Sales: One-time perpetual license purchase for Keyboard Maestro. Customers pay upfront for lifetime license with access to all current features. Paid upgrade system available for existing customers at discounted rate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stairways Software develops and sells Keyboard Maestro, a macOS macro automation application that allows users to design custom macros and trigger them via hot keys, application launches, time-based triggers, or menu selections. The software automates repetitive tasks such as typing text, launching applications, controlling web browsers, managing clipboards, and executing complex multi-step workflows on macOS. It is sold as a one-time perpetual license with optional paid upgrades and includes deep AppleScript and shell script integration.

Product overview

Stairways Software offers a single flagship product—Keyboard Maestro—a powerful macro automation application for macOS. The product enables users to create custom keyboard shortcuts, automate repetitive tasks, and control applications through a visual macro editor. Version 11 (current) includes features like macro wizards, browser control for Safari and Chrome, AppleScript integration, image processing actions, and extensive trigger options including hotkeys, time-based triggers, and menu selections. The software is sold as a one-time purchase ($36) with optional upgrades ($25) and works on all versions of macOS from Mojave through Tahoe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Keyboard Maestro: A powerful macro program for macOS that allows users to design and automate macros with triggers like hot keys, application triggers, time-based triggers, and more.

Products and services

• Keyboard Maestro Keyboard Maestro is a powerful macro automation program for macOS that enables individual users to design custom macros and trigger them at any time to automate repetitive tasks such as typing text, launching applications, controlling web browsers, managing clipboards, and orchestrating multi-step workflows on a Mac.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% user base growth year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature14 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Hammerspoon: Open-source macOS automation framework that lets users write Lua scripts to control system behavior, windows, hotkeys, and applications. Comparable to Keyboard Maestro as a free alternative in the Mac automation space, appealing to technical users willing to script rather than use a GUI.

Direct peers

• Running with Crayons (Alfred): Developer of Alfred, a productivity launcher and workflow automation tool for macOS with hotkey-driven actions and custom workflows. Directly comparable to Keyboard Maestro as a paid Mac power-user automation tool with overlapping target customers and a similar one-time license model.
• Objective Development (LaunchBar): Developer of LaunchBar, a long-standing macOS productivity launcher with instant search, automation, and scripting features. Directly comparable to Keyboard Maestro as a Mac power-user productivity tool with overlapping workflows (launching, automation, clipboard, scripting).
• Noodlesoft (Hazel): Developer of Hazel, a macOS file automation tool that watches folders and runs rules to organize, rename, and process files. Comparable to Keyboard Maestro as a paid Mac automation tool focused on a specific automation niche (file management) targeting the same power-user base.
• folivora.ai (BetterTouchTool): Developer of BetterTouchTool, a macOS customization and automation tool for trackpads, keyboards, and gestures with scripting and workflow capabilities. Closely comparable to Keyboard Maestro as a deep macOS system-customization/automation tool for power users.
• Smile (TextExpander): Developer of TextExpander, a text expansion and snippet automation tool for Mac (and cross-platform). Comparable as a paid productivity-automation tool that automates repetitive typing/workflows on Mac, targeting the same power-user segment with a similar licensing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Apple (Shortcuts): Apple's built-in macOS automation tool, Shortcuts, ships free with every Mac and provides visual workflow automation across apps and system features. Indirectly comparable as the primary free substitute that competes with Keyboard Maestro for casual and mid-tier automation use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Stairways
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stairways-software

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stairways Software