The Verdict
CUA.ai has impressive open-source traction: 11.4k GitHub stars, YC S25 backing, multi-OS support. Their vision-based approach is flexible but misadapted for real, risky, business automation. Mediar uses OS-level accessibility APIs for deterministic execution - we don't interpret pixels, we read what applications expose. We focus on production, not AI research.
At a Glance
Feature
Mediar
CUA.ai
Technology
OS-level APIs
Computer Vision + LLM
Deployment
Turnkey or self served
Self-host / DIY
Vision vs OS-Level
CUA uses computer vision to interpret screens - flexible but less reliable. Mediar uses accessibility APIs at the OS level - the same interfaces screen readers use. This is why Playwright and browser automation tools are so popular for the web, they use the DOM like we do, and work in production unlike vision-based approaches.
Pricing & Value
Recommended
Mediar
Usage-based
- Pay per successful execution
- 99% automation success rate
- Implementation in days, not months
CUA.ai
Open-source / Cloud $10+/mo
"CUA is free to self-host. Mediar charges for production usage with support and reliability guarantees."
Why move away from CUA.ai?
Cons of CUA.ai
- Requires development effort
- For developers only
- Vision-based less reliable than APIs
Where CUA.ai is strong
- Open-source (11.4k GitHub stars)
- YC S25 backed
- Multi-OS (macOS, Linux, Windows)
- 100+ vision models
Ready to switch to modern automation?
Join the teams moving from CUA.ai to Mediar for faster, more reliable workflows.