EverydayWechat vs ItChat
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Python tool that sends scheduled messages and auto-replies to WeChat contacts via the web WeChat login.
Open source · MIT
A Python library for automating a personal WeChat account, such as building simple chat bots.
The short answer
Choose EverydayWechat if you need…
- Developers comfortable editing YAML and running Python scripts
- People who want to send a scheduled daily greeting to a friend or group
- Users who can test with their own File Transfer Assistant chat first
- Hobbyists experimenting with chatbot APIs
Choose ItChat if you need…
- Python developers who want to script a personal WeChat account
- Hobbyists building a simple auto-reply bot
- People who want to experiment with message handlers and file downloads
Side-by-side
| EverydayWechat | ItChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 10.3k | 26.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Python | Python |
| Last code update | 5 years ago | 3 years ago |
What each one is
EverydayWechat
EverydayWechat is a Python 3 script that logs into WeChat's web version using the itchat library. It can send scheduled daily messages (such as weather, a daily quote, or a calendar note) to friends or group chats, and it can auto-reply to friends' text messages using a chatbot service you choose. It also has group-assistant features for queries like weather, calendar, waste sorting, box office, express tracking and PM2.5. All settings are in a YAML config file.
ItChat
ItChat is a Python library that lets a program log in to a personal WeChat account and send, receive and reply to messages. People use it to build simple chat bots, auto-replies, or scripts that handle WeChat messages, files and friend searches. The README says the basic bot can be written in under thirty lines of code.
Best for
EverydayWechat
- Developers comfortable editing YAML and running Python scripts
- People who want to send a scheduled daily greeting to a friend or group
- Users who can test with their own File Transfer Assistant chat first
- Hobbyists experimenting with chatbot APIs
ItChat
- Python developers who want to script a personal WeChat account
- Hobbyists building a simple auto-reply bot
- People who want to experiment with message handlers and file downloads
Strengths
EverydayWechat
- Configuration is centralized in one _config.yaml file
- Offers several selectable chatbot and daily-quote sources
- Includes a built-in way to test without a second contact (File Transfer Assistant)
ItChat
- Short, readable API with decorator-based message handlers, as shown in the README examples
- Covers text, pictures, video, files, friend requests and group chats in one interface
- MIT licensed and widely starred on GitHub
Not ideal for
EverydayWechat
- Anyone whose WeChat account cannot log into the web version, since the README says the project then cannot work and has no workaround
- Business or commercial use, which the README explicitly prohibits
- People who need a supported, actively maintained product, since the last push was June 2021 and no release is listed
- Users who want a non-technical, click-to-install experience
ItChat
- Business teams needing an official WeChat integration, since this uses a personal account interface rather than the official public-account API (see the README's separate itchatmp project)
- Anyone who needs guaranteed long-term stability, since the last push shown is from September 2023 and WeChat changes can break unofficial clients
- Users who are not comfortable scanning a login QR code and running Python scripts
Trade-offs
EverydayWechat
- Depends on WeChat's web login, which may be restricted, and the README says there is no fix if login fails
- Last code push was 2021-06-22 and some listed services are noted as unmaintained or unavailable
- Only automatically replies to text messages; the README warns that many messages may trigger login limits
ItChat
- Relies on unofficial access to personal WeChat accounts, so its continued function is not guaranteed by WeChat
- README is partly in Chinese and the English version is a separate file, so setup docs may be harder to follow
- Some accounts cannot send messages to themselves, according to the FAQ, so filehelper is suggested as a workaround
Getting started
EverydayWechat
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sfyc23/EverydayWechat.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between EverydayWechat and ItChat?
EverydayWechat: Python tool that sends scheduled messages and auto-replies to WeChat contacts via the web WeChat login. ItChat: A Python library for automating a personal WeChat account, such as building simple chat bots. EverydayWechat suits developers comfortable editing yaml and running python scripts, while ItChat suits python developers who want to script a personal wechat account.
Are EverydayWechat and ItChat free?
EverydayWechat: Free and open source. ItChat: Free and open source.
Is EverydayWechat or ItChat more popular?
ItChat has more GitHub stars (26.5k) than EverydayWechat (10.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to EverydayWechat and ItChat?
Other options people compare them with include Hermes Desktop.
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.