There are several other scripts, bots, and applications available to help you play Travian.  What makes Travian Assistant different from the competition?  Let's look at the available options...

1. Scripts - Many scripts exist which help organize Travian data and show it in a more convenient way.  Grease Monkey provides extensive customization options.  Travian Beyond is a good example of this.  However, Travian admins have begun extensive efforts to detect and ban users who use these types of scripts.  The ban used in these cases is less of a punishment than others used in the game and is enforced by disallowing access to the game for an hour every time the script is detected.
2. Macro Bots - There are many macro languages available and most Travian tools fall into this category.  You can use your own macro system or a macro application, such as Travian Genie, which contains all the built-in actions for playing the Travian game.  These applications are hidden from the admins, since they use your standard web-browser to automate the game.  They require, however, that your computer is completely unused while the program is running.  If you move the mouse, change window focus, or use your computer in pretty much any way, your machine is not doing what the macro expects it to be doing and will not operate correctly. 
3. Travian Assistant - Travian Assistant has been designed specifically to run unobtrusively.  It does not require an open web browser to run.  It minimizes itself to your taskbar and reports popups as actions and events occur.  It appears to the external internet exactly like a standard web browser and is undetectable.  Use this application at your own risk, but the only users who have ever been caught using this tool were caught because of their own misuse of the program, not because the multihunter could detect it.