Automatic, what reason to grow it?

For me outdoor, it lets me get an auto crop early in season and when the autos are done, I plant photoperiods and it still has time to get them get a decent size. It allows me to get an auto crop of 30 to 40 small plants and then another photo crop with another 30 to 40 plants double or triple the size of the autos. I can't grow photoperiods the whole season, they'll get way too big for me to manage, so this is an awesome way to make better use of the whole season without doing light dep or supplementing light. Just because you can't think of a good use for them, doesn't mean there isn't for someone else. A spoon is great for soup, but pretty shit if you want to try eat a steak. It's not the spoon's fault you are using it wrong.

Autoflowers suck!

light pollution is a good reason. its something i overlooked with my outdoor plants. it didn't cause any issues for me but I was borderline. i found with my auto outdoor bumper crop i did this year. it was rough getting to finish without melting down mid summer with the humidity. if going for that get and early start. maybe a few weeks of veg indoor then take outside with more room to flower. Even late april, i was getting some really cold days that stunted my growth. i think autos may perform betteroutdoors as a mid sumer plating autum harvest.

I like autos for outdoors as they finish before the season turns to shit and my plants mold out. In the city we also have tons of light polution and they don't seem to care where photoperiods do.

light pollution concerns or growing out of season outside.. They aren't faster. They are probably slightly worse quality on average, but not as bad as they used to be. They give no control over their size, which makes training a total guess. There are more reasons not to grow an autoflower, too.

People already named good reasons but the questions sounds bit philosophical with the last part about chains. why dont let the freedom by the plant and the plant decide ? why should i dictate the plant how long she has to growth and when she has to start flowering ?

Photoperiods use pr pfr conversions for day and floral developmental timings. I dont even need to know what that even means with autos. It's great. Autos far simplified, no need to worry about light leaks, no need to worry about that singular led that flashes and turns 5 plants hermie. Can use IR overnight to promote CR with autos too. 1 tent, 8 autos, 1 harvested each week. Same tent same light, same everything.

I would not count them as beginner-friendly. The Error margin is thin when you run on a timer. Size control is not a point since it depends also on the environment, watering schedule, feed etc. and you can get lanky genetics just bcs the sativa part is a bit more prevalent in a pheno. Limited training is also a thing. No HST or Scrog unless you definitely know what you are doing. Schedule concerns only for outdoors again. If you can't invest into a timer but a light and tent somehow... They get an Outdoor Plus. But they lack control.

There are a couple of reasons to run autos. 1st is outside you are guaranteed to get to harvest before the weather turns. I only have ever had a few photos finish in time, the rest got 2 damp. 2nd if you don't want to change your lighting schedule, you can start an auto while another auto is finishing off.

Speed & predictability – Autos finish faster (usually 8–12 weeks from seed), which means more harvests per year and less waiting. Size control – They stay smaller, which is perfect for growers with limited space or those trying to stay discreet. No light schedule worries – You don’t need to switch to 12/12 to trigger flowering — helpful for people without perfect grow tents or light control. Outdoor advantage – Even if it’s hot, autos can finish before the worst late-summer weather, mold season, or early fall rains. Beginner-friendly – Less planning and fewer mistakes around light cycles make them appealing to new growers.