I’ve always had dogs, but I’m interested in getting a cat in the future. My only aversion is litter boxes.
I’m disabled, and I’m afraid I’d have problems keeping up with litter box cleaning during flare-ups. I’m worried because I’m sensitive to certain fragrances. According to my understanding, if you clean frequently, the odor should be minimized. But you know, I’m already anxious about not being able to keep up with the cleaning. Automatic litter boxes are a good alternative, but they still need to be cleaned on occasion. And, to be honest, putting my hypothetical cat out like I would a dog feels easier Are you a first-time cat owner? My hypothetical cat will be an inside cat, but we will leash train.
I guess I could teach them to use the toilet like Meet the dockers. 
Are there any alternatives to litter boxes?
Please keep in mind that I will not get a cat unless I am confident that I will be able to completely meet their needs, including litter box maintenance. If litter boxes are the best solution and I can’t overcome my reservations, I won’t adopt a cat.
Edit: Just like my dog, if my hypothetical cat pooped outside, I would pick it up and dispose of it properly. I did not mean to imply that I would simply leave the turds in my yard.
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I will say, as someone who’s occasionally fed strays in my yard.
Litterbox may be more work, but it’s less smelly in the long run.
The strays I used to feed would poop in my garden and while I love cats, I absolutely adore them, it genuinely smelled so bad. It’s better to scoop and toss it than let it sit in the yard, especially if it’s hot outside.
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This is climate-specific, IME. In my neighborhood, it rains every three days on average, for a total of 60 inches per year, yet it rarely freezes. At least with a dirt floor, plants growing in it, and sandy soil, it never accumulates enough to smell.
The only time I’ve ever smelled pee or poop outside was from a friend’s enormous male dog, who almost always peed on an upright wooden post that was partially covered from the rain.
This has made me wonder how dog parks in other climates don’t smell.
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You’ve made me inquisitive as well. I live in eastern Ontario, Canada (Köppen classification Dfb, warm-summer humid continental).
I visit a large dog park that includes an open field and pathways. The garbage near the entrance smells a lot, but it’s a pile of bagged turds in a large plastic bin, so that’s to be expected. There are certain benches that dogs frequently pee on/near, which can smell on hot days. I’m not sure if this provides useful info. 
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Plus that stuff in your garden can infect you if you like to work in the garden. .my mom planted mint to keep them away from the porch, they couldn’t dig and I think maybe didn’t like the smell?
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Meanwhile my neighborhood cats destroyed all my mint plants 
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Lol, we have a small forest by our porch. The feral cats poop right next to it
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Yep. I have barn cats who generally went under the spruce trees in our field which wasn’t an issue but they also liked going under the deck which stunk, and any stray that came by seemed to have the same idea. I ended up blocking off any access to decks and giving them a litter box in their garage for cold days when they don’t want to leave a heated space. I like it with a puppy pee pad, fill it with the pine pellets litter - figured it would smell like their tree potty- and when it needs changing I just grab the liner and dump it all. Takes 2 seconds, easy peasy.
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Instead, you could consider using a disposable litterbox system. That way, you can just toss the entire tray. There are a few subscription services that send you a month’s supply of disposable trays, which you just discard after you’re finished. Or you could look into some of the “self-cleaning” boxes; a friend of mine has one where she simply rolls the box on its side and all the clumps and turds are collected for simple disposal, and then you pull out the turd catcher tray, dump it, and roll it back and it’s as good as new.
If they go outside, you’ll still need to clean up the excrement in the yard. Pet feces remains a public health hazard, whether it comes from cats or dogs.
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you still have to clean the self cleaning ones once in a while, i believe once monthly is whats recommended. that’s what op is talking about with the automatic box, they still require cleaning even though majority of the time you are only taking out the little bag of collected poop and pee as well as switching out the litter
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Robotic litter box. You must be attentive while selecting one; it will not be inexpensive. Cheap knockoffs of well-known brands are killing cats; you get what you pay for here. However, it greatly simplifies everything.