Amphetamine, Caffeine or KeepingYouAwake: Which Keep-Awake App for Your Mac
For most people, KeepingYouAwake is the simplest choice and Amphetamine is the one to pick if you want automatic rules. Caffeine still does the basic job, and macOS has the built-in caffeinate command, which all you may really need for a one-off job. The real differences are whether a session can start by itself and whether it covers a closed lid.
The options side by side
| Tool | Start a session | Automatic triggers | Closed lid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphetamine | Menu bar: forever, a duration, until a time, during a download, while an app runs | Yes, many | Option in the app | Free, App Store |
| KeepingYouAwake | Menu bar: a duration or until stopped | External display or at launch, in advanced settings | No | Free, MIT, brew install --cask keepingyouawake |
| Caffeine | Menu bar on/off | No | Check before relying on it | Free, brew install --cask caffeine |
caffeinate |
Terminal | Scripts only | Not with these flags | Built into macOS |
| Mole's Keep Screen On | Menu bar: durations or until stopped, three modes | No | Yes, in the closed-lid modes | Available without a license |
Amphetamine: if you want rules
Amphetamine's App Store page lists triggers for external displays, USB or Bluetooth devices, a specific app, a power adapter, battery level, Wi-Fi network, CPU use and more. During a session you can separately allow or prevent display sleep, the screen saver, system sleep with the lid closed and screen locking. It has no ads, no in-app purchases and no paid tier, according to its listing.
The one thing to note: the App Store listing's latest version dates from November 2023. That is not a fault in itself, but if a macOS update changes its behavior, a fix may not arrive quickly. Check it still does what you need after each major macOS update.
KeepingYouAwake: if you want a switch
It is a small open source menu bar app that wraps Apple's own caffeinate, and its latest release came out in September 2025. Its README is clear about the limit: it won't keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed. For presentations, reading and downloads with the lid open, that limit does not matter, and there is very little that can go wrong.
Caffeine: the classic
The current Caffeine, from IntelliScape Solutions, stops sleep, screen dimming and screen savers with a menu bar click, and not much else. Tomas Franzén wrote it in 2006, IntelliScape picked it up after macOS Mojave caused problems, and its site says it works on macOS Tahoe. Old guides still recommend it by name, and for a plain switch it remains fine. Several unrelated apps have used the name over the years, so install from the developer's site or Homebrew, not from a random search result.
You may not need an app
macOS includes caffeinate, and a single line covers most one-off jobs:
caffeinate -d -t 3600 # keep the display on for one hour
caffeinate -i ./long-job.sh # keep the system awake until the script exits
-d prevents display sleep, -i prevents idle sleep, and -t sets a timeout in seconds. The second form is the one to remember: it ends with the job, so nothing keeps running after you forget about it.
Which one to choose
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Stay awake while presenting | KeepingYouAwake, Caffeine or caffeinate -d |
| Stay awake while a single script runs | caffeinate -i |
| Stay awake whenever an external display is connected | Amphetamine, or KeepingYouAwake's advanced setting |
| Long tasks with the lid closed on power | Amphetamine or Mole |
| A timer that stops by itself before the battery runs out | Mole, or a timed session in any of these on power |
Whichever you use, set a duration. An open-ended session is how a laptop ends up flat in a bag, and this guide goes through the policies. If your Mac stays awake when you did not ask it to, the problem runs the other way: see why a Mac won't sleep.
Where Mole fits
Mole includes Keep Screen On in its menu bar, with durations you pick, modes for the display, closed-lid tasks or both, and a pause around 20% battery that can resume once power is connected. It does not have Amphetamine's triggers. Do not buy Mole for this feature alone: any of the free tools above will do. It makes sense if you already use Mole for the rest, and you would rather have one fewer menu bar icon.
FAQ
Is Amphetamine still available?
It is still listed on the App Store, and the latest version there dates from November 2023. We have not tested it on the current macOS, so check after major updates.
Can KeepingYouAwake keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed?
No. Its README says it only prevents sleep on desktop Macs and on portable Macs with an open lid.
Is caffeinate enough?
For a job with a clear end, yes. caffeinate -i with your command stops when that command stops. A menu bar app is easier when you want to see and cancel a session.
Do these apps harm the battery or the display?
They only delay sleep. The risk is forgetting a session on battery, or running closed in a bag where heat cannot escape, so use a duration and keep closed-lid work on a hard surface.