KeepingYouAwake vs Amphetamine: Which Mac Keep-Awake App to Use

Both apps stop a Mac from sleeping, both are free, and both put a cup icon in the menu bar. The difference is how much they do. KeepingYouAwake is a small open-source switch: click the cup and it runs Apple's built-in caffeinate tool until you click again or a timer ends. Amphetamine is a full app from the Mac App Store with triggers, such as "stay awake while this app runs" or "while on this Wi-Fi", schedules, and a closed-lid mode. Pick KeepingYouAwake if you want one click and a Homebrew install. Pick Amphetamine if you want the Mac to decide for you, or need to close the lid.

Neither app keeps Slack or Microsoft Teams active. They block sleep, but they send no keyboard or mouse input, and chat apps set you Away on input, not on sleep.

KeepingYouAwake vs Amphetamine at a glance

Both are in active use. KeepingYouAwake's latest release, 1.6.8 from September 2025, added an icon for macOS 26 Tahoe and runs on macOS 10.13 and newer. Its README says 1.6.8 is the last version for Big Sur and older, so the next release will need a newer macOS.

What KeepingYouAwake does under the hood

KeepingYouAwake does not have its own sleep blocker. Its README calls it "a small wrapper around Apple's caffeinate command line utility", and its source code shows the exact command. When you click the cup, it starts:

/usr/bin/caffeinate -di -t <seconds> -w <app pid>

• • -d stops the display from sleeping, and -i stops the Mac from idle sleep. With "Allow display sleep" turned on, it passes -i alone.
• • -t is the timer, left out for an unlimited session.
• • -w ties the command to the app, so quitting KeepingYouAwake ends it.

We ran the same caffeinate -di -t 15 on a Mac with macOS 26.5.2 and checked pmset -g assertions. It created two assertions named "caffeinate command-line tool": PreventUserIdleSystemSleep and PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep. That is all KeepingYouAwake does, and it is also why it is hard to break.

You can drive it from Terminal or a script through its URL scheme:

open -g "keepingyouawake:///activate?minutes=90"
open -g "keepingyouawake:///deactivate"

The README is also clear about the lid: on a MacBook it prevents sleep only "with an open lid."

What Amphetamine adds



Amphetamine is built around triggers. You set a rule once and the Mac stays awake whenever it applies:

• • while a certain app runs, such as a video export or a backup;
• • while connected to a certain Wi-Fi network or VPN, or an external display;
• • while on power, or above a battery level;
• • on a schedule, such as weekdays from 9 to 6.

It can also keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed. On recent Macs that needs a free companion app, Amphetamine Enhancer, and it is the most common reason Amphetamine "does not work": the lid mode is on but the Enhancer's helper is missing. The fixes, and the other alternatives, are in Amphetamine alternatives for Mac.

The cost is more settings to learn and an app you cannot inspect. For a one-off "stay awake for this download", many people find it more than they need.

Which one should you use?

On a managed work Mac, also check what IT allows. A keep-awake app does not bypass a screen lock that a configuration profile sets, and some companies block App Store installs.

Neither app keeps Slack or Teams active

Both apps block sleep. None of them sends input, so apps that watch for activity still count you as idle:

What they do stop is the instant Away you get when the Mac sleeps.

KeepingYouAwake vs Amphetamine questions

Is KeepingYouAwake safe? It runs Apple's own caffeinate tool, and its code is public on GitHub under the MIT license.

Does KeepingYouAwake work with the lid closed? No. Its README says it prevents sleep only on desktop Macs and on MacBooks with the lid open.

Is Amphetamine better than KeepingYouAwake? It does more: triggers, schedules and a closed-lid mode. If you only click on and off, KeepingYouAwake does the same job with less to set up.

Do Mac keep-awake apps keep Teams green? No. They block sleep but send no input, so Teams still goes Away after about 5 idle minutes.