Slack Green vs Mouse Jiggler: Which Keeps You Active?

A mouse jiggler and Slack Green solve the same problem from different machines. The jiggler fakes input on yours, so it works while your machine is awake and unlocked, wherever the cursor sits. Slack Green keeps you active while the computer is off, asleep, locked or closed, with no software or hardware on the computer. That one difference decides almost every comparison below. Slack Green is our product, so check our claims against the full method guide.

Where a jiggler works and where it stops

The Slack desktop app reads the computer's idle time every 10 seconds (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026), so a jiggler moving the cursor anywhere keeps it green, as covered in how Slack decides when you are away. It stops when the lid closes, the computer sleeps or the screen locks, and it does nothing for Slack on your phone or against a company policy that locks the screen.

Microsoft Teams works the same way: it counts input anywhere on the machine, so a jiggler keeps Teams green too, as covered in how to keep your Teams status Available.

Hardware jigglers cost $25 to 35 and present as a USB mouse, which most IT setups tolerate. Software jigglers are free and are the first thing endpoint monitoring flags on a managed machine.

What kills each approach

Every option in this market has a specific death:

• • Jiggler: closed lid, sleep, locked screen, an IT audit of input
devices.
• • Browser extension: the browser closes, or the Web Store removes it, as
happened to the biggest one in 2024.
• • Server-side: the session token expires or gets revoked, covered in
how the tokens work. No machine on your desk is involved.

The comparison, straight

Mouse jiggler	Slack Green
Price	$25-35 once	Free tier, Pro $3.99/mo
Machine must stay on	Yes, unlocked	No
Works with laptop closed	No	Yes
Works for Slack on your phone	No	Yes
Schedule support	No	Yes
What IT can see	A USB device or a flagged process	Nothing on your machine
Trust required	None	A service holds your session token

The last row is the honest cost of our side. Read the security notes before handing any service a token, ours included.

Pick by constraint

• Machine stays on and unlocked and you are near it: a jiggler does the

job for a one-time price.

• The laptop closes, or the machine is managed and audited: server-side is

the only survivor.

• Zero budget and Slack lives in a browser tab: an extension, accepted as

the fragile option it is.

Frequently asked questions

Does a mouse jiggler keep Slack active? Yes for the Slack desktop app, wherever the cursor sits, while the computer is awake and unlocked. Without any input, Slack's help says it sets you away after 10 minutes of desktop inactivity.

Can my employer detect a mouse jiggler? Often, yes. Hardware models present as a USB mouse, which still leaves a second mouse in the device logs of a managed laptop. Software jigglers show up as a running process and as injected input. The checks IT runs for each type are in can a mouse jiggler be detected. What monitoring can actually see is in will I get caught.

Which is better for a work laptop that closes at 5? The one without a machine: a closed laptop ends every local option, jiggler and extension alike.

The short version

Buy a jiggler if your machine stays on and unlocked while you need the dot. Use Slack Green if the laptop closes, the machine is audited, or you want the dot on a schedule.