Keepresso vs Amphetamine, KeepingYouAwake, and caffeinate

Keepresso, Amphetamine, KeepingYouAwake and caffeinate all keep a Mac from sleeping. Keepresso adds a broad set of controls for automated work: AI-agent detection and leases, an MCP server, event hooks, thermal controls, and a headless-Mac toolkit.

This comparison is maintained by Keepresso's developer. Keepresso is free and open source (GPL-3.0), signed and notarized, for macOS 14 and newer. The feature comparison below uses the projects' published documentation; it is not a performance benchmark of all four tools.

Where Keepresso goes further

Keepresso brings agent automation, headless-Mac tools and system controls together in one free, open-source app. These are the built-in capabilities that set it apart from the other tools compared here.

On a narrow screen, scroll the tables sideways to compare all four tools. The feature column stays visible.

✓ Included. – No dedicated equivalent documented. Shell scripts can extend the other tools; caffeinate can wrap an agent command, but does not provide agent detection, leases or an MCP server.

Everyday controls

On a narrow screen, scroll the tables sideways to compare all four tools. The feature column stays visible.

1. KeepingYouAwake includes automatic options such as activation when an external display is connected. Keepresso adds combined conditions and task presets.
2. Amphetamine supports closed-display sessions. Its optional Power Protect helper handles power-source changes on Apple Silicon. Keepresso's closed-display mode sleeps the internal panel and works without an external monitor. caffeinate alone does not override lid-close sleep.

Documentation checked on 12 September 2026: Amphetamine's App Store listing, KeepingYouAwake's changelog, and the macOS man caffeinate reference. Release dates describe published updates, not a measurement of performance or compatibility.

Amphetamine

Amphetamine is a free, closed-source Mac App Store app with a long track record and an extensive trigger system. Its latest public release is 5.3.2, dated 10 November 2023, as checked on 12 September 2026. That is a long gap without a published update. Keepresso offers ongoing public development and source you can inspect, alongside newer automation and headless-Mac features.

Where Keepresso is a better fit:

• Ongoing releases and public development. Keepresso targets macOS 14 and newer and publishes its release history and source changes. Amphetamine's latest published release remains from 2023.
• Open source. Both apps are free, so the real difference is the license: Keepresso is GPL-3.0, so you can read the code, file issues, and see exactly what runs on your machine; Amphetamine is closed source. See Is Keepresso safe?.
• Headless and remote Macs. Built-in Headless Setup, closed-display mode that sleeps the panel when the lid closes, and a CLI aimed at scripts and agent hosts. See Headless Mac mini.
• Built for AI agents. A trigger that detects agent activity, plus automation leases, an MCP server, and a bundled agent skill. Leases expire unless renewed and respect the limits you configure. Amphetamine and KeepingYouAwake do not document an equivalent integrated agent workflow.
• Activity pane. A readable "why is my Mac awake?" view of every app's power assertions, not only Keepresso's own session.
• Safety nets and automation. A battery auto-pause, a thermal safety net for a Mac working with the lid shut, a scheduled wake for overnight jobs, and event hooks that run a Shortcut, a webhook, or a shell command when a session starts, ends, or pauses.

If Amphetamine already does everything you need on your version of macOS, there is no obligation to switch. But if you want keep-awake that is open source, trigger-driven, and actively kept current with macOS, Keepresso is built for that.

KeepingYouAwake

KeepingYouAwake is a free, open-source menu-bar app built around caffeinate. Its preferences include configurable durations, battery behavior and some automatic activation options. It also supports URL commands and community translations.

Choose KeepingYouAwake when:

• You want a simple menu-bar switch with configurable durations.
• Its battery and activation preferences cover your needs.
• You do not need Keepresso's combined trigger rules, closed-display mode, agent leases or event hooks.

Choose Keepresso when you want that simple switch plus smart triggers, timed sessions, lid-closed mode, disk keep-alive, Shortcuts, and a command-line tool that can also hold the Mac awake without the app UI.

The caffeinate command

caffeinate ships with every Mac. It is the right tool for a one-off terminal session:

# Keep the system awake until you press Ctrl-C
caffeinate -dims

# Keep awake for one hour (3600 seconds)
caffeinate -t 3600

Limitations of living on caffeinate alone:

• No menu-bar switch once the Terminal window is gone (unless you background a process and remember the pid).
• No "while Zoom is open" or "while CPU is busy" rules without writing your own scripts.
• Easy to leave a forgotten caffeinate running, or to kill the wrong process.

Keepresso uses the same macOS power assertions under the hood, then adds the UI and triggers around them.

When you do not need Keepresso

Be honest about the job:

• One terminal compile, then you leave. caffeinate -t … or a short Keepresso timer is enough.
• You only ever flip a switch by hand. KeepingYouAwake is fine.
• Your org requires App Store-only software. Amphetamine may be the path of least resistance; Keepresso is distributed as a notarized DMG and Homebrew cask instead.

Install Keepresso

brew install --cask gyorgysh/keepresso/keepresso

Or download the DMG from GitHub Releases. Full steps: Install Keepresso and keep your Mac awake.

Related guides

• How to keep your Mac awake
• Smart triggers
• Keep your Mac awake during long builds
• Keep your Mac awake for Time Machine backups
• Keep a headless Mac mini awake