Amphetamine alternatives for the Mac.
Amphetamine was last updated on 10 November 2023. Wake keeps your Mac awake from the menu bar with a timer, a low-battery cut-off and no permissions to grant. It costs US$9 once and is free for 7 days.
Amphetamine at a glance
Amphetamine is a free menu bar app on the Mac App Store, with no advertisements or in-app purchases.
- Mac App Store download, no in-app purchases: Free
Wake beside Amphetamine
Amphetamine is free on the Mac App Store, and its listing says it has no advertisements and no in-app purchases. Wake costs US$9 once, tax included, with every feature and all future updates. One licence covers up to 3 of your Macs, and Wake is free for 7 days with no card, with refunds available within 30 days.
| Feature | Wake | Amphetamine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9 once | Free |
| Pay once | Yes | –Free |
| Menu bar timer | Yes | Yes |
| Display can sleep | Yes | Yes |
| Low-battery cut-off | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic triggers | No | Yes |
| Awake with lid closed | No | Yes |
| Scripting | No | Yes |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No
Other options
- LungoLungo is a $4.00 one-time menu bar app by Sindre Sorhus, sold on the Mac App Store and in Setapp.
- KeepingYouAwakeKeepingYouAwake is a free, open source menu bar app, downloaded from GitHub or installed with Homebrew.
- CaffeinatedCaffeinated is a $3.99 one-time menu bar app by Yugen GmbH on the Mac App Store.
- caffeinate and System Settingscaffeinate is a free command included with macOS, run from Terminal.
| Feature | Wake | Amphetamine | Lungo | KeepingYouAwake | Caffeinated | caffeinate and System Settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9 once | Free | $4.00 | Free | $3.99 | Included with macOS |
| Pay once | Yes | –Free | Yes | –Free | Yes | –Built in |
| Menu bar timer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyTerminal only |
| Display can sleep | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyListed in 2019 | Yes |
| Low-battery cut-off | Yes | Yes | PartlyOn unplugging | Yes | PartlyUnconfirmed in 3.x | No |
| Automatic triggers | No | Yes | PartlyVia Shortcuts | PartlyExternal display | PartlyVia Shortcuts | PartlyWhile command runs |
| Awake with lid closed | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Scripting | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No
Try Wake free for 7 days.
Then $9 once, for up to 3 of your Macs. No subscription and no account.
Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
Sources
Checked against each product’s own website and documentation on 13 November 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll correct it.
- Amphetamine on the Mac App Store (US)
- Amphetamine privacy policy link from the App Store listing (404 on 13 November 2026)
- Lungo on the Mac App Store (US)
- Lungo: Prevent your Mac from going to sleep (sindresorhus.com)
- Setapp pricing
- KeepingYouAwake website
- KeepingYouAwake on GitHub
- KeepingYouAwake changelog
- KeepingYouAwake releases
- KeepingYouAwake privacy
- KeepingYouAwake default durations (source)
- Caffeinated: Anti Sleep App on the Mac App Store (US)
- Caffeinated website
- Caffeinated help centre
- Caffeinated privacy policy
- Caffeinated changelog
- caffeinate(8) manual page, Apple open source
- Set sleep and wake settings for your Mac (Apple Support)
- Change Battery settings on a Mac laptop (Apple Support)
- Change Lock Screen settings on Mac (Apple Support)
- If your external display is dark or low resolution (Apple Support)
Amphetamine is a trademark of its owner. Lungo is a trademark of its owner. KeepingYouAwake is a trademark of its owner. Caffeinated is a trademark of its owner. Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Wake is not affiliated with them.