Wake vs caffeinate and System Settings.
Wake is a menu bar app; macOS itself ships the caffeinate command and sleep settings in System Settings. This page compares them on price and features.
| Feature | Wake | caffeinate and System Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9 once | Included with macOS |
| Pay once | Yes | –Built in |
| Menu bar timer | Yes | PartlyTerminal only |
| Display can sleep | Yes | Yes |
| Low-battery cut-off | Yes | No |
| Automatic triggers | No | PartlyWhile command runs |
| Awake with lid closed | No | No |
| Scripting | No | Yes |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later | Any Mac |
| Where you get it | awakeforever.app | Part of macOS |
| Timer lengths | 15 minutes to 8 hours | Any, in seconds |
| Last updated | 1 November 2026 | With macOS |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No
Price
caffeinate is included with macOS, and System Settings has further sleep options in Battery and Energy. Wake costs US$9 once, tax included, with every feature, all future updates and a licence for up to 3 Macs. Wake is free for 7 days with no card.
Menu bar or Terminal
The caffeinate command runs in Terminal, and its manual page describes no menu bar or other graphical control. Wake sits in the menu bar, where you choose a duration or option-click the icon to turn it on or off. With caffeinate you set a timeout in seconds or let the assertion last as long as a command runs; Wake offers six lengths from 15 minutes to 8 hours, or until you turn it off.
Where caffeinate and System Settings is ahead
- caffeinate is free and already installed on every Mac.
- It can keep the Mac awake for exactly as long as a command or process runs.
- You can set any timeout length, in seconds, with the -t flag.
- It can also keep the disk from idle sleeping with the -m flag.
- You can use it in Terminal commands and shell scripts.
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.
More comparisons
Sources
Checked against caffeinate and System Settings’s own website and documentation on 13 November 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll correct it.
- 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)
Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Wake is not affiliated with it.