Wake vs KeepingYouAwake.
Wake and KeepingYouAwake both sit in the menu bar and keep a Mac awake through the same mechanism as Apple’s caffeinate command. This page compares price, features and updates.
| Feature | Wake | KeepingYouAwake |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | PartlyExternal display |
| Awake with lid closed | No | No |
| Scripting | No | Yes |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later | macOS 10.13 or later |
| Where you get it | awakeforever.app | GitHub, Homebrew |
| Timer lengths | 15 minutes to 8 hours | 5 min to 5 hours, custom |
| Last updated | 1 November 2026 | 12 September 2025 |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No
Price
KeepingYouAwake is free and open source under the MIT licence, downloaded from GitHub or installed with Homebrew. 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, and refunds are available within 30 days.
Durations and battery
KeepingYouAwake’s default durations run from 5 minutes to 5 hours, and you can customise the list in Preferences. It can also deactivate at a battery level you choose, or when Low Power Mode is enabled. Wake offers six fixed lengths from 15 minutes to 8 hours plus until you turn it off, and its low-battery cut-off is fixed at 20%.
Where KeepingYouAwake is ahead
- It is free and open source under the MIT licence, and you can install it with Homebrew.
- You choose the battery level at which it deactivates, and it can also deactivate in Low Power Mode.
- An advanced setting activates it when an external display is connected.
- It can be controlled from scripts through a URL scheme.
- Version 1.6.8 runs on macOS 10.13 and later.
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 KeepingYouAwake’s own website and documentation on 13 November 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll correct it.
- KeepingYouAwake website
- KeepingYouAwake on GitHub
- KeepingYouAwake changelog
- KeepingYouAwake releases
- KeepingYouAwake privacy
- KeepingYouAwake default durations (source)
KeepingYouAwake is a trademark of its owner. Wake is not affiliated with it.