TL;DR
Amphetamine vs Caffeine: For most Mac users in 2026, Amphetamine is the better choice for productivity because it is a free, install-in-one-command replacement for Caffeinated ($3.99). Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Caffeine instead if caffeine support is your priority.
Which is better: Amphetamine or Caffeine?
Amphetamine is the top pick for most Mac users looking at productivity — it is free and installs in one Homebrew command. Caffeine is the stronger choice if you prefer its specific feature set. Both are worth trying.
Amphetamine vs Caffeine
Which is the better productivity for Mac in 2026?
We compared Amphetamine and Caffeine across 6 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Read our full breakdown below.
Amphetamine
Keep your Mac awake
Caffeine
Utility that prevents the system from going to sleep
Visual Comparison
Amphetamine
Amphetamine — Official Website
Our Verdict
For most Mac users in 2026, Amphetamine is the better choice for productivity because it is a free, install-in-one-command replacement for Caffeinated ($3.99). Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Caffeine instead if caffeine support is your priority.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Amphetamine | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Replaces | Caffeinated ($3.99) | — |
| Best for | awake, sleep, utility | caffeine |
| Install | brew install --cask amphetamine | brew install --cask caffeine |
| Category | System Utilities | System Utilities |
Quick Install
brew install --cask amphetaminebrew install --cask caffeineLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is Amphetamine?
Amphetamine is a free keep awake utility by William Gustafson. You install it from the Mac App Store or with 'brew install --cask amphetamine'. As of August 2026 it is still entirely free with no ads, no in app purchases, no Pro unlock and no tracking, as the App Store listing shows. Beyond the manual toggle, its strength is Triggers. You can keep the Mac awake while conditions hold, such as a specific app running or frontmost, an external display connected or mirrored, a USB or Bluetooth device present, battery level or charging state, power adapter state, Wi Fi SSID, IP or DNS, Cisco AnyConnect VPN, audio output, a volume mounted, CPU use above a threshold, idle time, or a schedule. Sessions can run indefinitely, for a set time, until a clock time, while a download runs, or while an app runs. For each session you choose whether to allow display sleep, screen saver, lid closed sleep, cursor jiggle or screen lock. Closed display or clamshell work, Drive Alive for external disks, Power Protect to end a session when battery gets low, hot keys, custom menu icons and AppleScript keep it the power user pick. In mid 2026 it got new attention from people running Claude Code, Cursor or Codex agents overnight on lid closed MacBooks instead of wrapping caffeinate.
What is Caffeine?
Caffeine is the classic coffee cup menu bar utility that stops idle sleep, display dimming and screen savers with one click. In August 2026 it is maintained as open source MIT software. The main site is caffeine-app.net, shipping version 1.6.4 with separate downloads for Tahoe 26.0 and newer, as well as pages for Sequoia through Monterey. The lineage goes from Tomas Franzen's original Lighthead app through IntelliScape and Michael Jones to the current modernization in domzilla/Caffeine on GitHub. Right click gives you durations from a short meeting to several hours for a download. Preferences cover launch at login and auto activate. It leaves out Amphetamine style triggers on purpose. If you use Homebrew, note the 'caffeine' cask historically pointed at IntelliScape builds and conflicts with 'domzilla-caffeine'. Install the build that matches the vendor you trust. The app is tiny and the main risk is forgetting the cup is full while on battery overnight.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Basic Sleep Prevention
CriticalInstant on or off from the menu bar. You can control display sleep, system sleep, screen saver and dimming separately, with indefinite or timed sessions.
Click the cup to toggle. It stops sleep, dimming and screen savers. Empty means normal sleep, full means stay awake, with duration timers on right click.
Verdict: Both handle basic sleep prevention. Caffeine toggles faster, Amphetamine gives more fine control.
Automation & Triggers
HighTrigger system with more than 15 conditions, including external displays, specific apps, battery and charging state, Wi Fi network, IP address, VPN, audio output, mounted drives, CPU threshold and idle time.
No automation. Caffeine is manual only, click on and click off, with no triggers or conditions.
Verdict: Amphetamine wins for automation. Its trigger system has no equivalent in this category.
Closed-Lid (Clamshell) Support
HighKeeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed and lets you control external display sleep separately.
No dedicated clamshell mode. It stops sleep system wide but without specific lid closed options.
Verdict: Amphetamine is the practical choice for clamshell desks with an external monitor.
Drive Management
MediumDrive Alive keeps external drives from spinning down and unmounting, and you can start a session when a specific volume is mounted.
No drive specific feature. General sleep prevention may keep drives awake as a side effect, but not reliably.
Verdict: Drive Alive matters if you have external storage that tends to sleep at the wrong time.
Customizability
MediumYou can change menu bar icons, notification sounds, hot keys, what happens when a session ends, auto end on low battery, idle lock and occasional cursor movement.
Preferences cover auto start at login, auto activate at start and default duration. One icon, one appearance, kept minimal on purpose.
Verdict: Amphetamine allows far more tailoring. Caffeine stays intentionally plain.
Resource Usage & Performance
HighLight for what it does but heavier when triggers are active. Expect a bit more memory use because it watches system state.
Very small at 4.5MB, with minimal CPU and memory use. Starts instantly and is almost invisible to the system.
Verdict: Caffeine wins on pure lightness. It is one of the smallest menu bar utilities for macOS.
AppleScript & Integration
MediumFull AppleScript support. You can start or stop sessions, check status and tie it into Shortcuts or Automator.
No AppleScript or external API. It stands alone and is controlled only from the menu bar.
Verdict: Amphetamine fits into automation workflows. Caffeine is not built for that.
User Interface & Simplicity
HighClean menu but a lot of options. There are several panels for triggers, preferences and session control. Good for power users, with a short learning period.
One icon and one click. No preferences needed for basic use and the cup metaphor is immediately clear. Nothing to learn.
Verdict: Caffeine is the most friction free option you can hand to anyone.
Who Should Choose Which?
1Long software download or system update
For a one-time temporary need, Caffeine's instant toggle is perfect. Click the coffee cup and forget about it no configuration needed.
2Developer with external monitors and closed MacBook lid
Amphetamine's closed-lid support and display-specific controls are essential for developers using clamshell mode. Triggers can auto-activate when external displays connect.
3Presentations and screen sharing
Caffeine's simplicity shines here. No risk of complex settings interfering just click and present. The duration timer can auto-disable after your meeting ends.
4Automated workflows and build processes
Use Amphetamine's triggers to keep Mac awake while specific apps (like build tools, renderers) are running. AppleScript support enables integration into automated pipelines.
Migration Guide
From_amphetamine → Caffeine
Remove Amphetamine from Applications. Get Caffeine from caffeine-app.net. There are no settings to carry over, because Caffeine has no engine to configure. Click the cup to start. You can keep Amphetamine installed if you sometimes want triggers, both can live together without conflict.
From_caffeine → Amphetamine
Get Amphetamine from the Mac App Store. There is no import for Caffeine settings, so recreate any durations you relied on in Amphetamine's preferences. Open the Triggers section and set up a couple of automatic rules for the common cases so you rarely need the manual toggle. You can keep Caffeine for quick clicks if you like.
Final Verdict
amphetamine
Winner
Runner-up
The August 2026 re check confirms Amphetamine for most people who need more than a toggle, because triggers, lid closed handling and low battery protection solve real failure modes that Caffeine skips on purpose. Caffeine's image as abandoned is out of date, 1.6.4 for Tahoe shows the cup is still shipping, but its simplicity is the product, not a temporary gap. If a meeting toggle is all you need, Caffeine is enough and pleasant to use. If you automate anything about sleep, Amphetamine is the practical pick.
Bottom Line: Install Amphetamine for triggers and overnight lid closed sessions. Install Caffeine when you want one click and nothing else.
Video Tutorials
One of My Favorite Mac Utility Apps: Amphetamine
Timothy Bramlett • 3.1K views
How to keep your Mac awake 🚀 #shorts
9to5Mac • 22.0K views
How to keep your Mac awake all the time ? #short #mactips
Minimal Nerd • 5.7K views
Stay Awake, Stay Productive: Unlock the Power of Amphetamine for macOS!
How To Make • 826 views
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Author
Productivity & Workflow Analyst
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Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- Amphetamine remains free on the Mac App Store with no IAP or ads.[cite-amph-appstore]
- Modern Caffeine ships version 1.6.4 with a macOS Tahoe 26 download channel on caffeine-app.net.[cite-caffeine-site]
- Caffeine is MIT-licensed open source with public GitHub history (domzilla/Caffeine).[cite-caffeine-github]
- 1Amphetamine on the Mac App Store
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 2Amphetamine feature overview
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 3Caffeine official site (Tahoe builds)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 4domzilla/Caffeine on GitHub
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 5Homebrew cask: caffeine
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 6Homebrew cask: amphetamine
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Research queries: Amphetamine Mac app 2025 2026 features; Caffeine Mac app 2025 2026 lightweight sleep preventer; Caffeine Mac app abandoned deprecated original IntelliScape 2025
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