# Caffeinate vs Amphetamine Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Caffeinate and Amphetamine are both utilities on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Use Amphetamine on the Mac you sit at. Use caffeinate in the scripts you schedule. Caffeinate: Built into macOS; run caffeinate in Terminal; there is nothing to install. Download: https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html Amphetamine: Mac App Store exclusive; Apple does not allow Homebrew distribution. Download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704 Split by interface. Amphetamine for free GUI keep-awake with Triggers and lid/drive features (App Store 5.3.2, $0 this run). Caffeinate for free, preinstalled Terminal control of sleep assertions. Do not confuse caffeinate with Caffeine.app. ## Also consider: Napless **A paid option that follows the job for you** Napless is a keep-awake app for macOS 13 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. Unlike both options here, it is not free: after a 7-day trial, keeping your Mac awake needs Napless Pro, a one-time purchase. What it adds: it follows builds and coding-agent turns for you, with no command to wrap around each job. - **Awake until the job is done.** Napless keeps the Mac up through a download, render, build or backup, and lets it sleep once that finishes. - **Coding agents (Pro).** Agent mode keeps the Mac awake while Claude Code, Codex or Grok works a turn, for up to 10 minutes after your last prompt (Cursor and Gemini CLI: up to 60 minutes). - **Shows why.** The menu bar shows which app is keeping the Mac awake. If the Mac slept, Check Health says why. - **Safe by default.** Napless stops when the Mac gets too hot, and can stop at a battery level you pick. After the 7-day trial, Napless needs the Pro licence: $24 once, for up to 3 Macs. If a Terminal command, a menu-bar timer or Amphetamine's triggers cover your jobs, caffeinate and Amphetamine are free. [Visit the Napless website](https://napless.io/) Prices and features checked on napless.io on 13 November 2026. ## Head to head | Factor | Caffeinate | Amphetamine | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | No | No | | Replaces | Amphetamine for scripted or headless keep-awake | Caffeinated ($3.99) | | Best for | awake, sleep, cli | awake, sleep, utility | | Install | Built into macOS — run caffeinate in Terminal; there is nothing to install. Download: https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html | Mac App Store exclusive — Apple does not allow Homebrew distribution. Download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704 | | Category | System Utilities | System Utilities | ## Caffeinate Apple's built-in macOS CLI at /usr/bin/caffeinate that creates power assertions so the Mac does not idle-sleep while a process runs or until you stop it. Install: Built into macOS — run caffeinate in Terminal; there is nothing to install. [caffeinate command reference](https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html) [Caffeinate on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/caffeinate) ## Amphetamine Keep your Mac awake Install: Mac App Store exclusive — Apple does not allow Homebrew distribution. [Download from the official site](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704) [Amphetamine on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/amphetamine) ## Features - **Basic keep-awake.** Caffeinate for automation; Amphetamine for interactive control. Both handle the core job. - **Automation.** Amphetamine for condition-based automation; caffeinate when the trigger is simply while this command runs. - **Closed lid / clamshell.** Amphetamine for lid-closed laptop setups; caffeinate when a docked script owns the session. - **Drive / download sessions.** Amphetamine when drives unmount overnight; caffeinate when the downloader is already a shell job. - **Price and install friction.** Tie on price. Caffeinate wins on install friction (already there). Amphetamine wins on discoverability for non-Terminal users. - **Menu bar / human UI.** Amphetamine owns interactive keep-awake. Caffeinate is not a GUI product. - **Scripts / CI / agents.** Caffeinate for headless scripts and CI; Amphetamine when a desk user still wants the menu bar overnight. ## FAQ ### Caffeinate or Amphetamine for Mac in 2026? Caffeinate for scripts and CI. Amphetamine for menu-bar sessions and Triggers. Both are free this run. ### Caffeinate vs Amphetamine vs Caffeine.app? Caffeine.app is another GUI cup utility. Compare GUIs in Amphetamine vs Caffeine. Caffeinate is the built-in CLI, not an App Store cup icon. ### Is Amphetamine free in 2026? Yes on the US App Store this run: iTunes Lookup reports price 0.0 and formattedPrice Free for version 5.3.2 (ID 937984704), accessed 2026-09-30. ### Can I brew install Amphetamine? Not via a listed Homebrew cask this run: https://formulae.brew.sh/api/cask/amphetamine.json returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-30. Install from the Mac App Store instead. ### Does caffeinate need Homebrew? No. caffeinate is preinstalled at /usr/bin/caffeinate on macOS and does not need a Homebrew formula or cask. ### Amphetamine vs caffeinate for Claude Code or Cursor overnight? Interactive overnight desks often prefer Amphetamine sessions or Triggers. Headless agent loops fit caffeinate -i (or -w) around the process. Choose based on whether a human needs the menu bar. ### What Amphetamine version is current this run? App Store / iTunes Lookup: 5.3.2 (accessed 2026-09-30). ### Which is better for closed-lid MacBook desks? Amphetamine for closed-display session options and Power Protect-related 5.3.x notes. Use caffeinate only if you already manage assertions in a launch agent. ### How do I keep a Mac awake only while a build runs? Use caffeinate -i around the build (for example caffeinate -i make) or caffeinate -w so assertions end when the process exits. ### Is this the same as Amphetamine vs Caffeine on Bundl? No. Amphetamine vs Caffeine covers Caffeine.app (GUI). This page is specifically caffeinate (CLI) vs Amphetamine (app). ## Sources - [Amphetamine on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704) - [iTunes Lookup API id=937984704](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=937984704) - [caffeinate(8) man page (manpagez)](https://www.manpagez.com/man/8/caffeinate/) - [SS64 macOS caffeinate](https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html) - [Homebrew cask API amphetamine](https://formulae.brew.sh/api/cask/amphetamine.json) ## Related - [Napless vs Amphetamine](https://bundl.run/compare/napless-vs-amphetamine) - [Amphetamine vs Caffeine](https://bundl.run/compare/amphetamine-vs-caffeine) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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