Awake vs Amphetamine
If you want lid-closed, set-and-forget overnight running as a one-click default, choose Awake. If you'd rather configure and maintain it all yourself, Amphetamine is the free option. They can reach the same end state — Awake just ships it on the first click, notarized and battery-safe, while Amphetamine hands you the parts to assemble.
What each one is
Amphetamine
A free keep-awake app you configure yourself. Its Sessions, Triggers, and conditions can be set up to do closed-display running and a low-battery cut-off — but none of it is on until you build it, and it's on you to keep it working across macOS updates.
Awake
A native menu-bar app built for one job: keep the Mac running unattended, including with the lid closed on power, with an on-battery mode and a 20% battery guard on by default. One click, no account, no telemetry.
The real difference: defaults, not capability
It's tempting to frame this as "Amphetamine can't do X." That's not true, and it's worth being straight about it. Amphetamine can keep a Mac awake with the lid closed — even on battery since version 5.0 — and it can end a session when the battery runs low. The catch is that neither is what you get out of the box.
- Lid-closed running is opt-in. Amphetamine ships with a closed-display safety option checked; to run shut you go into Sessions or Preferences and uncheck it yourself. Awake makes it a single labelled toggle, on power, with nothing to hunt for.
- The battery cutoff is a Trigger you build. Amphetamine's low-battery end is a condition you wire up in the Triggers system. Awake's battery guard is on by default and steps aside at 20% automatically — you can't forget to set it up.
- Setup is the whole experience. Amphetamine's power is its surface area: sessions, durations, triggers, app-and-drive conditions. Awake deliberately has almost none of that — it does the overnight job and gets out of the way.
So the honest trade is this: Amphetamine is free but you assemble it; Awake is paid but it's the one-click default, notarized by Apple, with a dedicated on-battery mode. Which is better depends entirely on whether you want to configure a tool or just run your job.
Awake vs Amphetamine, feature by feature
| Amphetamine | Awake | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs with lid closed | Yes — after you uncheck a Sessions/Preferences option | Yes, one toggle by default (on power) |
| Keeps going on battery | Yes (clamshell on battery since v5.0), if you allow it | Yes — dedicated on-battery mode |
| Low-battery cutoff | Only if you build a Trigger for it | Yes, on by default at 20% |
| Timed sessions | Yes — highly granular | Yes — 30m / 1h / 5h / indefinite |
| Setup effort | Learn Sessions & Triggers, then configure | One click, no options to find |
| Notarized by Apple | Yes (Mac App Store) | Yes, notarized |
| Privacy | No account | No account, no telemetry |
| Price | Free | 3-day free trial, then $14.99 once (lifetime) |
| Best for | Tinkerers who want a free, scriptable tool | Set-and-forget lid-closed overnight jobs |
Both apps are notarized and account-free, and both can technically reach the lid-closed, battery-safe end state. The split is effort versus price: Amphetamine is free and you configure it; Awake is a one-time $14.99 and the safe overnight behaviour is already on when you click once.
Which should you pick?
For keeping your Mac running with the lid closed, unattended, overnight — the answer is simple.
Awake — simple, and it just works. Running Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, a long build, or a big download overnight with the lid shut? One click and it's done: lid-closed running and the 20% battery guard are the default, there's a real on-battery mode, and nothing to learn, configure, or babysit. Shut the lid and the job finishes. That accessibility — no Terminal, no triggers, no setup ritual — is the whole point.
Amphetamine — only if you want to do the work yourself. The lid-closed and low-battery behaviour aren't on out of the box: you have to learn its Sessions and Triggers, hunt for and uncheck the right options, build your own low-battery cutoff, and keep that setup working across macOS updates. It's free — but the effort is on you, every time.
Put plainly: Awake sells simplicity. The safe, lid-closed, set-and-forget behaviour isn't a configuration project you assemble and maintain — it's the one-click default, with an experience built to stay out of your way. If an effortless, reliable overnight run is worth a one-time $14.99, Awake is the easy call. The fastest way to see it is to start Awake's free 3-day trial and leave a real overnight run going with the lid shut.
FAQ
Is there a good Amphetamine alternative for Mac?
Awake. Amphetamine is a free App Store tool, but it leaves lid-closed running and a low-battery cutoff for you to set up yourself through Sessions, Preferences, and Triggers — and to maintain across macOS updates. Awake ships those exact behaviours as the one-click default, adds an on-battery mode, and is notarized by Apple. Choose Amphetamine if you'd rather do all that configuring yourself; choose Awake if you want set-and-forget overnight running that just works. See the Awake pricing for what's included.
Is Awake better than Amphetamine?
For keeping a Mac running lid-closed overnight — for AI agents, builds, and downloads — yes, because lid-closed running and the 20% battery cutoff are on by default in one click instead of being options you unhide and triggers you build. Amphetamine is better if you want a free tool and enjoy configuring sessions, triggers, and conditions yourself. Amphetamine is free; Awake is a one-time $14.99 lifetime licence after a 3-day free trial.
Can Amphetamine keep a Mac awake with the lid closed?
Yes, but not by default. Amphetamine can run with the display closed — even on battery since version 5.0 — but you have to uncheck the closed-display safety option in its Sessions or Preferences first. Awake makes lid-closed running a single labelled toggle, on power, with no options to hunt for. There's more detail in the guide to keeping a Mac running with the lid closed.
Does Amphetamine stop before the battery dies?
Only if you build it. Amphetamine can end a session at a low-battery threshold, but it's an opt-in Trigger you set up yourself, not a default. In Awake the battery guard is on out of the box and steps aside at 20% automatically, so a session left on battery can't quietly drain the laptop flat.
Skip the setup. Just run overnight.
Awake keeps your Mac running lid-shut, stops before the battery dies, and takes one click. No account, no telemetry.
Start your free trial3 days free, no card · then $14.99 once (was $29) · Notarized by Apple
The specifics
Read next: Best app to keep your Mac running with the lid closed, or head back to the Awake home page.