Apps to keep your Mac awakeHead to head
Caffeine vs Lungo
Caffeine ranks #2 and Lungo ranks #3 in our guide to the best apps to keep your Mac awake. Caffeine is the better pick for most people.
CaffeinePick Caffeine if you want a free, simple coffee cup switch for movies and presentations.Free, open source#3 in the guide
LungoPick Lungo if you want the Mac awake for a set length of time, started with a hotkey.$4 onceWhat decides it
- Caffeine costs less over 3 years: Free, against $4 for Lungo.
- Both run on Mac.
- Lungo is included with a Setapp subscription; Caffeine isn't.
Side by side
Prices are checked every day.
| At a glance | Caffeine | Lungo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source. Donations are optional | $4 once on the Mac App Store, or included with Setapp |
| How you pay | Free | Pay once |
| 3 years of use | Free Cheaper | $4 |
| Free trial | Free to start | None listed |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac |
| Where to buy | Developer | App Store, Setapp |
| Features | Menu bar app, Open source | Menu bar app, Shortcuts, Privacy, Family Sharing |
| Made by | Not listed | Sindre Sorhus |
| Last updated | Not tracked | 15 Sept 2026 |
Who should get which
Get Caffeine if
You give presentations or run long downloads and keep wiggling the mouse to stop the screen going dark.
Get Lungo if
You present from your Mac every week and want a timed awake switch you can trigger with a hotkey.
Skip Caffeine if
You are comfortable in Terminal, where the free caffeinate command keeps a Mac awake with nothing to install.
Skip Lungo if
You just want a plain on and off switch, and KeepingYouAwake and Amphetamine both do that for free.
Our verdicts
Caffeine
Your Mac dims and locks halfway through a long download, a movie or a slide deck you are presenting. Caffeine stops that with 1 click on a coffee cup in the menu bar, and it can switch itself off after a set time. It is free and open source, but the caffeinate command already built into Terminal does the same job if you are comfortable typing it.
Lungo
If you present slides, follow a recipe on your Mac or watch videos in a small window, Lungo keeps the screen from dimming for a set time or until you switch it off. It starts from a right-click, a keyboard shortcut, Shortcuts or the terminal, and turns itself off when you unplug. At $4 it costs more than the free KeepingYouAwake, and the App Store version can't stop sleep when you close the lid.
What each one helps you do
Caffeine
- Stop your Mac from sleeping during a download
- Keep the screen on during a presentation
- Turn sleep back on after a set time
Lungo
- Stop the screen dimming during a presentation
- Keep the screen on during long tasks
- Switch off automatically when you go on battery
Where to get them
Caffeine
Free and open source. Donations are optional
-
From the developerNeeds macOS Big Sur or later and works on macOS TahoeFreeGet it
Lungo
$4 once on the Mac App Store, or included with Setapp
-
Mac App Store$4.00Mac App Store
-
IncludedTry Setapp
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Neither one quite right?
The other picks in our guide to the best apps to keep your Mac awake.
