The Amphetamine alternative for Mac
A free, menu-bar keep-awake app for Mac with one-click simplicity and a neutral name.
Amphetamine is an excellent, free keep-awake app with deep triggers — if you use those triggers, keep it. nosleep is also free, but it trades the trigger system for one-click simplicity, a plain name and icon (no pill graphic that workplace MDM and screen-shares flag), and a place in a wider catalog of subscription-free Mac apps.
Amphetamine vs nosleep
| Amphetamine | nosleep | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Distribution | Mac App Store (sandboxed) | Signed + notarized direct download |
| Core interaction | Triggers + sessions | One-click toggle + timers |
| Timed sessions | Yes | Yes — duration or until a deadline |
| Low-battery guard | Via settings | Built in |
| Lid-closed mode | Separate Enhancer install | Built in, admin-gated |
| Name / icon | “Amphetamine” + pill icon | Plain name, neutral icon |
| Account / cloud | None | None |
- One-click toggle instead of configuring triggers and sessions you may never use
- A neutral name and icon — “Amphetamine” and its pill icon get flagged by some workplace MDM filters and look awkward on a shared screen
- Distributed straight from nosub (Developer ID signed + notarized), not only through the Mac App Store sandbox
- Lid-closed mode is built in and admin-gated — no separate Enhancer install
- Part of a catalog of subscription-free, local-first Mac apps from one developer
- Genuinely free, and has been for years
- Powerful Triggers — keep awake only when a specific app runs, a display is connected, or a drive is mounted
- Mature and battle-tested with a large user base
- Fine-grained session control and a built-in Enhancer add-on for lid-closed mode
you just want to click once to keep the Mac awake, prefer a plain name/icon for work machines, and like the idea of a small, focused, subscription-free toolkit.
you rely on Amphetamine's Triggers (auto-activate for a specific app, display, or drive) or its detailed session rules — nosleep deliberately doesn't replicate that depth.
Quit Amphetamine, download nosleep, and click the menu-bar icon. There's no config to port — keep-awake state is a single toggle. You can leave Amphetamine installed and try both; nothing conflicts.
Common questions
What is the best free alternative to Amphetamine on Mac?
nosleep is a free, native menu-bar keep-awake app for macOS. It keeps your Mac awake with one click, supports timed sessions and a low-battery guard, needs no account, and sends nothing to the cloud. It's the closest free alternative if you want Amphetamine's job done more simply.
Is nosleep really free, or is it a trial?
nosleep is free forever — not a trial and not freemium. There's no paid tier and no account. It's free because it takes seconds to use and costs nothing to maintain; the paid apps in the nosub catalog fund the work.
Why would I switch from Amphetamine if it's also free?
Mainly simplicity and naming. nosleep is a one-click toggle instead of a trigger system, and its plain name and icon avoid the workplace-filter and shared-screen awkwardness some people hit with “Amphetamine.” If you actively use Amphetamine's Triggers, there's no reason to switch.
Does nosleep keep a Mac awake with the lid closed?
Yes — lid-closed mode is built in and admin-gated, so you don't need a separate add-on like Amphetamine's Enhancer. It's marked experimental because clamshell behavior depends on your Mac and power state.
Done renting Amphetamine?
nosleep — keep your mac awake. Free, no account, no cloud. Yours to keep.