KeepingYouAwake alternative for Mac: when switching makes sense on macOS
KeepingYouAwake is free, open source and does what it should. If you are still looking for an alternative, you are rarely looking for a better app — you are looking for a different answer to one particular question.
First: maybe don’t switch at all
If you keep your Mac awake for a while now and then and you are happy with it, there is no reason to switch. A free, open-source app that does its job is a good tool.
What another app can do in detail is in its own documentation and changes with every version. So there is no checkbox comparison here, just the questions a switch turns on.
The questions that decide it
Does the Mac need to keep running with the lid closed, on battery too? Should a session end on its own after a span set in advance? Do you want to see the time remaining and the end time?
If you answer no to all three, a simple toggle serves you well. If you answer yes to one of them, put exactly that question to every alternative.
What Toxin answers
For free, Toxin keeps the Mac awake indefinitely, from the menu bar, with no Dock icon and no window. It starts at login and asks for nothing after that.
Pro adds fixed spans from five minutes to twenty-four hours, a custom timer, the time remaining with its end time, and lid mode. Pro is bought once, for €4.99, with no subscription.
What Toxin is not
The Toxin app is not open source. If that matters to you, KeepingYouAwake gives you a reason to stay that no feature outweighs.
And Toxin is not on the Mac App Store yet. That is why this page carries no download link.
Check before switching
- Does the closed lid really come up in your day?
- Should a session end on its own, or is a toggle enough?
- Is open-source code a requirement?
- What is the extra feature worth to you, one-off against free?
Common questions
Can I use KeepingYouAwake and Toxin at the same time?
Technically yes; both keep the Mac awake through the same system function. It makes little sense: two icons for the same job leave it unclear which one is in effect.
Is Toxin free?
Keeping the Mac awake indefinitely is free. Fixed spans, custom timer, time remaining and lid mode are part of Pro, €4.99 once.
If a simple, open-source toggle is all you need, stay with it. If you need spans, time remaining or lid mode, Toxin is the right direction — a menu bar app for macOS, not on the Mac App Store yet.