Comparison
AwakeTab vs Caffeine
If you can install apps and want your Mac awake while you work in anything at all, use Caffeine: it sits in the menu bar, holds a macOS power assertion, and needs no window in front. If you can't install software, or you want the screen on for a set time with a status you can trust, AwakeTab does that from a browser tab, as long as the tab stays visible.
On this page
Side by side
Two different apps share the name, so each gets its own column. Caffeine for Mac, from IntelliScape, is a menu-bar cup that holds a macOS power assertion, the mechanism a video player uses. Caffeine for Windows, from Zhorn Software, is a different app: by default it simulates an F15 key press every 59 seconds, so other apps see input, and its -stes option asks Windows not to sleep instead. AwakeTab is closer to the Mac app. It asks the browser for a wake lock and never sends keys or moves the pointer. Rows marked Same are real ties.
-stes mode When Caffeine is the better choice
It is a good app. In these cases we would send you there.
- You work full screen in other apps all day A menu-bar cup holds whatever is in front. A browser tab loses its lock the moment you switch away, and the pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden".
- The browser won't be open A render or a large copy can run with every browser window closed; a web page can't.
- You want a Windows tray tool Zhorn's Caffeine works with any app in front.
When AwakeTab is the better choice
These are the jobs AwakeTab was built for.
- You can't install apps On a managed laptop without admin rights, a web page is often the option left. It leaves your organisation's lock policies alone.
- You want it to end by itself Pick 30 min, 1 h or a clock time such as 11:30 AM. Hidden time doesn't count toward a timed session.
- You want to see that it's working The pill turns to "Screen awake" once your browser has granted the lock, not when you press the button.
- You're on a phone or tablet AwakeTab works in Safari 16.4 or later (after one tap) and in Chrome on Android.
- You want a hidden tab to count On desktop Chrome or Edge, AwakeTab for Chrome uses Chrome's own power setting, so it keeps working when the tab is hidden or the window is minimised.
Neither one keeps a closed MacBook awake
Closing the lid puts a MacBook to sleep whatever a menu-bar app or a tab asks, unless it is running in clamshell mode, plugged in and driving an external display. See the guide to keeping a Mac awake with the lid closed.
Check which one is holding your Mac awake
Run pmset -g assertions in Terminal. With Caffeine on, you should see an assertion owned by Caffeine. With AwakeTab showing “Screen awake” in Chrome, the browser holds a PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep or NoDisplaySleep assertion, and macOS does not idle-sleep meanwhile.
Try it
Start a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill.
Questions
Is AwakeTab a web version of Caffeine?
Not quite. Both ask the operating system to keep the display on, but Caffeine holds with nothing on screen, while AwakeTab holds only while its tab is in view. AwakeTab adds timed sessions, an end time and a readable status.
Does Caffeine for Mac press the F15 key?
No. The simulated F15 key press belongs to Caffeine for Windows by Zhorn Software. Caffeine for Mac by IntelliScape holds a macOS power assertion, which is the system's own way of saying “don't dim or sleep the display”.
Can I run Caffeine and AwakeTab at the same time?
Yes. Each one makes its own request, and the Mac stays awake while either request stands. Stopping one does not cancel the other, so if an AwakeTab session ends and the Mac still won't sleep, check whether the Caffeine cup is still full.
Which one uses less battery?
The lit screen uses most of the power in both cases; the request itself costs very little. AwakeTab's video fallback, used only where the browser lacks the Screen Wake Lock API, uses more.