The best Theine alternatives

People leave Theine because it costs $8.99 with no free trial, needs an external display to stay awake with the lid closed, and does not say it keeps Slack or Teams Available. Amphetamine is the free pick with Closed-Display Mode, Caffeinated the cheaper paid one at $3.99, and Caffeine the free open-source toggle. Stay with Theine if you also want its desktop hiding and focus dimming.

Disclosure: Idle Pilot wrote this page and makes one of the tools on it. Vendor facts come from each vendor's own site, checked October 2026. Idle Pilot is not affiliated with Theine.

Why people switch from Theine

  • It costs $8.99 and has no free trial. Theine is a one-time Mac App Store purchase, and its developer says he avoids trial versions. Version 3 owners pay $4.99 to upgrade to Theine 4.
  • It needs an external display with the lid closed. The developer says Theine will not prevent a MacBook from sleeping when you close the lid with no external monitor connected.
  • It does not say it keeps Slack or Teams Available. Theine prevents sleep, dimming and the screensaver, and its pages describe no mouse or keyboard input. Slack sets desktop users to away after 10 minutes of inactivity.

At a glance

Checked October 2026 on each vendor's own site. Prices and features can change.
Tool Type Laptop closed Price
Theine Keep-awake app Only with an external display connected; the vendor says it will not prevent sleep on a closed MacBook without one. $8.99 once
Amphetamine Keep-awake app Its Closed-Display Mode can keep a supported MacBook awake with the lid closed. Power Protect addresses external-power changes on Apple Silicon; the Mac must remain on. Free
Caffeinated Keep-awake app Its September 2026 update added an option to stay awake with the lid closed; its older help page says it is not built for that. $3.99 once
Caffeine (Mac App) Keep-awake app Its site does not mention lid-closed use; it stops helping once the Mac sleeps. Free
Idle Pilot Cloud presence tool Yes: it runs in the cloud, so the laptop can be closed, asleep, or off $9 per month or $60 per year
Green Dotter Software mouse jiggler Lid-closed operation is not documented; the computer must stay on and awake. It cannot work while asleep or off. Free; optional Pro from $12.99 once

The alternatives

1. Amphetamine

Free Mac App Store utility that keeps a Mac and its displays awake, with timers, Triggers, Closed-Display Mode and optional cursor movement.

Runs on
macOS 10.13 or later (Mac App Store)
Keeps Teams or Slack Available
Not claimed. Its listing offers periodic cursor movement but does not mention Teams or Slack, so its site does not say whether it keeps Teams Available.
Laptop closed
Its Closed-Display Mode can keep a supported MacBook awake with the lid closed. Power Protect addresses external-power changes on Apple Silicon; the Mac must remain on.
Price
Free

Why it fits: Amphetamine is free to try and use, and its Closed-Display Mode can keep a supported MacBook awake with the lid closed.

Watch out: Its last Mac App Store update was November 10, 2023; Power Protect addresses external-power changes on Apple Silicon, and closed-display sessions can work without it.

Amphetamine website Idle Pilot vs Amphetamine Amphetamine alternatives

2. Caffeinated

Paid Mac menu bar app that prevents sleep, screen dimming and the screensaver with one click or a timer.

Runs on
macOS 15 or later (Mac App Store)
Keeps Teams or Slack Available
Its site does not say whether it keeps Teams or Slack Available; it lists video calls only as a reason to keep the screen on.
Laptop closed
Its September 2026 update added an option to stay awake with the lid closed; its older help page says it is not built for that.
Price
$3.99 once

Why it fits: At $3.99 once, Caffeinated costs less than half of Theine, and its September 2026 update added an option to stay awake with the lid closed.

Watch out: It lists no free trial either, needs macOS 15 or later, and its older help page says it is not built for lid-closed use.

Caffeinated website Idle Pilot vs Caffeinated Caffeinated alternatives

3. Caffeine (Mac App)

Free, open-source Mac menu bar app that prevents automatic sleep, screen dimming and screen savers, with an optional timeout.

Runs on
macOS 11 or later; an older version for macOS 10.10 to 10.15 is linked from its site
Keeps Teams or Slack Available
Its site does not say whether it keeps Teams or Slack Available. Slack documents that desktop users become away after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Laptop closed
Its site does not mention lid-closed use; it stops helping once the Mac sleeps.
Price
Free

Why it fits: Caffeine is free and open source, so you can try it at no cost, and like Theine it blocks sleep, screen dimming and screen savers from the menu bar.

Watch out: It does not list desktop hiding or focus dimming, and lid-closed behavior is undocumented; the Mac must remain on and awake.

Caffeine (Mac App) website Idle Pilot vs Caffeine (Mac App) Caffeine (Mac App) alternatives

4. Idle Pilot

Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Microsoft Teams availability from the cloud during saved Work Hours.

Runs on
Cloud. Set up once in desktop Chrome with the Idle Pilot extension
Keeps Teams or Slack Available
Yes: Slack or Microsoft Teams, one account at a time
Laptop closed
Yes: it runs in the cloud, so the laptop can be closed, asleep, or off
Price
$9 per month or $60 per year

Why it fits: If you kept the Mac awake so Slack or Teams stayed Available, Idle Pilot does that from the cloud during saved Work Hours with the laptop closed, asleep or off, and you can try it for 3 days without a card.

Watch out: It costs $9 per month or $60 per year after the trial and handles presence only, for one Slack workspace or one Teams account at a time.

Idle Pilot pricing

5. Green Dotter

Free Mac and Windows auto clicker and mouse jiggler that wiggles the mouse or clicks an area you choose, with a weekly scheduler in beta.

Runs on
macOS 11 or later (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
Keeps Teams or Slack Available
Its FAQ says yes for Slack and Teams while a session runs, depending on your Teams setup, and that mouse movement alone is often not enough for Slack.
Laptop closed
Lid-closed operation is not documented; the computer must stay on and awake. It cannot work while asleep or off.
Price
Free; optional Pro from $12.99 once

Why it fits: Green Dotter is free with no account. Its FAQ describes Slack support through chosen click areas and qualifies Teams behavior by setup and workplace policy.

Watch out: The Mac must stay on, awake and signed in, it pauses when the screen locks, and its site says it sends anonymous usage stats.

Green Dotter website Idle Pilot vs Green Dotter Green Dotter alternatives

When Theine is still the right choice

Theine is still the better choice if you present or share your screen and want keep-awake, hidden desktop icons and dimmed background windows in one app. It is actively updated (version 4.3 on October 1, 2026) and runs from a menu bar click, a global hot key or Shortcuts. If you use an external display whenever the lid is closed, its lid limit does not affect you.

Theine sources

FAQ

What is the best Theine alternative?
For most Mac users, Amphetamine: it is free and keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed in Closed-Display Mode, though its last App Store update is from November 2023. Caffeinated is the cheaper paid pick at $3.99 once. None of the others lists Theine's desktop hiding or focus dimming. For Slack or Teams with the laptop closed, Idle Pilot runs from the cloud during saved Work Hours.
Is there a free Theine alternative?
Yes. Amphetamine is free with no ads or in-app purchases, per its developer. Caffeine for Mac and KeepingYouAwake are free and open source under the MIT license, Jiggler for Mac is free under the GNU GPL v3, and Green Dotter is free with no account. Idle Pilot is not free, but it has a 3-day free trial with no credit card, or 7 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up.
Which Theine alternative works with the laptop closed?
Amphetamine offers Closed-Display Mode; Power Protect addresses external-power changes on Apple Silicon, and sessions can work without it. Caffeinated added a lid-closed option in September 2026, though its older help page disagrees. Lungo requires a charger and external display. KeepingYouAwake explicitly rejects closed-lid use. These local apps require an awake Mac. Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Teams availability during saved Work Hours with the laptop closed, asleep, or off.
Can my employer see that I use Theine or an alternative?
Possibly. Device management can list installed apps and USB devices, and monitoring tools can record input, including the clicks or mouse movement a jiggler such as Green Dotter sends. Slack and Teams admins can see sessions, devices and network origins, including the session Idle Pilot keeps. No tool on this page can promise it stays hidden or is allowed. Check your employer's rules before you use one.

Related

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Idle Pilot facts

Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Microsoft Teams availability from the cloud during saved Work Hours.

Who it is for
For people who want availability to follow work hours when the laptop is closed, asleep, or off.
Connected account
One Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account at a time. You can switch platforms.
Price
Freedom Pass costs $9 per month or $60 per year.
Trial
3-day free trial · No credit card. The trial starts at the first Slack or Teams connection. 7 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up.
First setup
Connect once in desktop Google Chrome with the Idle Pilot extension. You can remove the extension after linking. Mobile-only linking is not supported. View the extension.
Limits
Presence only: it does not write custom status messages or read chats and files. It is not a mouse jiggler. Your employer’s rules still apply; availability is not proof of work.
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