--- title: "Apps to Keep Microsoft Teams Active, Compared | Idle Pilot" description: "Compare Idle Pilot, Stay Green On Teams, NeverAwayTeams, Green Dotter, and Teams settings: price, setup, and what happens when your laptop closes." canonical: "https://idlepilot.com/compare/apps-to-keep-teams-active/" updated: "2026-10-05" generated_by: "scripts/build-markdown-twins.mjs" --- > Markdown representation of https://idlepilot.com/compare/apps-to-keep-teams-active/ — the HTML page at that URL is canonical and carries the same content. # Apps to keep Microsoft Teams active, compared An app can keep Microsoft Teams Available in two ways. A local app, such as NeverAwayTeams or Green Dotter, sends mouse or keyboard input, so your computer must stay on and awake. A cloud service, such as Stay Green On Teams or Idle Pilot, keeps your Teams presence from a server, so your laptop can close. Teams itself cannot set a duration for Available. Idle Pilot publishes this page and makes one of the products. We checked each fact on the publisher’s own page on October 5, 2026. Last updated: October 5, 2026 ## The options side by side | Option | How it works | Laptop closed or asleep | Platforms | Price | Free trial or plan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Idle Pilot | Cloud service. You connect once with the Idle Pilot extension in desktop Chrome. Then its servers run your Work Hours. | Keeps working | Slack or Microsoft Teams, one at a time. You can switch. | $9 per month or $60 per year | 7 days without a card. 14 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up. | | Stay Green On Teams | Cloud service. A Chrome extension reads your Teams session once. Its servers keep a presence connection open on the days and hours you pick. | Keeps working | Microsoft Teams. Slack is a separate product, Stay Green On Slack. | $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year | 14 days without a card | | NeverAwayTeams | Windows app. When you stop using the keyboard and mouse, it sends a small mouse or keyboard action. | Stops. The PC must stay on. | Windows 10 and 11, with new Teams and Zoom | Free for one device. Pro: €1 per month, €9 per year, or €60 once. | Free plan | | Green Dotter | Desktop mouse jiggler and auto clicker. It moves the mouse or clicks at random intervals and keeps the computer awake. | Stops. The computer must stay awake. | Mac and Windows, with any app | Free (donations) | Free | | Teams settings | You set your status by hand. Teams cannot set a duration for Available. It shows Away when you lock the computer or it goes idle or to sleep. | Shows Away | Microsoft Teams | Free | Not applicable | Sources, checked on October 5, 2026: [Idle Pilot pricing](https://idlepilot.com/pricing/) · [Stay Green On Teams pricing](https://staygreenonteams.com/pricing) · [NeverAwayTeams](https://neverawayteams.com/) · [Green Dotter](https://green-dotter.com/) · [Microsoft: Change your status in Teams](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-your-status-in-microsoft-teams-ce36ed14-6bc9-4775-a33e-6629ba4ff78e) . ## Which one should you choose? - **Your computer stays on all workday:** a local app is enough. NeverAwayTeams has a free plan for one Windows device. Green Dotter is free on Mac and Windows. - **Teams must stay Available with the laptop closed, at the lowest price:** Stay Green On Teams costs less than Idle Pilot and has a 14-day trial. - **You use Slack and Teams, or you want breaks and time off in the schedule:** Idle Pilot. One plan covers Slack or Microsoft Teams, one at a time. It adds a lunch break, vacation mode, an instant off switch, and an activity history. [Try my Teams schedule free](https://app.idlepilot.com/?platform=teams) 7-day free trial · No credit card 14 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year. The trial starts when you connect Teams. ## What your company can see No app on this page makes you invisible. A local app sends input on your device, where security software can see it. NeverAwayTeams says that it runs in plain sight with a log that anyone can read. A cloud service keeps a Teams session for your account from a server. Stay Green On Teams says that this looks like a normal Teams session to an IT admin. Idle Pilot says that account sessions and network origins may be visible to administrators or security tools. Check your employer’s rules before you connect any of them. [How Idle Pilot handles your account](https://idlepilot.com/security/). ## Related guides - [How to keep Microsoft Teams active](https://idlepilot.com/keep-teams-active/) - [Why Teams shows you as Away](https://idlepilot.com/microsoft-teams-away-status/) - [Mouse jiggler alternatives](https://idlepilot.com/mouse-jiggler-alternatives/) - [All comparisons](https://idlepilot.com/compare/) ## Questions about Teams apps ### What is the best app to keep Microsoft Teams green? It depends on whether your computer stays on. If it stays on, a free local app such as NeverAwayTeams (Windows) or Green Dotter (Mac and Windows) can stop the idle timer. If the laptop closes, sleeps, or turns off, a local app stops. Then you need a cloud service such as Stay Green On Teams or Idle Pilot. ### Can I set Teams to Available for a fixed time? No. Microsoft says that you can set a duration for any status except Available. Teams shows Away when you lock the computer or when it goes idle or to sleep. ### Does a mouse jiggler app work when my laptop is closed? No. A jiggler app runs on your computer. It stops when the computer sleeps, closes, or turns off. ### How does a cloud service keep Teams Available? You connect your Teams account once through a Chrome extension. The service then keeps a Teams session for your account on its servers during the hours that you choose. Your laptop can be closed. ### Is Stay Green On Teams cheaper than Idle Pilot? Yes. Stay Green On Teams costs $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year for Teams. Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year, and one plan covers Slack or Microsoft Teams. Prices checked on October 5, 2026. ### Can my company see these apps? It can. A local app sends input on your device, where security software can see it. A cloud service keeps a session for your account from a server, and account sessions and network origins may be visible to administrators or security tools. Check your employer’s rules before you connect any of them. ## Keep Teams Available with your laptop closed [Try my Teams schedule free](https://app.idlepilot.com/?platform=teams) 7-day free trial · No credit card ## 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 7-day free trial · No credit card. The trial starts at the first Slack or Teams connection. 14 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](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/idle-pilot/nadppgjnachfgclfcgdbekniiiemepdp). 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.