Idle Pilot vs Don't Sleep

Don't Sleep is a small freeware program for Windows from SoftwareOK.com. It blocks shutdown, standby, hibernate, restart and log-off, and it can stop the monitor from turning off or the screen saver from starting. It adds a timer, scheduled shutdown, and rules based on network traffic or CPU load. Idle Pilot is a cloud service that keeps one Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account Available or Active during the Work Hours you save.

Don't Sleep reports to Windows that it has important tasks running. Its site does not describe mouse or key simulation and does not say whether it keeps Teams or Slack Available. Microsoft says Teams presence on a computer becomes Away after a few minutes of inactivity or when the computer is locked, and Slack says desktop users are set to away after 10 minutes of inactivity. A PC that stays awake can therefore still show Away. Idle Pilot keeps presence from its servers on your schedule and does not use your computer's input.

Don't Sleep runs on your PC, so the PC must stay on and awake. Teams shows Offline when the computer sleeps. Idle Pilot keeps working with the laptop closed, asleep or off, after you link your account once.

Don't Sleep is free, and its page mentions commercial, business and private use. You download a 267 KB program and run it without installing; it can run from a USB stick. Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year (USD), with a 3-day free trial and no credit card. The trial starts at your first Slack or Teams connection, and it lasts 7 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up. You link once in desktop Google Chrome with the Idle Pilot extension and can remove the extension afterward.

Don't Sleep lists Windows 11, 10, 8.1 and 7 and Windows Server 2012 to 2025. That is wider Windows support than most tools here. Idle Pilot has per-day Work Hours, a Lunch Break, and Vacation Mode, which pauses the schedule when you set a status you choose, such as Out of Office.

Your employer may be able to see either tool. Device management and monitoring software can log programs and running processes, including Don't Sleep. Teams and Slack admins and security tools can inspect sessions, devices and network origins, which applies to Idle Pilot. Idle Pilot manages presence only; it does not write status messages or read chats or files. Check your employer's rules before you use either.