--- title: "Idle Pilot vs Move Mouse: Keep Teams or Slack Active?" description: "Move Mouse is a free, open-source Windows app that simulates mouse activity on a schedule. Compare it with Idle Pilot for Teams or Slack, laptop closed." canonical: "https://idlepilot.com/compare/idle-pilot-vs-move-mouse/" updated: "2026-10-28" generated_by: "scripts/build-markdown-twins.mjs" --- > Markdown representation of https://idlepilot.com/compare/idle-pilot-vs-move-mouse/ — the HTML page at that URL is canonical and carries the same content. # Idle Pilot vs Move Mouse Pick Move Mouse if your Windows PC stays on and you want a free, open-source app that moves the cursor every 30 seconds by default and has its own schedules. Pick Idle Pilot if Teams or Slack must show Available during Work Hours with the laptop closed, asleep or off. Move Mouse's documentation makes no Teams or Slack claim. Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year; Move Mouse is free. Disclosure: Idle Pilot wrote this page and makes one of the two products. Move Mouse facts come from its own site, checked October 28, 2026. Idle Pilot is not affiliated with Move Mouse. ## Quick Verdict Move Mouse is a free, configurable activity simulator for a Windows PC that stays on; Idle Pilot fits when Teams or Slack must stay Available with the laptop closed or off. Move Mouse resets Windows idle time by simulating mouse moves or clicks, and it can follow a weekday schedule. Its documentation does not mention Teams or Slack, and in a 2022 GitHub issue Teams showed Away while it ran. It needs the PC on and awake, and its developer says it cannot reach software in a locked session. Idle Pilot keeps one Slack workspace or one Teams account Available from the cloud. ## Feature Comparison | Feature | Idle Pilot | Move Mouse | | --- | --- | --- | | Purpose | Scheduled Slack or Teams availability | Simulate user activity on a Windows PC | | Platforms | Slack or Microsoft Teams (one at a time) | Windows 10 (version 14393 or later) and Windows 11 | | Where it runs | Cloud | Your Windows PC | | How it keeps you active | Keeps presence from its servers during Work Hours | Simulated mouse moves every 30 seconds by default; clicks and scrolls optional | | Keeps Teams or Slack Available | Yes, during saved Work Hours | Not claimed in its docs; stops reaching apps when the PC is locked | | Works with your laptop closed | Yes | Not documented; computer must stay on and awake | | Schedule | Per-day Work Hours, Lunch Break, Vacation Mode | Weekday and cron schedules, blackout windows | | Monthly price | $9 | Free | | Yearly price | $60 | Free | | Free trial | 3-day free trial · No credit card; 7 days when linked within 3 hours of sign-up | Not needed; free and open source | | Setup | Desktop Chrome and the Idle Pilot extension, once | Microsoft Store, or the portable zip from GitHub | ## Detailed Comparison Move Mouse is a free, open-source Windows app that simulates user activity. Its developer says it was designed to stop Windows from locking the session or going to sleep, and that its most common use is keeping remote sessions alive while working from home. 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. Idle Pilot is not a mouse jiggler and does not move your mouse. By default Move Mouse moves the cursor every 30 seconds. It can also click, scroll, bring an app to the front, or run a command or PowerShell script, and a Stealth option resets idle time without visible movement. Its README and wiki do not say whether it keeps Teams or Slack Available. In a 2022 GitHub issue, a user saw Teams show Away while Move Mouse ran; the developer confirmed that idle time was being reset and attributed the problem to Teams itself. Microsoft says Teams presence on a computer becomes Away after a few minutes of inactivity. Move Mouse runs on your PC, so the PC must be on and awake. By default it stops when you lock your session. In a 2025 issue the developer said that nothing at the lock screen can interact with software in the locked session, and Microsoft says Teams shows Away when the computer is locked and Offline when it sleeps. Idle Pilot keeps working with the laptop closed, asleep or off, after you link your account once. Move Mouse is free under GPL-3.0, with optional donations. The Microsoft Store version needs Windows 10 version 14393 or later and updates itself; the portable zip from GitHub needs .NET Framework 4.7.2 and offers command-line options. Its wiki notes that the Store is often unavailable on work machines. 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. Scheduling is a real strength of Move Mouse. It has simple schedules by time and weekday, advanced cron schedules, and blackout windows, and its wiki shows how to run it only during working hours. 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 running processes and input patterns, including simulated mouse movement. 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. ### Idle Pilot Advantages - Keeps Teams or Slack Available without moving your mouse - Works with the laptop closed, asleep or off - Vacation Mode pauses the schedule when you set a status you choose, such as Out of Office - Nothing has to keep running on your PC after you link ### Move Mouse Advantages - Free and open source (GPL-3.0) - Weekday and cron schedules plus blackout windows - Many actions: move, click, scroll, activate an app, run scripts - Microsoft Store install with automatic updates, or a portable zip - Keeps remote desktop sessions from timing out while the PC is on ## Which Should You Choose? **If** you need Teams or Slack Available during set Work Hours Use: Idle Pilot **If** you close your laptop or turn it off when you step away Use: Idle Pilot **If** you want the schedule to pause when you set Out of Office Use: Idle Pilot **If** you need a remote desktop session to stay connected while your PC is on Use: Move Mouse **If** you want a free, open-source tool with its own schedules Use: Move Mouse ## What is Move Mouse? Move Mouse is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) Windows app by Steve Williams, available on GitHub and in the Microsoft Store. It simulates user activity with mouse moves, clicks, scrolls and scripts, and it has schedules and blackout windows. GitHub release 4.21.0 is from September 8, 2026, and the Store listing was updated on October 6, 2026. We checked its pages on October 28, 2026. ### Sources - [GitHub: sw3103/movemouse README](https://github.com/sw3103/movemouse) - [Move Mouse wiki: settings, schedules and blackouts](https://github.com/sw3103/movemouse/wiki) - [Move Mouse wiki: Installation](https://github.com/sw3103/movemouse/wiki/Installation) - [Microsoft Store: Move Mouse](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nq4ql59xlbf) - [GitHub issue 36: Teams shows Away (developer reply)](https://github.com/sw3103/movemouse/issues/36) - [GitHub issue 82: locked screen (developer reply)](https://github.com/sw3103/movemouse/issues/82) - [Microsoft Learn: User presence in Teams](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/presence-admins) ## Frequently Asked Questions Does Move Mouse keep Teams green? Its README and wiki do not say so. Move Mouse resets Windows idle time with simulated mouse moves or clicks while the PC is on. In a 2022 GitHub issue, Teams showed Away while it ran, and the developer attributed that to Teams. Microsoft says Teams also shows Away when the computer is locked. How much do Move Mouse and Idle Pilot cost? Move Mouse is free on GitHub and in the Microsoft Store, and its developer accepts donations. 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. We checked Move Mouse's pages on October 28, 2026. Does Move Mouse work with the laptop closed or locked? Move Mouse needs the computer on and awake. Its cited source does not document lid-closed operation, and it cannot continue while the computer is asleep or off. A supported external-display setup can differ from a sleeping laptop. Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Teams availability from its servers during saved Work Hours even with the computer off. Can my employer see that I use Move Mouse or Idle Pilot? Possibly. Device management and monitoring software can log running processes and input patterns, including simulated mouse movement. Teams and Slack admins and security tools can inspect sessions, devices and network origins, which applies to Idle Pilot. Check your employer's rules before you use either tool. Does Move Mouse have a work-hours schedule? Yes. Move Mouse has simple schedules by time and weekday, advanced cron schedules, and blackout windows, and its wiki shows a working-hours setup. Idle Pilot has per-day Work Hours, a Lunch Break, and Vacation Mode, and it keeps running when your PC is off. ## Related resources [Comparison Idle Pilot vs slack.green Idle Pilot fits Microsoft Teams users and Slack users who want Vacation Mode. sl... ](https://idlepilot.com/compare/idle-pilot-vs-slack-green/)[Comparison Does Caffeine Keep Slack Active? 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[Try Idle Pilot free](https://app.idlepilot.com) 3-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 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](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.