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AwakeTab vs Amphetamine

If the Mac has to stay awake on its own, with the lid closed or no browser open, use Amphetamine: a native Mac app with triggers and a closed-display mode. No web page can match that. If you can't install apps, aren't on a Mac, or want the screen on for a set time with a status you can trust, AwakeTab does that from a visible browser tab.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 20263 min readBy Soubhik Biswas

Side by side

Amphetamine is a native Mac app from the Mac App Store that keeps the whole Mac awake with no window open. AwakeTab is a web page: in Chrome on a Mac its wake lock becomes a "no display sleep" power assertion, and per Apple's documentation the Mac does not idle-sleep while it is held. It lasts only while the tab is visible. Rows marked Same are real ties.

What it isAwakeTab: A web page that asks the browser for a screen wake lockAmphetamine: A native Mac app
With the tab hidden or no browser openAwakeTab: Stops. The pill says "Paused — tab hidden" and asks again when you return.Amphetamine: Keeps holding, with no window open
With the lid closedAwakeTab: No. A closed lid sleeps the Mac unless it is in clamshell mode with power and an external display.Amphetamine: Has a closed-display mode option. Its own help lists what it needs on your Mac.
TriggersAwakeTab: None. You start a session, and it ends at the time you picked.Amphetamine: Yes
InstallAwakeTab: None, open a web pageAmphetamine: From the Mac App Store
PlatformsAwakeTab: Chrome and Edge 84+, Firefox 126+, Safari 16.4+Amphetamine: macOS
Facts checkedSameAwakeTab: 26 September 2026Amphetamine: 26 September 2026

When Amphetamine is the better choice

In these cases we would send you there.

  1. The lid has to closeA closed lid sleeps a MacBook whatever a web page asks. Amphetamine has a closed-display mode option; read its help for what it needs on your model.
  2. The Mac must stay awake with no browser openA render, a large copy or a download can run with every browser window closed. A web page can't.
  3. You work full screen in other apps all dayA native app holds whatever is in front. A browser tab loses its lock the moment you switch away.
  4. You want it to start by itselfAmphetamine has triggers for that. A web page holds the screen only while you have it open and in front of you.

When AwakeTab is the better choice

These are the jobs AwakeTab was built for.

  1. You can't install appsOn a managed Mac, a web page is often the option left. It needs no admin password and leaves your organisation's lock policies alone.
  2. You are not on a MacAwakeTab works in Chrome and Edge on Windows, in Chrome on Android, and in Safari 16.4 or later on iPhone and iPad.
  3. You want it to end by itselfPick 30 min, 1 h or a clock time such as 11:30 AM. Hidden time doesn't count toward a timed session.
  4. You want to see that it's workingThe pill turns to "Screen awake" once your browser has granted the lock, not when you press the button.
  5. You want a hidden tab to countOn desktop Chrome or Edge, AwakeTab for Chrome uses Chrome's own power setting, so it keeps working with the tab hidden. It still stops at a closed lid.

Neither a tab nor a power setting beats a closed lid

Without a native tool, closing the lid sleeps a MacBook unless it is in clamshell mode, plugged in and driving an external display. The guide to keeping a Mac awake with the lid closed covers clamshell mode, Amphetamine and the pmset switch.

Check what is holding your Mac awake

Run pmset -g assertions in Terminal. It lists every process asking macOS not to sleep. With AwakeTab showing "Screen awake" in Chrome, the browser holds a PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep or NoDisplaySleep entry. Hide the tab and that line is gone; anything still listed belongs to another app.

Try it hereTry itStart a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill. No end time: it keeps the screen on until you stop it.Start this session

Questions

No. Closing the lid is a direct request to sleep, not idle time, so a browser's wake lock and AwakeTab for Chrome both stop there. Clamshell mode with power and an external display, or a native tool such as Amphetamine, can.

Soubhik Biswas · Builds AwakeTab. Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026. About AwakeTab