# ctrlhq vs Amphetamine: Keep your Mac awake, one less menu bar icon.

> ctrlhq vs Amphetamine: keep your Mac awake for 30 minutes, an hour or until you say so, from the notch with ⌃⌥K. No extra menu bar app.

- ctrlhq: $19 once (launch price, regular $49), no subscription, 14-day money-back guarantee. Native, about 12 MB. macOS 26 Tahoe or later.
- Amphetamine: keep-awake app. Price: Free. Source: https://apps.apple.com/app/amphetamine/id937984704
- Facts checked September 2026. Also relevant if you're looking at Caffeine, caffeinate.

Amphetamine is free and excellent, with triggers, schedules and per-app rules. If you use those, keep it.

If you just flip it on before a long download, a build or a presentation, ctrlhq has the same switch in the notch: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours or until you turn it off, and ⌃⌥K from any app.

## ctrlhq vs Amphetamine at a glance

| | ctrlhq | Amphetamine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once (launch price, then $49) | Free |
| Keep awake for a set time | Yes | Yes |
| Keep awake indefinitely | Yes | Yes |
| Global shortcut | ⌃⌥K | Yes |
| Triggers, schedules, per-app rules | No | Yes |
| Lives in | The notch | The menu bar |

## Choose Amphetamine if

- You rely on triggers, schedules or per-app rules.

## Choose ctrlhq if

- You want a quick keep-awake switch without another menu bar icon, next to the rest of your tools.

## Lightweight by design

ctrlhq is a native Swift app, about 12 MB to download, with no background daemons. It replaces a handful of single-purpose apps with one that's already running in your notch.

## The ctrlhq features that cover Amphetamine

- [Keep awake](https://ctrlhq.app/features/keep-awake): Keep your Mac awake through a long download, a render or a talk. ⌃⌥K toggles it.

## FAQ

### Is it like caffeinate?

Same idea. ctrlhq holds the same power assertion macOS uses, and lets go when the time's up.

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Amphetamine is a trademark of its owner. ctrlhq isn't affiliated with it. Download ctrlhq: https://ctrlhq.app/download · All comparisons: https://ctrlhq.app/compare