Kitsmith / Utilities / Caffeine
A free, open-source menu bar toggle that stops your Mac from sleeping, dimming, or starting a screen saver — the original 2006 utility, still maintained today.
Our take
One menu bar coffee-cup icon: click to keep your Mac awake, click again to let it sleep normally, or set a timer. Tomas Franzén (Lighthead Software) built the original Caffeine in 2006; in 2018 he handed continued development to Michael Jones of IntelliScape Computer Solutions, who open-sourced it under MIT and has kept modernizing it since (macOS 11+ support added in 2022, since translated into several languages). The Homebrew cask’s listed homepage (intelliscapesolutions.com/apps/caffeine, which the developer keeps live specifically for pre-Big-Sur Macs) was returning a server error at verification time — this entry links to the maintainer’s current primary site instead, cross-confirmed as the same project via that site’s own FAQ.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- macOS 11 Big Sur or later; a separate build covers Yosemite through Catalina via the developer’s legacy page.
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
Do you use Caffeine?
Who made this
Caffeine’s own site FAQ tells its succession story directly: Tomas Franzén of Lighthead Software originally built it in 2006, and in 2018 "Michael Jones (IntelliScape Computer Solutions) reached out to Tomas to inquire if they could continue development" — Tomas "graciously provided the source code," and IntelliScape has maintained it since, modernizing the codebase from 2022.
What it does
One-click toggle
A menu bar cup icon — full means your Mac stays awake, empty means it sleeps normally.
Timed sessions
Right-click for a duration menu instead of leaving it on indefinitely.
Startup behavior
Choose whether Caffeine launches at login and whether it activates automatically.
The deal
- Free, open source (MIT license)
Worth knowing: The homepage on file with Homebrew (intelliscapesolutions.com/apps/caffeine) returned a server error when this entry was verified; this listing links to the maintainer’s current primary site instead, which its own FAQ cross-confirms as the same project.
Caffeine — questions people ask
Is this the same Caffeine people have used for years?
Yes — Tomas Franzén created it in 2006 under Lighthead Software; Michael Jones (IntelliScape Computer Solutions) has continued it under an open-source MIT license since 2018, per the developer’s own FAQ.
Is Caffeine free?
Yes, free and open source, with the source on GitHub.
Does Caffeine work on older macOS versions?
The current build needs macOS 11 or later; the developer maintains a separate legacy build for Yosemite through Catalina.
Is Caffeine free?
Yes — Caffeine is free.
Does Caffeine work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Caffeine lives in the menu bar, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Caffeine?
Caffeine is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Is Caffeine open source?
Yes — Caffeine is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 30, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
How Caffeine compares
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