AlDente vs KeepingYouAwake

AlDente

• MacBook owners who keep the laptop plugged in most of the day
• People who want battery temperature, capacity and power figures in the menu bar
• Buyers who prefer a one-time lifetime license to a subscription

KeepingYouAwake

• Mac users who need the computer to stay awake for a set time
• People who used Caffeine and want a maintained replacement
• Anyone who wants a small single-purpose utility at no cost

AlDente

• For MacBooks only, on macOS 12 Monterey through macOS 27; the site lists the supported models.
• AlDente Free cannot control charging while the MacBook is asleep or shut down, so it can still charge to 100% with the lid closed.
• AlDente Pro checks its license online at least once every 30 days; after 30 days offline it switches to the free version.
• Prices vary by country through Paddle: the page's own text shows 11,49 € and 23,99 €, and its price feed returns $13.99 and $24.99 for US buyers.

KeepingYouAwake

• macOS only. Version 1.6.8 supports macOS 10.13 and newer, and the changelog says the next release, 1.6.9, raises the minimum to macOS 12.
• It does not keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed: it works on desktop Macs and on portable Macs with an open lid.
• It only prevents sleep, by wrapping Apple's caffeinate tool; the developer says it is provided with no guarantee and used at your own risk.

AlDente

Charge Limiter

Sets the charge level a plugged-in MacBook holds. Once the limit is reached, charging pauses and the laptop runs from the adapter. Included in AlDente Free.

Discharge

Runs the MacBook on battery while it stays plugged in, to bring the charge down to the limit. Pro's Automatic Discharge starts this whenever the limit is below the current level.

Heat Protection

A Pro feature that pauses charging automatically when the battery gets too hot, since charging a hot battery speeds up wear.

Sailing Mode

A Pro feature that sets a range instead of a single limit: at 75 to 80%, the battery drifts down to 75% before it is charged back to 80%.

Calibration Mode and schedules

Pro charges to 100%, discharges to 10%, recharges and holds for an hour, then returns to the limit. Schedules can run this and six other actions on set days.

Stats and Power Flow

Pro shows battery capacity, temperature and system load, plus a live diagram of how power moves between the charger, the battery and the MacBook.

KeepingYouAwake

One-click activation

One click on the menu bar icon stops the Mac from going to sleep, and it stays that way until the app is deactivated or a chosen duration ends.

Activation durations

Sleep can be blocked for a pre-defined length of time instead of indefinitely, and the list of durations can be customized in the settings.

Battery safeguards

The app can deactivate itself when the battery level is low, and its Battery settings support Low Power Mode on compatible Macs.

Automatic activation rules

Advanced settings activate it when an external display is connected, deactivate it while another user account is active, or quit the app when a duration ends.

URL scheme

Links such as keepingyouawake:///activate and keepingyouawake:///toggle switch it on or off from scripts and other apps.

Display sleep and notifications

An option lets the display sleep while the Mac itself stays awake, and on macOS 11 or newer the app can post notifications.

AlDente

• AlDente Free$0

  Charge Limiter and Discharge. The features page marks every other feature as part of AlDente Pro.

• AlDente Pro: Subscription License$13.99

  per year, billed annually (US price; page text shows 11,49 €)

  All features, including Heat Protection, Sailing Mode, Calibration Mode and schedules. One key activates on up to three macOS user accounts.

• AlDente Pro: Lifetime License$24.99

  one-time purchase (US price; page text shows 23,99 €)

  The same Pro features bought once instead of renewed yearly, with the same limit of three activations.

• AlDente Pro via Setapp$9.99

  per month (Setapp subscription)

  AlDente Pro as part of Setapp, which the pricing page describes as including more than 240 other Mac and iOS apps.

KeepingYouAwake

• KeepingYouAwake$0

  The complete utility with every setting, as a direct download with no account or license key. MIT licensed.

AlDente

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime License for AlDente Pro

  AlDente Pro can be bought once as a Lifetime License instead of the yearly subscription. The pricing page's feed returns $24.99 for US buyers.

• Education

  Student discount through Student App Centre

  The vendor's FAQ says a student discount is available through Student App Centre. It does not state the size of the discount.

• Other savings

  Included with a Setapp subscription

  The pricing page says Setapp, at $9.99 a month, includes AlDente Pro along with more than 240 other apps.

KeepingYouAwake

No public discounts listed.