AI · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to AFK
Step away — your AI agent keeps running, screen private
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 3 we have checked on their own sites, 3 of them free or with a free tier.
- 1
Got tired of reaching for the terminal to caffeinate my mac and tweaking system settings Now got a new friend in my menubar Enjoy!
Aug 2026 · agentsneversleep.app · its alternatives →
- 2
Backgrind▲195Run your AI agents over any app, even games.
Jun 2026 · backgrind.com · its alternatives →
- 3
Awakado▲79Keep your Mac awake while your AI agents work
19d ago · awakado.noodledragon.studio · its alternatives →
- 4
Rerun▲301The easiest way to build AI agents for all your tasks
Jul 2026 · rerun.build · its alternatives →
- 5
- 6
Beam.winfree tier, from $7/mo▲377Run AI agents on one Mac and use its windows on another
4d ago · beam.win · its alternatives →
- 7
Hi HN, Francesco from Cua here. I hacked this project together last weekend, inspired by the Codex Computer-Use release and lessons learned from deploying GUI-operating agents for our customers. The main problem: when a UI automation process controls a desktop app today, it usually takes over the human’s session. Your cursor moves, keyboard focus gets stolen, windows jump to the front, and you have to stop working until the agent is done. That is why we have historically avoided encouraging users to run these processes directly on their host machine, instead relying on VMs or GUI containers…
Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 8
Kickbacks.ai▲297Kickbacks.ai is an advertising marketplace for your AI agent
Jun 2026 · kickbacks.ai · its alternatives →
- 9
- 10
Clicky▲144AI buddy next to your cursor on Mac—sees, guides, helps you!
Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 11
- 12
- 13
AgentNotch▲120Real-time AI coding assistant telemetry in your Mac's notch
Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 14
Hi HN! I run a few Claude Code sessions in parallel and kept cmd-tabbing around just to find out one of them had been sitting on a permission prompt for ten minutes. There's a hardware gadget I liked (called SidePulse.io) so before waiting to get my shipment I built the software version instead :D I hope you like it and find it useful as I do!
Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 15AH
While building my startup i kept running into the issue where ai agents in cursor create endpoints or code that shouldn't exist, hallucinates strings, or just don't understand the code. ask-human-mcp pauses your agent whenever it’s stuck, logs a question into ask_human.md in your root directory with answer: PENDING, and then resumes as soon as you fill in the correct answer. the pain: your agent screams out an endpoint that never existed it makes confident assumptions and you spend hours debugging false leads the fix: ask-human-mcp gives your agent an escape hatch. when it’s unsure, it calls…
2025 · masonyarbrough.com · its alternatives →
- 16
Run Claude Code, Codex, AGY, and Grok Build side by side on your Mac. Every change gets reviewed by a second agent before you accept it.
19d ago · offrun.dev · its alternatives →
- 17
Clueprint▲68See what your agents left running on your Mac
Sep 2026 · clueprint.ai · its alternatives →
- 18
AgentManager▲125Never miss a Claude Code session waiting for your input
Jul 2026 · agentmgr.app · its alternatives →
- 19
Grovefree tier, from $5/mo▲101One terminal for you and your AI agent
Sep 2026 · grove.publishstudio.one · its alternatives →
- 20
Doppio▲4Hey I am Ben :wave: I've mostly moved to a remote agent solution but I do still run agents on my device sometimes. Wake up apps generally work great but I wanted to make my own and have it work when the lid is closed. It's $4 AUD and its yours to own. No catches. No DRM. Just an app that works and I will endeavour to keep up to date. I appreciate you taking a look and I hope its useful to you.
Jun 2026 · transitivedev.gumroad.com · its alternatives →
- 21
Your AI agent hits an infinite loop and racks up $2000 in API charges overnight. This happens weekly to AI developers. AgentGuard monitors API calls in real-time and automatically kills your process when it hits your budget limit. How it works: Add 2 lines to any AI project: const agentGuard = require('agent-guard'); await agentGuard.init({ limit: 50 }); // $50 budget // Your existing code runs unchanged const response = await openai.chat.completions.create({...}); // AgentGuard tracks costs automatically When your code hits $50 in API costs, AgentGuard stops…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 22
- 23
Keep your PC active while you are away from keyboard.
2025 · afk-assistant.com · its alternatives →
- 24
Keep your AI agents running while you step away
Aug 2026 · cuukit.com · its alternatives →
Also compare
Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →