AFK Software: What It Is and Which Kind You Need

Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of AFK Assistant. Facts about other tools come from their official websites and store listings, checked on October 24, 2026. Prices change, so confirm them with the vendor before you buy.

What is AFK software?

AFK stands for "away from keyboard." AFK software is any program that keeps a computer behaving as if someone is still using it. People search for it under many names: AFK program, AFK tool, AFK mouse mover, mouse jiggler, anti-AFK, keep-awake app. They all respond to the same thing, which is what your operating system and your apps do when input stops.

When you stop touching the mouse and keyboard, several separate timers start counting. The display dims and then turns off. The screen saver or lock screen kicks in. The whole machine may go to sleep. And separately from all of that, the operating system keeps an idle counter: the time since your last input. Chat apps use idle time to switch your status to Away, and activity-based time trackers use it, along with keyboard and mouse counts, to decide whether a stretch of time looked active.

Different AFK tools deal with different timers. That is why a tool that works perfectly for one person looks useless to the next.

The three kinds of AFK software

1. Keep-awake utilities

These stop the computer or the display from sleeping. They do not create keyboard or mouse input, so the idle counter keeps climbing. They are the right tool for downloads, renders, long builds, presentations and remote sessions where you just need the machine to stay up.

• PowerToys Awake (Windows): part of Microsoft PowerToys, a free, open-source set of Windows utilities. It keeps the PC awake indefinitely, for a time interval or until a date and time you set, with an optional Keep screen on switch.
• caffeinate (macOS): a command built into macOS. -d keeps the display awake, -i prevents idle sleep and -t sets a timeout in seconds. Its -u flag declares that the user is active, which wakes the display, but it is a power-management assertion, not simulated keyboard or mouse input.
• Amphetamine (macOS): a free Mac App Store app with no in-app purchases. It runs keep-awake sessions by hand or through triggers such as a connected display, a running app, a Wi-Fi network or a battery level, and it can keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed. Unusually for this group, it also has an optional periodic mouse cursor movement.
• KeepingYouAwake (macOS): a free, open-source (MIT) menu bar app that wraps Apple's caffeinate command.

2. Mouse jigglers and mouse movers

These generate input, usually a small cursor movement or a key event on a timer. That resets the idle counter, which also keeps the screen on and stops the lock screen. Hardware jigglers do the same thing with a USB device or a moving pad under the mouse.

• Move Mouse (Windows 10 and 11): free and open source (GPL-3.0). It goes well beyond a jiggler: actions can move, click, scroll or position the cursor, bring an application to the front, or run a command or PowerShell script, with schedules, blackout windows and an automatic pause when you start using the PC.
• Caffeine by Zhorn Software (Windows): freeware that simulates a keypress (F15 by default) every 59 seconds so Windows does not lock or start the screen saver.

The limitation is the pattern. A cursor that moves the same way on a fixed interval, with no typing, scrolling or switching between apps, is enough for a lock screen but looks very little like a person working.

3. Activity simulators

Activity simulators combine several input types with randomized timing: mouse movement and clicks, keyboard events, scrolling, and switching between apps and browser tabs. They exist for apps that look at more than whether the cursor moved, such as activity-based time trackers. Every one we found is a paid subscription with a free trial.

• AFK Assistant: Windows, macOS and Linux. Basic $7, Pro $14 and Ultimate $21 per month.
• Lumous: Windows and macOS. One plan at $5 per month or $48 per year.
• Zuturno: Windows 10 and 11, and macOS 12 or later (keyboard activity on Windows only). From $5.99 per month.
• LazyWork: Windows and macOS, with Linux listed as in progress. From $7.99 per month.

Which kind do you need?

Start from the problem, not the product. The table below matches common goals to the kind of tool that solves them.

Whether a simple cursor nudge is enough for the third row depends on the app. Some only care that there was recent input; others count keystrokes, clicks and which application is in front.

Free AFK software: honest picks

Try free first. If one of these solves your problem, you don't need to pay for anything, AFK Assistant included.

On Windows

• PowerToys Awake if you only need the machine and the screen to stay awake. It comes from Microsoft and does not change your power plan settings.
• Move Mouse if you want free, configurable input on a timer, including clicks, scrolling and scripts. It is available from the Microsoft Store or as a portable download from GitHub; its own wiki notes that the Store is often unavailable on work machines.
• Caffeine if you want the simplest keypress-based way to stop the lock screen.

On macOS

• caffeinate if you are comfortable in Terminal. For example, caffeinate -d -t 3600 keeps the display awake for an hour.
• Amphetamine if you want a menu bar app with triggers, closed-lid support and an optional cursor nudge, at no cost.
• KeepingYouAwake if you want a minimal open-source menu bar toggle.

None of the free options we found simulate typing, scrolling and app switching together with randomized timing. That gap is what paid activity simulators fill.

Paid AFK software compared

AFK Assistant is not the cheapest. Lumous and Zuturno both start lower, and Zuturno's Pro plan covers up to four computers. Each comparison below goes through where the other tool is the better pick.

Anti-AFK: games versus work

"Anti-AFK" means two different things depending on who is searching.

Anti-AFK in games

Many online games remove players who stay idle too long, kicking them from a server, a lobby or a queue. Anti-AFK tools for games are usually macros or scripts that press keys or move the character on a timer. Read the game's rules before you use one: automating input can break a game's terms of service, and anti-cheat systems look for automated input, so the risk is losing the account, not just the session.

Anti-AFK at work

At work, anti-AFK usually means keeping a computer awake and a status steady while you step away for a short break, a call or a long read. The tools are the three kinds described above.

Before you install any AFK tool

1. Read your agreement. On a company-managed device, installing software can break an acceptable use policy, whichever tool it is.
2. Use it for real gaps, not invented hours. Keeping your status steady during a short break or a long read is very different from logging time you did not work.
3. Expect a permission prompt on a Mac. Any app that sends mouse or keyboard input needs the Accessibility permission under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility.
4. Don't rely on guarantees. Several vendors call their tools "undetectable." No tool can guarantee how a given monitoring product measures or reports activity, and screenshots or your actual output can still tell a different story.
5. Use the trial. Every paid simulator in this guide offers a free trial (LazyWork's covers its Personal and Professional plans), so test with your own apps before paying.

Where AFK Assistant fits

AFK Assistant is an activity simulator for Windows, macOS and Linux. Instead of one repeating movement, it combines fast and slow mouse movement, left and right clicks, keyboard typing (random characters or text from a .txt file), scrolling, and switching between apps and browser tabs. Each setting picks a random value inside a range, so the activity doesn't repeat on a fixed beat. The documentation covers every setting.

• Basic, $7 per month: cursor movement and keyboard activity. Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Pro, $14 per month: adds scrolling, browser tab switching, application switching and configurable settings. Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Ultimate, $21 per month: adds idle detection, scheduled runs, priority support and early access to new features. Windows and macOS.

Every plan has a 7-day free trial and is billed monthly. A license key is issued for one plan on one operating system. On a Mac it runs on Intel and Apple Silicon; the macOS page has the details. Compare plans on the pricing page, or get the app from downloads.

Head-to-head comparisons

Each comparison has a feature and price table, sources, and an honest "choose the other one if" section.

• AFK Assistant vs Amphetamine: a free Mac keep-awake app versus an activity simulator.
• AFK Assistant vs Move Mouse: a free, scriptable Windows tool versus a cross-platform paid one.
• AFK Assistant vs Lumous: two activity simulators with different prices and platforms.
• AFK Assistant vs Zuturno: price, multi-computer licenses and keyboard support on Mac.
• AFK Assistant vs LazyWork: plan by plan, from entry level to top tier.