Hey r/macapps!
I just released a new app MacRest. It's a small Mac utility that catches the apps quietly blocking system sleep and gives you the kind of control macOS doesn't offer on its own.
Problem
I've found that a lot of apps prevent the system from sleeping. In some cases that's fine, but other times an app might be blocking sleep for no real reason. Sometimes I'd go to bed, only to find out the next morning that an app had been keeping my Mac awake the whole night. This is especially bad on OLED monitors, where the panel ages over time.
Some background utilities I keep running all the time often block system sleep, for no apparent reason. I find it frustrating that macOS lets any app silently tell the system to not sleep, and there's no easy way to see which app is doing it or to stop it. The only way I've found to see apps blocking sleep is through Activity Monitor or a terminal command, but neither provides a way to stop the app from blocking sleep without quitting the application.
MacRest runs in the background and catches any apps attempting to block sleep, and asks you for permission to block sleep. The first time an app tries to keep your Mac awake, you get a small notification to allow or block the app from preventing system sleep. From the settings, you can define apps that will always keep the system awake, choose which ones should never be able to prevent sleep, set custom sleep delays for power and on battery, and choose what system actions should prevent sleeping.
MacRest will automatically pause during media playback, calls, file transfers and updates, but everything can be customized through the app settings. There's also an option for a countdown before sleep.
Comparison
The closest alternatives are Amphetamine and Caffeine. Both are great apps but they solve the opposite problem: they force your Mac to stay awake when you ask them to. If you just want to prevent sleep for a set period of time, Amphetamine and Caffeine are great options, but MacRest solves the problem of some apps preventing sleep when they don't need to. MacRest does also offer a feature to stay awake for a select period of time, or even permanently, but that's not the main point of the app.
Pricing
- €7.99 one-time purchase
- 3-day free trial, full access
- Lifetime updates, five Macs per license
- No subscription
- Code MACAPPS gives 30% off until 19 May 2026
- Website: https://macrest.appverge.net
Transparency
I'm Gustav Lübker, a software developer, solo developer behind MacRest, Radial, DockFix and founder of AppVerge
- Contact: support@appverge.net
- Privacy Policy: https://macrest.appverge.net/privacy
- Terms of Service: https://macrest.appverge.net/terms
Built natively in Swift, no permissions needed, almost zero CPU and battery overhead. Signed and notarized. No accounts, no telemetry, everything stays local on your Mac.
If you try it, please let me know what you think and what's missing.
You can submit feedback at https://macrest.userjot.com
Download Now: macrest.appverge.net