StayAway vs Idle Pilot
A cloud, Slack-only presence scheduler — clever, but it can't simulate input or cover anything beyond Slack.
| Feature | StayAway | Idle Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Limited |
| Price | Free · $4.99/mo · $79.99 lifetime | Subscription |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Cloud (Slack only) |
| Realistic input engine (mouse/keys/scroll) | Bézier + Gaussian timing, yield-on-human | No |
| Slack / Teams / Calendar integrations | Slack / Teams / Calendar (coming soon) | Slack only |
| Stays green with laptop closed | Coming soon | Yes |
| Account + cross-device settings sync | Yes | Cloud account |
| Open-core / auditable | Yes | No |
| Public detection-lab methodology | Yes | No |
| Honest about non-guaranteed undetectability | Yes | Scoped to Slack presence |
Where Idle Pilot wins
- Keeps Slack green even when your laptop is closed or off (pure cloud).
- No install — connects via Slack OAuth at the user level.
Where StayAway wins
- A real activity engine that satisfies input-based monitors (Hubstaff, Time Doctor), not just Slack's presence heartbeat.
- Cross-app coverage (Teams, Zoom and more via the engine), not Slack alone.
- Local-first and open-core — your activity isn't run from someone else's cloud.
- Free tier and lower, simpler pricing.
Questions
How is StayAway different from Idle Pilot?
Idle Pilot is a cloud service that only manages your Slack online/away status. StayAway runs a real activity-simulation engine on your machine, so it keeps you active across Slack, Teams, Zoom and input-based monitors like Hubstaff and Time Doctor — not Slack alone.
Does StayAway work when my laptop is off?
Not yet — StayAway runs on your device, so the laptop must be on. Cloud presence is on our roadmap (coming soon). Idle Pilot's cloud model is its genuine advantage here, but it's limited to Slack.
Switch in under a minute
Download the free tier, import a preset, and see how it feels. No card, cancel anytime if you upgrade.