AppLocker (Alex Denk) Alternative for Mac (2026)

AppLocker by Alex Denk is an app locker sold on the Mac App Store. Its reviews show why people go looking for something else:

The free version locks one app. After that it is $2.99 a month, $11.99 a year or $17.99 for life, bought inside the app.
The full screen lock. Several one-star reviews describe AppLocker’s lock screen covering the whole Mac at login, with the password not accepted. The developer’s replies say a restart fixes it.
Frequent updates. “Five updates in the space of a month” is a common complaint, along with the separate helper app for extra protection.
Apps only, nothing encrypted. No folders, no files, no hiding.

Alternatives

Cloak

Cloak never covers your screen. If a locked app is launched without you, Cloak quits it, and your Mac carries on as normal. It locks apps with Touch ID or a password, hides apps completely, and encrypts folders and single files with AES-256. On a failed unlock it can take an intruder photo. You can turn off the Mac password fallback so that knowing your login is not enough. One-time purchase from $9.99, free updates, macOS 13 or later. Sold direct, not through the App Store.

Lock Pro

$5.99 one-time on the Mac App Store. Apps only, no folders or files, few reviews.

Lockish

$9.99 one-time. Accepts your Mac password, so anyone who knows it gets in. Apps only, nothing encrypted.

New in Cloak 2.0

Cloak 2.0 can lock an app only at set times and make a locked app look like it crashed. It can also lock the app in front with one shortcut and lock folders straight from Finder. See what’s new in Cloak 2.0.

Side by side

	Cloak	AppLocker	Lock Pro	Lockish
Price	$9.99 once	$17.99 life	$5.99 once	$9.99 once
Sold on	trycloak.app	App Store	App Store	appish.app
Touch ID	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Covers your screen	No	Yes	Yes	Window only
Locks folders and files	Yes	No	No	No
Hides apps	Yes	No	No	No
Intruder photo	Yes	Log only	Yes	Planned
Lock schedule	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Planned
Fake crash	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated
Minimum macOS	13	11	10.11	14

Checked 10 September 2026. Schedule and fake crash rows added 23 October 2026.

Switching from AppLocker to Cloak

It takes about five minutes.

In AppLocker, unlock or remove your locked apps, then quit it and uninstall it, so two lockers are not guarding the same app.
Download Cloak, set up Touch ID or a password, and save the recovery key it gives you.
Press + under Locked apps and tick the apps you want behind Touch ID. Put anything nobody should see under Hidden apps.
Add private folders or single files under Locked folders & files, and turn off the Mac password fallback in Settings if other people know it.

Which one

AppLocker’s lifetime price is $17.99 and it only locks apps. For $9.99 one-time, Cloak locks apps, hides them, encrypts folders and files, photographs a failed attempt, and never covers your screen. All eleven points on every locker are in every Mac app locker compared.

Questions people ask

Can someone who knows my Mac password open my locked apps?

Only if you let them. Your Mac password works as a fallback by default. Turn it off in Cloak's Settings, set a Cloak password, and from then on only your fingerprint or that password opens anything.

Does Cloak lock everything again when I walk away?

Yes. By default Cloak locks again when your Mac sleeps or the screen locks. You can also set it to lock again after 5 to 60 minutes of no activity.

What happens if someone force quits Cloak?

Cloak relaunches itself. Hidden apps and locked folders are encrypted, so they stay protected even if Cloak is not running or is removed.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If Cloak is not right for you, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of buying it.