Cloak vs Lockish: Two Touch ID App Lockers for Mac Compared

Lockish and Cloak are both $9.99 one-time Touch ID app lockers for Mac. From the outside they look alike. The difference is what sits behind the lock.

How each one locks

Lockish covers a protected app’s window with a lock screen. Keyboard input is blocked while it is locked, and after an idle timeout you set per app, the app is minimised and locked again.

Cloak stops the app from running at all. If a locked app is launched without you, Cloak quits it. There is no overlay to get around and no window to peek at.

What is protected

Lockish protects the window. The app’s files are untouched on disk, and Spotlight, Finder and any other app can still reach them.

Cloak can go further. Hide an app and it is moved into an AES-256 encrypted image, gone from the Dock, Launchpad, Spotlight and the Applications folder. Lock a folder or a single file and it is encrypted in place and hidden until you unlock it.

The Mac password

Lockish accepts your Mac login password as the fallback. Anyone who knows it can open every locked app.

Cloak has the same fallback on by default, and lets you turn it off. Set a Cloak password, and only your fingerprint or that password gets in.

Failed attempts

Lockish lists failed-attempt logging as planned. Cloak takes an intruder photo with the built-in camera when someone gets the unlock wrong, and shows it to you next time you open it.

New in Cloak 2.0

Cloak 2.0 can lock an app only at set times, which Lockish lists as planned. It can also make a locked app look like it crashed, 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	Lockish
Price	$9.99 once	$9.99 once
Touch ID	Yes	Yes
How it locks	Stops it	Covers it
Idle timeout	No	Yes
Hides apps	Yes	No
Locks folders and files	Yes	Windows only
Encrypts	Yes	Not stated
Intruder photo	Yes	Planned
Mac password shut out	Your choice	No
Auth to quit	Yes	Yes
Lock schedule	Yes	Planned
Fake crash	Yes	Not stated
Finder menu	Yes	Not stated
Offline, no account	Yes	Yes
Minimum macOS	13	14

Checked 10 September 2026. Schedule, fake crash and Finder menu rows checked 22 October 2026.

Switching from Lockish to Cloak

It takes about five minutes.

In Lockish, 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.

The verdict

Same price, different depth. Lockish puts a screen over a window and lets your Mac password through. Cloak stops the app, encrypts folders and files, photographs a failed attempt, and can shut the Mac password out. See Lockish alternative for more.

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.

What is the difference between locking and hiding an app?

A locked app stays in the Dock and Applications folder but will not open without Touch ID or your password. A hidden app is moved into an encrypted image, so it is gone from the Dock, Launchpad, Spotlight and the Applications folder until you unhide it.

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.

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.