Every Mac App Locker Compared (2026)

Every app locker currently sold or maintained for Mac, checked against the same eleven points. Facts come from each product’s own site, store listing or documentation, read on 10 September 2026. “Not stated” means the maker does not say.

Vault apps that encrypt files but do not lock apps (Concealer, Espionage) are in a second table at the end.

The eleven points

1. Price and model: free, one-time or subscription.
2. Touch ID: can you unlock with a fingerprint.
3. Hides apps: removes the app from the Dock, Launchpad and Spotlight.
4. Real encryption: are locked or hidden items encrypted, and with what.
5. Folders and files: can it lock a folder, a single file, or neither.
6. Intruder photo: does it photograph someone who fails the unlock.
7. Mac password: can the Mac login password open it.
8. Survives force quit: what the maker says happens if it is killed.
9. Offline, no account: does it run without a login or a connection.
10. Last update: version and date.
11. Minimum macOS.

App lockers

New since this table was checked: Cloak 2.0 adds a fake crash, lock schedules, a shortcut that locks the app in front, and Lock with Cloak in Finder. Of the others, AppCrypt has schedules and Lockish lists them as planned.

Notes on the table

• Prices are for one Mac. Cloak is $9.99 for one Mac, $14.99 for two, $24.99 for five, at launch pricing. AppCrypt is $19.99 a year or $39.99 one-time. AppLocker is free for one app, then $2.99 a month, $11.99 a year or $17.99 for life.
• Mac password shut out means your Mac login password cannot open a locked app. Cloak accepts it by default and lets you turn that off. iLocker uses its own password. Lockish accepts it. The rest do not say.
• Auth to quit is what the maker says happens if you try to close the locker. Cloak relaunches itself if killed, and hidden apps and locked folders stay encrypted either way. AppCrypt asks for its password and blocks Activity Monitor and Terminal. Lock Pro says it relaunches in under a second. AppLocker sells a separate helper for uninstall protection.
• Encrypts means the locked or hidden items are encrypted, not just blocked. Cloak uses AES-256 for hidden apps, folders and files. Lock Pro mentions AES without saying what for. AppLockr encrypts folders where supported.

What stands out

• Only two lockers do anything with folders and files, Cloak and iLocker, plus AppLockr for folders. AppCrypt’s own FAQ says it does not.
• The Mac password. Lockish accepts it outright. iLocker uses its own password, so the Mac login does not open it. The rest do not say. Cloak accepts it by default, because that is what most people expect, and lets you turn that off.
• Intruder photos are on Cloak, AppCrypt, Lock Pro and AppLockr. AppLocker and iLocker keep a log with no photo. Lockish has neither.
• Encryption behind the lock is rare. Most lockers stop the app from launching and leave its data in the open. Cloak encrypts hidden apps, folders and files. The vault apps below encrypt files but do not lock apps.
• Subscriptions are the standard price at AppCrypt and iLocker, and the default at AppLocker. Everyone else is one-time.
• Touch ID is on every locker that says, except AppCrypt, which does not mention it anywhere.

Vault apps (encrypt, do not lock apps)

Apple’s built-in options

macOS has no app lock. Screen Time sets a time limit, with a four-digit passcode that can ignore the limit for the day. FileVault encrypts the whole disk but protects nothing once you are logged in. Disk Utility can make an encrypted image by hand. Cloak vs built-in macOS goes through each.

Head-to-head pages

• Cloak vs Cisdem AppCrypt
• Cloak vs Lockish
• Cloak vs Concealer and Espionage
• AppLocker alternative

This page is kept current. If you make one of these apps and a fact is wrong or out of date, email support@trycloak.app with the page that shows the correct figure and we will fix it.

Questions people ask