The Cloak Blog
Clear, practical advice on keeping your Mac private. How to lock apps behind Touch ID, hide them completely, encrypt your files, and share your Mac without sharing everything on it.
Latest articles
AppLocker (Alex Denk) Alternative for Mac (2026)
AppLocker is the most downloaded app locker on the Mac App Store. Here is why people leave, and the one-time-purchase alternatives that lock, hide and encrypt.
Cisdem AppCrypt Alternatives for Mac (2026)
Five AppCrypt alternatives for Mac, tested against the things people actually complain about: no Touch ID, subscription pricing, and no folder or file protection.
Cloak vs FaceGate: Which Mac App Locker Should You Use?
Cloak vs FaceGate, side by side: unlock methods, what each one protects, encryption, intruder photos, the Mac password loophole, install and price.
Cloak vs Lockish: Two Touch ID App Lockers for Mac Compared
Cloak vs Lockish, side by side: what a window lock does and does not protect, the Mac password loophole, encryption, folders and files, and price.
FaceGate Alternative for Mac: Encrypted, No Camera Needed
FaceGate is a free, open source Mac app locker with face unlock. If the camera, the install, or the apps-only limit is the problem, here is what to use instead.
Lockish Alternative for Mac (2026)
Lockish is a $9.99 Touch ID app locker for Mac. Here is what it leaves out, and the alternatives that cover folders, files, encryption and the Mac password loophole.
Every Mac App Locker Compared (2026)
Seven Mac app lockers scored on the same eleven points: price, Touch ID, hiding, encryption, folders and files, intruder photo, Mac password, force quit, offline.
How to Password Protect a Document on Your Mac
How to put a password on a Pages, Word, Excel, Numbers, or PDF document on a Mac, what each app's built-in password really protects, and how to lock any document.
How to Lock a File on Your Mac
Four real ways to put a password on a single file in macOS, from the built-in options to an encrypted vault, and which one to use for the file you have in mind.
How to Lock Photos and Images on Your Mac
How to hide and password protect private photos on a Mac, what the Photos app's Hidden album really does, and how to lock image files that live in Finder.
Best Mac App Locker and Privacy App (2026)
The best ways to lock apps, hide apps, and encrypt files on macOS in 2026, compared. What each tool does well, what it misses, and which one fits your needs.
Cloak vs Built-in macOS: Can You Lock and Hide Apps for Free?
macOS already includes FileVault, Disk Utility encryption, and Screen Time. Here is what each one does, where they fall short, and when you actually need Cloak.
Cisdem AppCrypt Alternative for Mac: Cloak vs AppCrypt (2026)
Looking for a Cisdem AppCrypt alternative on Mac? A side-by-side of Cloak vs AppCrypt: what each one locks, pricing, and where the real difference is.
Concealer and Espionage Alternative for Mac: Cloak Compared
A Concealer and Espionage alternative for Mac. How Cloak compares to these encryption vaults, and why a vault is not the same as locking the apps you actually use.
Encrypto Alternative for Mac: Cloak vs Encrypto & Hider 2
Looking for an Encrypto alternative on Mac? How Cloak compares to Encrypto and the discontinued Hider 2 for hiding and encrypting files, and when each makes sense.
How to Share Your Mac Safely
Practical ways to let kids, friends, or coworkers use your Mac without exposing your messages, email, photos, and files. From guest accounts to app locks.
Touch ID App Lock, Explained
How Touch ID works on a Mac, why a fingerprint is a good way to lock apps, what the Secure Enclave does, and the trade-offs to understand before relying on it.
The Complete Mac Privacy Checklist
A practical, no-nonsense checklist for locking down your Mac, from FileVault and app permissions to locking apps and encrypting files. Do these in an afternoon.
How to Encrypt Files on Your Mac (and What AES-256 Means)
A plain-language explanation of file encryption on macOS, what AES-256 actually protects against, the difference from FileVault, and how to encrypt specific files.
How to Password Protect a Folder on Your Mac
Three real ways to put a password on a folder in macOS, from Disk Utility to encrypted vaults, with the trade-offs of each and which to pick.
How to Hide Apps on Your Mac
Make an app disappear from the Dock, Launchpad, and Spotlight on macOS. Learn the difference between hiding and locking, and when each one is the right move.
How to Lock Apps on Your Mac
A practical guide to locking any app on macOS behind Touch ID or a password, why the built-in tools fall short, and how to set it up in a minute.
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Cloak locks apps behind Touch ID, hides them completely, and encrypts folders with AES-256. Everything stays local. No account, one-time purchase.
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