AppLocker (Alex Denk) Alternative for Mac (2026)
AppLocker by Alex Denk is the app locker most people find first, because it is on the Mac App Store. It unlocks with a password, Touch ID, Bluetooth or a trusted network, and it keeps an access history.
The reviews also show why people look 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, and it seems rare, but it is the thing people remember.
- 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. Touch ID, scheduling, failed-attempt photos, and it relaunches itself if killed. Apps only, few reviews.
Lockish
$9.99 one-time, Touch ID, locks app windows with a timeout. Accepts your Mac password. Apps only.
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 |
| Minimum macOS | 13 | 11 | 10.11 | 14 |
Checked 10 September 2026.
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.
Lock anything on your Mac
Cloak locks apps behind Touch ID, hides them completely, and encrypts folders with AES-256. Everything stays on your Mac. No account, one-time purchase.
Get Cloak