Top 3 Mac App Lockers to Easily Secure Apps on Your Mac
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Looking for the best app locker for Mac?
Whether you want to secure apps containing personal data, or block access to distracting apps like games, a reliable app locker can help. This article discusses 3 app lockers in detail to help you choose the one that best suits your needs.
Cisdem AppCrypt
The Best App Locker for Mac
- Lock apps of your choice with a password
- Automatically re-lock apps after a period of inactivity
- Offer an Allowlist mode to allow only specified apps
- Record failed attempts to open locked apps
- Block specific sites, URLs containing certain words, or all sites except a few
- Lock apps and block websites permanently or at scheduled times
- Easy to use
- Hard to bypass
- Help with privacy protection, productivity and parental controls
- Compatible with macOS 10.12 or later
- Also available for Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android
A brief comparison
I’ve tested several app lockers for Mac and picked the three best ones. Here’s a brief comparison of these three tools.
| AppCrypt | AppLocker | iLocker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lock chosen apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock all apps except one | Yes | No | No |
| Auto re-lock | Yes | No | Yes |
| Record failed access attempts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | No | Yes |
| Extra feature | Block websites | No | Monitor files |
3 best app lockers for Mac
Not all Mac app lockers offer the same level of protection. Some are designed for privacy, while others focus more on productivity or parental controls.
Below, you will find my review of each tool, focusing on their basic locking features, advanced options, ease of use, and effectiveness in blocking unauthorized access.
#1 AppCrypt
Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or later
AppCrypt is one of the best app lockers for Mac, combining app locking and website blocking in one. It’s easy to use and versatile, helping you protect your privacy, minimize distractions, etc.
With it, you can password-protect individual apps of your choice, such as Photos, Mail, WhatsApp, and Notes. Whenever someone tries to open a locked app, they must enter the correct password. If an app is inactive for a specified period, such as 2 minutes, it will be automatically locked again.
It also includes several advanced features that many Mac app lockers lack. Such as the Allowlist mode, allowing you to lock all apps except the specified one(s). It’s useful for parental controls, shared Macs, or focus sessions.
The Schedule lets you lock apps permanently or only during certain hours, such as study or work time.
What if someone changes your settings (like removing the lock from a certain app) or quits AppCrypt? No worries! Accessing or quitting AppCrypt requires a password as well. There’s also an option to run this tool on Mac startup, ensuring continuous protection.
Steps to lock apps on Mac with AppCrypt:
1. Download and install this tool.
Free Download macOS 10.12 or later
2. When you launch it for the first time, set a password.
3. Click the lock icon in the menu bar and choose Open Main Window.
4. Enter your password to access the main window.
5. Add apps to lock by clicking the Add icon or using drag and drop.
6. Optionally, configure your preferences to enhance effectiveness, such as launch at system startup, enable automatic lock when app is deactivated, enable automatic lock after leaving your Mac.
Pros:
- Combines app locking and website blocking in one tool.
- Easy to use, even for beginners.
- Can lock individual apps with a password.
- Automatically re-locks apps after inactivity.
- Includes advanced features like Allowlist mode and Schedule.
- Can capture photo with failed attempt.
- Prevents unauthorized users from quitting the app or changing settings.
- Can run automatically at Mac startup.
- Suitable for privacy, productivity, and parental control.
Cons:
- Not free. (But offers a 3-day free trial)
▶️Watch the video below for a quick review of AppCrypt and see how it works on Mac:
#2 AppLocker
Compatibility: macOS 11.0 or later
AppLocker is a simple app locker for Mac designed mainly for privacy protection. Unlike some feature-heavy competitors, it only offers basic features and options. But it provides a nice user experience.
This app displays all installed applications on your Mac, allowing you to lock apps in just a few clicks. The search field and the Show running applications only option can help you quickly locate apps.
If you are looking for a free app locker for Mac and only need to protect one app, consider this tool. You need to pay to lock more apps.
There are two protection types: Protect with a password window and Protect by locking the computer. With the former, unlocking requires your AppLocker password. With the latter, your Mac login password is needed.
AppLocker supports multiple unlocking methods. In addition to password, MacBook users can unlock apps using your Touch ID. There are still two other unlocking methods, which automatically unlocks apps when a connected Bluetooth device is nearby or your Mac is on a specific network.
As with AppCrypt, only people who know the password can quit AppLocker or change its settings, and you can set the tool to run on startup. An Extra Security option is available for added effectiveness.
Steps to lock apps on Mac with AppLocker:
1. Download and install the tool.
2. When you first open it, set a password and configure your preferences in the Settings window that appears.
3. Click the tool’s icon in the menu bar and enter your password.
4. In the main window that appears, click the Add icon.
5. In the Select application to lock dialog that shows up, find and click the app you want to protect.
Note: If you like AppLocker’s design but prefer an even simpler alternative, you can check out Easy App Locker.
Pros:
- Clean and beginner-friendly interface.
- Easy to set up and use.
- Supports Touch ID, Bluetooth ID, and Network ID unlocking.
- Offers an Extra Security option for stronger protection.
Cons:
- Can only lock one app for free.
- Free version is very limited.
- Lacks advanced feature.
#3 iLocker
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
iLocker is a lightweight Mac app locker focused primarily on app protection. In addition to locking apps, it also monitors files and folders against threats.
iLocker protects your chosen apps with a password. Opening a locked app or removing the lock requires entering the correct password. If your MacBook has Touch ID, you can also use it for easy unlocking. Even better, iLocker offers flexible unlocking rules. You can require Touch ID only for highly sensitive apps like Photos or Notes, while allowing less sensitive apps to be unlocked with either password or Touch ID.
Its automatic re-lock feature significantly enhances security. Similar to the first tool I reviewed, iLocker has a scheduling feature, which can offer flexibility.
Steps to lock apps on Mac with iLocker:
1. Download and install iLocker.
2. Enable Password Protection and then set a password.
3. In the Apps tab, select an app to lock by clicking the Add icon. Alternatively, you can use drag and drop.
4. Optionally, configure your preferences.
Pros:
- Supports locking apps with password or Touch ID.
- Includes automatic re-lock feature.
- Let you set one or multiple schedules for locked apps.
- Can monitor files and folders against threats.
Cons:
- Some advanced security features may be unnecessary for casual users.
- Setup may take longer compared to other simple app lockers.
General tips
App lockers for Mac often share similar basic features and options. Here are some tips that can help, regardless of the tool you choose.
- Set a strong password Avoid easy-to-guess passwords like “12345”, “qwerty”, “password”, your birthday, or your name. A weak password will make it easy to bypass the lock. I recommend using a password that combines letters, numbers, and symbols. However, make sure that you yourself can remember it.
- Lock System Settings, Activity Monitor, and Terminal Preventing unauthorized access to these apps adds an extra layer of protection, even against those who are tech-savvy.
- Be careful with the schedule feature This feature can offer flexibility, but be careful if your primary purpose is privacy protection. Luckily, AppCrypt offers a Custom Schedule feature, allowing you to keep important apps protected at all times while locking distracting ones only during specific times.
Conclusion
To guard your privacy, macOS comes with some security options, such as setting a login password. However, this may not always be enough. Protecting your Mac at the app level can sometimes be helpful. With a Mac app locker, securing your apps becomes easy. You won’t have to worrying about unauthorized access to your private apps or about your children secretly playing games when they should be doing homework. Locking apps with a password is a good way to safeguard your privacy and reduce digital distractions.
Norah Hayes likes to share her tips on how to improve focus and stay motivated at work. She believes it is essential to eliminate all online distractions during work hours.
Ethan Long joined Cisdem in 2015 as a developer and now serves as the editorial advisor for Cisdem AppCrypt. He actively tests and uses Cisdem AppCrypt and other screen-time management tools to ensure AppCrypt meets its promises in real-world scenarios.
Thomas
Just in case some people aren't aware, the Photos app now has a built-in lock. That said, an app lock app can still be useful. Thanks for the article. AppCrypt's allowlist mode sounds interesting. I'll give it a try.
Andrea Deters
Thank you. You really solved my problem
Ulrich Buser
VERY useful article! I download the tool yesterday and it’s very helpful in keeping me productive.
a random guy
AppCrypt does what I am looking for. It's simple and effective. I wish I knew this app earlier.
Nemicron
Best app blocker I've found, and I appreciate being able to be selective in what kind of app I can block.
Christopher
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I can lock my apps just in case others peep my private information. Highly recommend this Mac application.
Alva
Great app, i bought this recommended app locker and used it to block YouTube application on my Mac, it really worked, thanks for sharing such a lovely app locker.