Shoo! vs Cloak: a focused app lock vs. an all-in-one privacy suite
Cloak and Shoo! solve overlapping but different problems. Cloak bundles app locking with file encryption, app hiding, and intruder photos into one $9.99 lifetime license from its own site (or a subscription if you buy it through the App Store instead). Shoo! does one thing — lock apps behind Touch ID by actually ending their process — for a flat $17.99, always one-time. Here's how to pick.
| Shoo! | Cloak | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $17.99 once, one place (shooapp.com) | $9.99 once on trycloak.app, or a subscription ($4.99–24.99) via the App Store |
| Scope | App locking only, taken further | App locking + AES-256 file/folder encryption + app hiding + intruder photo |
| Platform | macOS 14 or later | macOS 13 or later |
| Locking mechanism | Terminates the app's process | Not publicly disclosed |
| Distribution | Direct from shooapp.com only | Own site and the Mac App Store, with different pricing on each |
What each one actually is
Cloak, by its own description, locks and hides apps, encrypts folders and files with AES-256, and can snap an "intruder photo" on a failed unlock attempt. It's positioned as a general Mac privacy app, not only an app locker — if you also want a folder of files encrypted, that's built in.
Shoo! is narrower on purpose: it locks apps, full stop, but goes deeper on that one job than a general privacy suite typically does — killing the app's actual process rather than laying a screen over it, refusing to accept your Mac's own login password as a way in, and adding several layers specifically meant to stop someone from just quitting or deleting Shoo! itself to get around it.
Pricing is where it gets confusing — on Cloak's side
Buy Cloak directly from trycloak.app and it's a one-time lifetime license, listed at $9.99 (marked down from $19.99). Buy it through the Mac App Store instead and it's a different model entirely — weekly, monthly, or annual subscription. Same app, two different deals depending on where you click "buy." Worth checking which listing you're actually on before you pay.
Shoo! only has one price, one place: $17.99, one time, from shooapp.com. No App Store listing with a different deal, because Shoo! isn't distributed through the App Store at all — sandboxing rules there don't allow an app to end another app's process, which is the whole mechanism Shoo! is built around.
Platform requirements
Cloak supports macOS 13 and later. Shoo! requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later — if you're on an older Mac that hasn't been updated in a while, Cloak's the one that will actually install.
Who Cloak is better for
If you want one app that also encrypts a folder of sensitive files, hides apps from the Dock and Spotlight entirely, and snaps a photo of anyone who fails to unlock something — Cloak covers more ground in a single purchase, and runs on an older macOS.
Who Shoo! is better for
If app locking is the actual job — not a feature bolted onto a bigger privacy suite — Shoo! goes further on it: the process is dead, not hidden, until Touch ID says otherwise; there's a full attempt log of who tried to open what and when; access can be scheduled by time of day; and several separate layers stop Shoo! itself from being quit or deleted to slip past the lock. All of that for one fixed price, with no separate subscription listing to accidentally end up on.
Try Shoo! yourself — free for 7 days, full functionality, no credit card.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cloak’s one-time price the same everywhere you buy it?
No. Bought directly from trycloak.app, Cloak is a one-time $9.99 lifetime license. Bought through the Mac App Store instead, it switches to a weekly, monthly, or annual subscription — same app, different deal depending on where you buy. Shoo! only has one price, one place: $17.99 once, from shooapp.com.
Does Cloak or Shoo! run on older macOS versions?
Cloak supports macOS 13 and later. Shoo! requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, so an older, un-updated Mac can install Cloak but not Shoo!.
What extra features does Cloak have that Shoo! doesn’t?
Cloak also encrypts folders and files with AES-256, hides apps from the Dock and Spotlight, and can snap a photo of anyone who fails an unlock attempt. Shoo! deliberately does only one job — locking apps by ending their process — and goes deeper on that single job instead.
Why doesn’t Shoo! sell through the App Store the way Cloak optionally does?
App Store sandboxing rules don’t allow an app to end another app’s process, which is the entire mechanism Shoo! is built around. Selling outside the App Store is what makes that mechanism possible.