Encrypto Alternative for Mac: Cloak vs Encrypto & Hider 2

MacPaw made two Mac privacy tools: Encrypto, a free file encryptor, and Hider 2, a vault app that people still search for. If you are weighing either against Cloak, here is how they actually differ.

Encrypto: built for sending, not for daily privacy

Encrypto is a free, single-purpose tool. You drag a file or folder in, set a password, and it makes an encrypted .crypto file to send to someone.

The catch is that Encrypto is built for sharing, not for daily privacy. It does not lock apps. It does not hide anything. It does not keep a folder encrypted in place while you use it. Every time you want your files, you decrypt the package; every time you want them protected again, you re-encrypt and clean up the originals yourself. There is no Touch ID-gated vault and no always-on protection.

Cloak is the opposite shape. It keeps your folders encrypted in place with AES-256, hides whole apps so they vanish from view, and locks apps behind Touch ID for everyday use. You are not manually packaging files before each send; your private things just stay private on your own machine.

Hider 2: discontinued since 2019

Hider 2 was MacPaw’s hide-and-encrypt vault, and it was the closest thing to an all-in-one privacy app for the Mac. MacPaw discontinued it in 2019. It is no longer sold or supported, and it will not keep up with new versions of macOS or Apple Silicon. Relying on an abandoned security app is a real risk: the moment it breaks on a macOS update, your data can be stranded inside it.

MacPaw itself pointed Hider 2 users toward Encrypto for individual files. But that leaves the original gap wide open: there is no current MacPaw product that hides apps and keeps a living encrypted vault the way Hider 2 did.

That gap is exactly what Cloak fills, with an actively maintained, notarized app that gets free updates.

Side by side

	Cloak	Encrypto	Hider 2
Price	$9.99 once	Free	Not sold
Encrypts files	In place	To send	Was yes
Hides apps and files	Yes	No	Was yes
Locks apps	Yes	No	No
Always-on vault	Yes	No	Was yes
Intruder photo	Yes	No	No
Maintained in 2026	Yes	Yes	No

Switching from Encrypto or Hider 2 to Cloak

It takes about five minutes.

Open Encrypto or Hider 2 and move your files back out into a normal folder on your Mac.
Download Cloak, set up Touch ID or a password, and save the recovery key it gives you.
Press + under Locked folders & files and pick that folder. It is encrypted in place with AES-256 and disappears from Finder and Spotlight.
Add the apps you want behind Touch ID under Locked apps, and anything nobody should see under Hidden apps.

The verdict

Encrypto packages a file to send. It does not keep anything private on your Mac.

If you want what Hider 2 used to offer, hiding apps and files and keeping a real encrypted vault, with the added ability to lock apps behind Touch ID, Cloak is the maintained, one-time-purchase answer. Everything runs locally, with no account and nothing uploaded.

Try Cloak on your Mac.

For all eleven points on every locker, see every Mac app locker compared.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between locking and hiding an app?

A locked app stays in the Dock and Applications folder but will not open without Touch ID or your password. A hidden app is moved into an encrypted image, so it is gone from the Dock, Launchpad, Spotlight and the Applications folder until you unhide it.

What if I forget my Cloak password?

When you set up Cloak you get a recovery key. It brings your hidden apps and locked folders back if you lose your password. Keep it somewhere safe and offline: without the password or the recovery key, your encrypted items cannot be opened, on purpose.

Which Macs does Cloak run on?

Cloak runs on Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 13 or later. It is signed and notarized by Apple and installs from a normal download.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If Cloak is not right for you, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of buying it.