FaceGate Alternative for Mac: When an App Locker Isn't Enough

Short answer: If you want FaceGate's face-locked apps and face unlock on the macOS lock screen, Hey Mac does both in one free app. If you only want face unlock at login, look at Glance or FaceUnlock. If you'd rather lock apps with a password and no camera, Cisdem AppCrypt is a paid option. If FaceGate already covers you, stay with it.

Disclosure: This page is published by the developer of Hey Mac, which is one of the alternatives below. Everything about FaceGate comes from its README, release notes, GitHub issues and press coverage, all listed under Sources. We did not lab-test any app.

What FaceGate does, and what it leaves out

FaceGate is a free, MIT-licensed app locker by Dweep Desai. Its README describes it as "application-level locking": you pick apps, and FaceGate blocks them at launch until you pass a face scan, Touch ID or a PIN. Extras include per-app timers, scheduled lock windows, up to three enrolled faces, USB webcam support and admin-protected uninstall.

In Digital Trends' FaceGate review, the reviewer called it the best Mac app locker they had tried and pointed out that macOS has no built-in app lock even though iPhone gained one in iOS 18.

What FaceGate does not do is sign you in. Your Mac's lock screen still wants a password, Touch ID or an Apple Watch. FaceGate only starts protecting things once you're already at the desktop.

Why people look for something other than FaceGate

1. They want their face to unlock the Mac too

This is the main gap. Enrolling your face in FaceGate doesn't let you skip the login password. If you want one face scan for both the lock screen and your private apps, you need two tools or one that covers both.

2. The liveness challenge and match quality

FaceGate asks you to turn your head before accepting a match, to block spoofing. Issue #143 asked for a way to turn the head-turn check off ("it's irritating"), and a commenter on the developer's r/macapps launch post called it "slightly cumbersome." Pull request #127, which adds a setting to turn the liveness check off, was merged on July 1, 2026 into a v1.3.0 branch, not the main release. It has not shipped: the latest release, v1.2.1 (August 20, 2026), only fixes camera initialization, and no v1.3.0 release exists yet.

Match accuracy has come up too. In issue #155 (October 2026), a user reported that a friend's face unlocked apps when only one face was enrolled. The developer replied that FaceGate uses a pre-compiled model and this was the first such report. The README lets you raise the similarity threshold (default 0.65), which is the first thing to try. Issue #141, still open, describes face unlock on an M2 MacBook stopping after the screen saver runs.

The README is upfront that FaceGate is "a convenience layer against casual physical access," not protection against targeted attacks. That applies to every webcam-based app, Hey Mac included.

3. Intel Macs and install friction

The developer said in the launch thread that FaceGate works on Macs with "non-intel chips," and issue #108 asking for an Intel build is still open. FaceGate also isn't notarized, so the README has you run a curl | bash install script or xattr -cr in Terminal.

Earlier camera bugs on macOS 26 (issues #144 and #147) were fixed in v1.2.1, the latest release (August 20, 2026).

FaceGate alternatives compared

Facts checked October 12, 2026. For the full field, including Mac ID, MacGaze and Notchy, see our comparison of face unlock apps for Mac.

The alternatives, matched to the reason you're switching

Hey Mac: one app for the lock screen and your apps

Hey Mac is our app, so weigh this accordingly. It does what FaceGate skips: wake the Mac, look at the screen and you're in. It also locks apps such as Messages or WhatsApp, which stay blurred (whole display or just that window) until you verify with your face, Touch ID or password.

Apps relock on every launch, after 5 to 15 minutes, or when you switch away. Quitting a protected app needs your face, and a background agent stops force quit from removing the lock. Recognition runs on-device, with only an encrypted face embedding kept in the Keychain.

The trade-offs: it isn't notarized either, it needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and its site says it isn't as secure as iPhone Face ID. Hey Mac also runs a liveness check that helps reject photos and screens; it hasn't published how the check works. Hey Mac hasn't published yet whether external webcams work or how it stores credentials for lock-screen unlock. FaceGate, by contrast, documents USB webcam support.

Glance or FaceUnlock: if the lock screen is all you wanted

If you only wanted FaceGate to log you in, a dedicated lock-screen app is simpler. Glance and FaceUnlock both list Intel support in their READMEs, useful if FaceGate's Apple-silicon focus ruled it out. Two caveats: Glance needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and FaceUnlock's README says it runs slower on Intel.

Cisdem AppCrypt: app locking without a camera

AppCrypt locks individual apps with a password and can also block websites, according to Cisdem's product page. On Mac it can photograph whoever fails to unlock a locked app, a feature a FaceGate user asked for in the launch thread. It is paid, with a 3-day free trial, and it has no face unlock. Pick it if you'd rather keep the camera out of it.

Apple's built-ins: the most secure path for the lock screen

macOS has no per-app lock, but Touch ID and Apple Watch Auto Unlock get you past the lock screen without typing. Digital Trends' reviewer recommended Touch ID over FaceGate's face unlock "if you want full security." To limit rather than lock apps, Screen Time can schedule when app categories are allowed, and a separate guest account keeps visitors out of your apps.

For a fuller walkthrough of non-face methods, see how to lock apps on Mac.

Who should stay with FaceGate

Keep FaceGate if you only need app locking and value its controls: per-app timer modes, scheduled lock windows, a schedule that turns face recognition off at set hours, admin-protected uninstall and three enrolled faces. It's also the better-documented pick for a Mac mini with a USB webcam, and it's still maintained: the latest release is v1.2.1 (August 20, 2026) and the latest commit to its main branch is from September 4, 2026.

FAQ

Can FaceGate unlock my Mac's login screen?

No. FaceGate locks and unlocks individual apps only. To sign in to macOS with your face, you need a lock-screen app such as Hey Mac, Glance or FaceUnlock. Touch ID or an Apple Watch work as well. More background is in our guide to Face ID on Mac.

Does FaceGate work on Intel Macs?

The developer has said it targets non-Intel Macs, and a request for an Intel build (issue #108) is still open. Hey Mac also needs Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, FaceUnlock (macOS 14 or later; its README says Intel runs slower) or, on macOS 15 or later, Glance can handle lock-screen face unlock. On macOS 13, Notchy is the remaining face option. For apps, a password-based locker such as Cisdem AppCrypt supports Intel.

Is FaceGate safe to install even though it isn't notarized?

It's open source, so you can read the code or build it yourself. A contributor reviewed its network behavior (pull request #152) and found the daily Sparkle update check but no sign of data exfiltration. Without notarization, Apple hasn't scanned the build, so the Terminal step is your own trust call. Hey Mac is in the same position.

See every option side by side on the alternatives index.

About the author

Harshit Maurya is the developer of Hey Mac, an open-source face unlock and app lock app for macOS written in Swift and Core ML. Source code and build notes are on GitHub.

Sources

1. Dweep Desai. FaceGate README and Security & Privacy section, github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
2. FaceGate releases (v1.2.1, Aug 20, 2026; v1.2.0, Jun 28, 2026), github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac/releases. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
3. FaceGate GitHub issues #108, #141, #143, #144, #147, #155, pull requests #127, #152 and main-branch commit history, github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac/issues. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
4. Developer's launch thread on r/macapps, reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1uj1d8b/. June 2026.
5. Rachit Agarwal, Digital Trends. I hate sharing my Mac, but a face-unlocking app finally cured my privacy paranoia. July 1, 2026.
6. Cisdem. AppCrypt product page cisdem.com/appcrypt.html and Mac tech specs cisdem.com/appcrypt-mac/tech-specs.html. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
7. Apple Support. Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch and Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances on Mac. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
8. Hey Mac. heymacapp.com and GitHub: iharshitmaurya/HeyMac. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.