Best Face Unlock Apps for Mac (2026): 7 Compared

Quick answer: No Mac ships with Face ID, so face unlock on a Mac always comes from a third-party app using the ordinary webcam. For the lock screen, the options are FaceUnlock, Glance, Mac ID, MacGaze and Notchy. For locking individual apps, there's FaceGate. Hey Mac does both in one free app.

Disclosure: This article is published by Hey Mac, and Hey Mac is one of the apps below. We judged it by the same criteria as every other app, and we list its downsides too. We did not lab-test any app. Everything here comes from each developer's public documentation, plus independent coverage where we found it (noted in each app's section). For Hey Mac, the independent coverage is video demos by Tech Rechard (YouTube and Instagram) and Mohaimin Sadman (Instagram), linked from our community page. No independent written review of Hey Mac exists yet.

Key takeaways

• Every app here uses a normal 2D webcam. None of them matches iPhone Face ID security, and five developers (FaceGate, Glance, Hey Mac, MacGaze and Notchy) say so on their own pages.
• Five of the six lock-screen apps (FaceUnlock, Glance, Mac ID, MacGaze and Notchy) document that they store your Mac password (encrypted) and type it for you after a face match. Hey Mac's site does not document how it stores credentials for lock-screen unlock.
• FaceGate locks apps but doesn't unlock the lock screen. Hey Mac does both. For non-face options, see how to lock apps on Mac.
• Four of the seven are free and open source (FaceGate, FaceUnlock, Glance and Hey Mac; for FaceUnlock, the app code only). Notchy is free but closed source. Mac ID costs $4.99 once after a one-day trial. MacGaze lists A$14.99 but says purchasing isn't switched on yet, so only its 14-day trial is available.
• Three free apps (FaceGate, FaceUnlock and Hey Mac) say they aren't notarized by Apple, so the first launch needs a manual Gatekeeper approval.

Face unlock apps for Mac at a glance

Apps are listed alphabetically.

Facts checked on October 12, 2026. Prices and versions change, so confirm on each app's page before installing.

How we compared these apps

This is a documentation-based comparison, not a hands-on benchmark. We did not measure unlock speed, accuracy or battery impact, and we don't publish rankings we can't back up. The apps are not ranked: the table, the app sections and the FAQ all list them alphabetically.

For each app we checked its official site, GitHub repo or release notes, then looked for an independent source (press coverage, creator videos, a directory listing or a public developer thread). Where we found none, the app's section says so. We compared on:

• What it unlocks: the macOS lock screen, individual apps, or both.
• Extra hardware: whether it needs an iPhone, Apple Watch or anything beyond a camera.
• Price and license: free, paid, open source or closed.
• Requirements: minimum macOS version and Apple silicon or Intel support.
• Maintenance: date of the latest public release.
• Install trust: whether the app is notarized by Apple.
• How authentication works: where face data and your password live, and what liveness checks exist.

Where a fact wasn't published, the table says "Not stated" instead of guessing.

FaceGate: app locker with face recognition

FaceGate by Dweep Desai is a free, MIT-licensed app locker, not a lock-screen unlocker. You choose apps, and FaceGate intercepts their launch until you pass face, Touch ID or password. If you searched for FaceGate Mac, this is the app Digital Trends covered in July 2026.

Key features (from the README)

• Lock any installed app, with per-app session timers.
• Liveness via head-pose challenges (turn left, turn right, tilt).
• Up to three enrolled faces and external USB webcam support.
• Lock-on-sleep, scheduled lock windows, and a schedule to disable face recognition at certain hours.
• Uninstall protection that requires admin privileges, plus an emergency kill hotkey.

Requirements: macOS 14 Sonoma or later and a built-in or external camera, per the README. The README doesn't list a chip requirement; the FaceGate website says recognition runs on the Apple silicon Neural Engine. The latest release is v1.2.1, published August 20, 2026.

How it authenticates: a software face-embedding pipeline on the Neural Engine. Embeddings are AES-256-GCM encrypted with keys in the Keychain, and the app makes no network requests apart from a daily Sparkle update check. The README calls it "a convenience layer against casual physical access."

Pros: a long list of app-locking controls (timers, schedules, tamper protection), active development, open source.

Cons: doesn't unlock the macOS lock screen. Not notarized, so you need the install script or an xattr Terminal command. Digital Trends recommends Touch ID if you want full security.

Price: Free.

Best for: locking specific apps when you hand your Mac to someone. For more options, see our guide on how to lock apps on Mac.

Sources: GitHub, releases, FaceGate site, Digital Trends. Also listed on AlternativeTo and covered by Korben.

FaceUnlock: a lightweight open-source daemon

FaceUnlock is a free menu bar app that unlocks the lock screen. You wake the display and press Space or Return (or turn on auto-scan), and it checks your face and liveness, then types your password.

Key features (from the README)

• Seven-pose enrollment using an ArcFace model on the Neural Engine.
• Configurable match threshold (default 0.70) and up to 35 stored captures for different lighting.
• A 4-second default delay so you can abort, and a working distance of roughly 20 to 70 cm.
• Uses the default camera (built-in, external or Continuity Camera, per its README) but has no camera picker; an open issue (#5) reports it not switching to a USB webcam in clamshell mode.

Requirements: macOS 14 Sonoma or later; the README says Apple silicon is strongly recommended and Intel works, but slower. The v1.1.0 release (July 18, 2026) made it a universal binary.

How it authenticates: your password and face embeddings are AES-GCM encrypted with a session key gated by Touch ID, and one Touch ID unlock is needed per reboot. Liveness is movement-based and aimed at static photos. If it can't recognize you, you type your password as usual.

Pros: open source, universal binary since v1.1.0, detailed security model.

Cons: not notarized, so first launch may need an xattr Terminal command. The v1.1.0 release notes say v1.0.0 was blocked from opening and hit Keychain errors because of an expired signing profile, and that v1.1.0 fixes this. Only the app code is MIT; its InsightFace/ArcFace face model is licensed for non-commercial use only.

Price: Free.

Best for: users who want a universal open-source binary.

Sources: GitHub, releases. We found no independent review; the developer's launch thread on Reddit has user feedback.

Glance: open-source lock screen unlock

Glance by Jonathan Zhou is a free, MIT-licensed app that unlocks the macOS lock screen with your face. For options if Glance doesn't fit, see our Glance alternatives.

Key features (from the README)

• Triggers on wake, on lock, or when you press space at the lock screen.
• Multiple identities, so you can enroll other people or yourself with glasses or different lighting.
• Liveness checks with Light or Heavy strictness, or off.
• Notch UI with a pill shape on notchless Macs, plus camera selection per display.

Requirements: the README lists macOS 15 Sequoia or later on an Apple silicon or Intel Mac. (The v1.0.0 release notes said Apple silicon; the README is the more recent statement.)

How it authenticates: each enrollment frame becomes a 512-number ArcFace embedding, encrypted with AES-GCM. Your Mac password is stored encrypted, with the key in the Keychain behind Touch ID or your device password. After a face match and liveness pass, Glance types your password using Accessibility permission. The README states plainly that "Glance does not reliably defeat a video of you."

Pros: open source, detailed security write-up, frequent releases (v1.0.0 on August 31 to v1.2.0 on September 30, 2026, per the releases page).

Cons: no app locking, needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, notarization not stated, and the developer is not currently accepting pull requests.

Price: Free.

Best for: Sequoia or later users who want an open-source, lock-screen-only option.

Sources: GitHub, releases, tryglance.app. Also listed on AlternativeTo.

Hey Mac: face unlock plus app lock

Hey Mac is a free, open-source (MIT) macOS app that does two jobs. It unlocks the macOS lock screen when you wake the Mac and look at it, and it locks chosen apps behind a blur until you verify with your face, Touch ID or password.

Key features

• Lock-screen face unlock using the Mac's built-in camera.
• App Lock for any app, such as Messages, Notes, Mail or WhatsApp. Blur the whole display or only the locked window.
• Per-app relock: every launch, after 5 to 15 minutes, or when you switch away.
• Quitting a protected app needs your face, and a background agent keeps it running so force quit can't bypass the lock.
• Notch "island" animation (full badge or minimal), which floats at the top on Macs without a notch.
• Six-step guided setup: camera access, face enrollment, test unlock and security preferences.

How it authenticates: recognition runs on-device through the Apple Neural Engine and Core ML. It never saves face photos. Only an encrypted numeric face embedding is stored in the macOS Keychain, and nothing leaves the Mac. A liveness check helps reject photos and screens. The site does not document how it stores credentials for lock-screen unlock.

Pros

• The only app in this list that covers both the lock screen and individual apps.
• Open source, so you can read the code on GitHub.
• Touch ID and your password keep working alongside it.

Cons

• Not notarized yet. On first launch you need System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway.
• A webcam is not a Face ID sensor. Hey Mac's own site says it isn't as secure as iPhone Face ID, because there's no depth sensor.
• A new project: v1.0.0 shipped on September 20, 2026, with a small community so far.
• Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 14 Sonoma or later only. External webcam support: not stated.

Price: Free. Install via the DMG or brew install --cask iharshitmaurya/tap/heymac. It auto-updates.

Best for: people who want face unlock at the lock screen and private apps when someone borrows their Mac.

Sources: heymacapp.com, GitHub repo. Independent coverage: video demos by Tech Rechard and Mohaimin Sadman, linked on the community page. No independent written review exists yet.

Mac ID: paid, notarized, simple

Mac ID is a closed-source lock-screen unlocker. When the lock screen appears, it looks for you, then types your password, which is kept encrypted and unlocked only by Touch ID. It supports enrolling everyone who shares the Mac's login.

Requirements: the download section of macid.net lists macOS 15 or later and Apple silicon, and says the app is notarized by Apple.

Pros: notarized according to the vendor, so there's no Gatekeeper workaround. One-time price, no subscription, free updates.

Cons: closed source. The vendor says it rejects printed photos and photos on a phone screen, but doesn't say anything about video. The release date isn't stated.

Price: $4.99 once for one Mac, after a one-day free trial.

Best for: people who want a notarized app and don't need open source.

Sources: macid.net, GitHub download repo. We found no independent review.

MacGaze: focused menu bar app for macOS 26

MacGaze is a menu bar app that unlocks the lock screen through the built-in camera, then types your saved password. Its specifications section lists limitations up front: it says a printed photo won't get in, but "a good video of you on a phone screen might."

Requirements: an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later with a built-in camera, per macgaze.com. The current version is 1.2.2, per its release notes; the release date isn't stated.

How it authenticates: the site says it stores your macOS login password encrypted in your Keychain so it can type it for you, and that your password always works if MacGaze fails or you quit it.

Pros: clear privacy statements (no camera frames written to disk; network use only for licensing and updates), a "Forget my face" button, a 30-day refund promise once purchasing opens.

Cons: needs Apple silicon, macOS 26 or later and a built-in camera, so Mac minis and clamshell setups are out. Closed source. Its setup guide includes an "Open Anyway" step in Privacy & Security, and notarization isn't stated.

Price: at the time of writing the site says buying "isn't switched on yet," so only the full-featured 14-day trial is available. The listed price is A$14.99 once for one Mac.

Best for: MacBook users on macOS 26 who want a focused, single-purpose app.

Sources: macgaze.com, release notes. We found no independent review; the only other coverage we found is Notchy's comparison page, which is written by a competitor.

Notchy: face unlock inside a notch app

Notchy is a free Dynamic Island-style notch utility that added Face Unlock in version 1.0.166. Face Unlock is one feature in a broader notch app. It scans when the locked screen wakes, checks liveness (Strict mode requires a blink or head motion), then types your Keychain-stored password.

Requirements: macOS 13 Ventura or later on Intel or Apple silicon, per its Face Unlock page, which also says it works with an external webcam in clamshell mode or on a desktop Mac. The homepage lists v1.0.178, updated September 25, 2026.

Pros: free, the widest macOS and chip support in this list, external webcam support, and its FAQ says your password and Touch ID keep working alongside Face Unlock.

Cons: not open source (its own FAQ says so). Its homepage says tips pay Apple notarization fees, but the site doesn't directly state that the current build is notarized.

Price: Free, with optional tips.

Best for: Intel Mac owners, people on macOS 13, and anyone who already wants a notch app.

Sources: notchy.dev, Face Unlock page, FAQs. Also listed on Product Hunt.

Security reality check: webcam vs TrueDepth

Every app above uses a regular color webcam. That's a different class of hardware from iPhone Face ID.

Apple's Face ID documentation explains that the TrueDepth camera projects and analyzes thousands of invisible dots to build a depth map, captures an infrared image, and does the matching inside the Secure Enclave. A Mac webcam has none of that. It sees a flat 2D image.

What that means in practice:

• Liveness is software, not hardware. Apps look for blinks, head turns, glare or device edges. The developers of Glance and MacGaze both say a video of you may get through. FaceGate's README says its head-pose challenges are meant to stop photo and video spoofing, while also calling itself a convenience layer. Hey Mac's site says its liveness check helps reject photos and screens; it doesn't claim to stop a video either.
• Your password is stored. FaceUnlock, Glance, Mac ID, MacGaze and Notchy all document that they unlock by typing your saved password. Each says it's encrypted and Keychain-protected, but it does exist on the Mac. Hey Mac's site does not document how it stores credentials for lock-screen unlock.
• It's convenience, not added protection. Face unlock makes it faster for you to get in. It doesn't make it harder for someone else.

Our advice: keep Touch ID or a strong password as your real security, use face unlock only on a Mac in a place you trust, and turn it off when traveling. If you have an Apple Watch, Apple's built-in Auto Unlock is another hands-free option that needs no camera. For the bigger picture, read can you get Face ID on a Mac.

How to choose a face unlock app for your Mac

Start with what you want to protect, then filter by your Mac.

1. Lock screen only? FaceUnlock or Glance if you want open source; Mac ID if you want a notarized app and are happy to pay; MacGaze (trial only for now) if you're on macOS 26 with a MacBook; Notchy if you want it free inside a notch app.
2. Individual apps only? FaceGate.
3. Both lock screen and apps? Hey Mac.
4. Intel Mac or macOS 13? Notchy is the only option here for macOS 13. On an Intel Mac with macOS 14, FaceUnlock (slower on Intel, per its README) and Notchy work; on macOS 15 or later, Glance does too.
5. Mac mini or external display? Check camera support. FaceGate and Notchy document external webcam support, and Glance lets you pick a camera per display. FaceUnlock uses the default camera (built-in, external or Continuity Camera, per its README) but has no camera picker, and an open issue (#5) reports it not switching to a USB webcam in clamshell mode. MacGaze requires a built-in camera. Hey Mac and Mac ID don't state it.
6. Can't accept a Gatekeeper workaround? Pick Mac ID, which is notarized according to its vendor.

Whatever you pick, try it for a few days in your normal lighting before relying on it.

Already using one of these apps and hitting a limit? Our face unlock alternatives pages suggest what to switch to, based on what your current app is missing.

FAQ

Can you unlock a Mac with your face?

Yes, with a third-party app. Apple doesn't put Face ID in any Mac, but apps like FaceUnlock, Glance, Hey Mac, Mac ID, MacGaze and Notchy use the webcam to recognize you and unlock the lock screen.

Is there a free face ID app for Mac?

Yes. FaceGate, FaceUnlock, Glance, Hey Mac and Notchy are all free. The first four also publish their code under the MIT license (for FaceUnlock, the app code only; its InsightFace/ArcFace face model is licensed for non-commercial use only).

Is face unlock on a Mac safe?

It's safe enough as a convenience on a Mac you keep in a trusted place, but it isn't as secure as Face ID or Touch ID. Mac webcams lack depth and infrared sensing, and two developers (Glance and MacGaze) state that a video of you might pass.

Does face unlock replace my Mac password or Touch ID?

No, not in the apps that address it. FaceUnlock and MacGaze say you can still type your password if face unlock fails, Notchy's FAQ says your password and Touch ID keep working, FaceGate offers Touch ID and password as fallbacks for locked apps, and Hey Mac's site says password and Touch ID keep working. Glance and Mac ID don't address this directly. The lock-screen apps that document their method type your stored password for you after a face match.

Why do some apps say "Open Anyway" on first launch?

Apps that aren't notarized by Apple trigger a Gatekeeper warning. FaceGate, FaceUnlock and Hey Mac say they are not notarized yet, so you approve them once in System Settings > Privacy & Security or with a Terminal command. MacGaze's setup guide also includes an "Open Anyway" step.

Questions about Hey Mac specifically? Ask in the Hey Mac community.

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 (https://github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac), releases (https://github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac/releases), FaceGate website (https://dweep-desai.github.io/FaceGate-web/). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
2. Rachit Agarwal, Digital Trends. FaceGate review. July 1, 2026.
3. Korben. FaceGate - Lock your macOS apps with Face ID. July 1, 2026.
4. HasBrain. FaceUnlock README (https://github.com/HasBrain/FaceUnlock) and releases (https://github.com/HasBrain/FaceUnlock/releases). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
5. r/MacOSApps. FaceUnlock launch thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOSApps/comments/1uw8a5v/i_built_faceunlock_face_recognition_autounlock/). July 2026.
6. Jonathan Zhou. Glance README (https://github.com/jonnyoo/glance), Glance releases (https://github.com/jonnyoo/glance/releases), tryglance.app (https://www.tryglance.app/download). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
7. AlternativeTo. Glance - Face Unlock (https://alternativeto.net/software/glance--face-unlock/about/) and FaceGate (https://alternativeto.net/software/facegate/about/). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
8. Hey Mac. heymacapp.com, community page (Tech Rechard and Mohaimin Sadman videos) and GitHub: iharshitmaurya/HeyMac. Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
9. Mac ID. macid.net (https://macid.net) and GitHub: sammystech/Mac-ID (https://github.com/sammystech/Mac-ID). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
10. MacGaze. macgaze.com (https://macgaze.com) and release notes (https://macgaze.com/releases). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
11. Notchy. Homepage (https://notchy.dev/), Face Unlock page (https://notchy.dev/mac-face-unlock/), FAQs (https://notchy.dev/faqs/), best face unlock apps (https://notchy.dev/best-face-unlock-apps-for-mac/), Product Hunt (https://www.producthunt.com/products/notchy). Accessed Oct 12, 2026.
12. Apple Support. About Face ID advanced technology.
13. Apple Support. Use Touch ID on Mac and Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch.