Why people leave AppLock Pro
AppLock Pro pulled in 183M installs by promising a single fingerprint-and-pattern lock screen for any app. The product mostly delivers, but three things keep pushing users out:
- Ads on a security app feel wrong. Users on Reddit and Play reviews keep flagging the same point: a tool that intercepts your most sensitive apps should not be running banner and interstitial ads at the lock prompt. The Pro tier removes them, but the free version is loud.
- Permission creep. AppLock Pro asks for usage access, accessibility, draw-over-other-apps, camera, and notification access. Each is justifiable on its own; together they’re a lot for one utility.
- Lock screen latency. Older devices report visible flicker before the lock overlay paints, which lets the unlocked app appear for a split second. Not great for an app whose job is to hide content.
If those frustrations sound familiar, the AppLock Pro alternatives below cover free, system-native, and ad-free picks.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppLock by DoMobile | Direct swap, larger feature set | Full lock + patterns | About $2/mo to remove ads | Photo and video vault built in |
| Smart AppLock | Privacy-focused locking | Full lock, limited customisation | About $3 one-off | Intruder selfie + lock log |
| Samsung Secure Folder | Samsung users, work/personal split | Free on Samsung devices | Free | Encrypted container, not an overlay |
| Vault by NQ Mobile | Hiding photos and videos | Vault + lock with daily caps | About $4/mo for cloud sync | Decoy vault behind a second PIN |
| LOCKit by SHAREit | Quick lock with battery saver | Full lock free | Free | Boost + clean tools alongside lock |
| AppLock - Fingerprint Lock | Fingerprint-first, minimal UI | Full lock, no ads | Free | Lean install, no extras |
| AppLock Fingerprint by SpSoft | Lightweight installs, low-end devices | Full lock | About $2 one-off | Under 5MB install |
The 7 AppLock Pro alternatives
AppLock by DoMobile, best for a direct swap with a deeper feature set
DoMobile’s AppLock is the longest-running heavyweight in the category, with photo and video vaults, fake-cover screens that look like a crash or fingerprint sensor error, and a remote lock if your phone goes missing. Lock patterns include PIN, gesture, fingerprint, and a ‘random keyboard’ option that defeats shoulder-surfing.
Where it falls short: The UI is dated and the free tier shows ads on the main screen. Some users report battery drain on Android 14 because of the accessibility-service polling.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app locking with PIN, pattern, and fingerprint. Photo and video vault capped at a few items.
- Paid: Premium runs about $2 per month or $10 a year and removes ads, unlocks larger vault storage, and adds intruder selfies.
- vs AppLock Pro: comparable on pricing, but the photo vault is far more mature
Migrating from AppLock Pro: No data import. You’ll re-pick which apps to lock, which takes about two minutes for a typical 8-app set.
Bottom line: The pick for users who want every AppLock Pro feature plus a real photo vault.
Smart AppLock, best for privacy-focused locking with an intruder log
Smart AppLock by ThinkYeah has stayed lean while adding the features that matter. Intruder selfies fire after two wrong attempts, a lock log records every unlock attempt with timestamp, and the ‘dynamic lock’ rotates the PIN keypad to defeat smudge attacks. The app also locks settings toggles like Bluetooth and mobile data.
Where it falls short: The free tier shows occasional full-screen ads. Custom themes are paywalled.
Pricing:
- Free: App locking with PIN, pattern, fingerprint. Intruder selfie. Time-of-day rules.
- Paid: Premium is a one-off purchase around $3 that removes ads and unlocks themes.
- vs AppLock Pro: cheaper long-term thanks to the one-off licence
Migrating from AppLock Pro: No automated import. Picking apps to lock takes a couple of minutes.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a lighter app with a privacy log, not a vault.
Samsung Secure Folder, best for Samsung users who want an encrypted container, not an overlay
Secure Folder ships on Samsung Galaxy devices and works differently from every other app on this list. Instead of overlaying a lock screen on top of running apps, it creates a separate Knox-encrypted profile with its own copies of WhatsApp, Gallery, browser, and any other app you install inside it. Notifications can be hidden from the main user, and the folder itself can be hidden from the app drawer.
Where it falls short: Samsung-only. Apps inside Secure Folder are completely separate installs, so you can’t lock your existing WhatsApp messages, only a fresh copy.
Pricing:
- Free: Free on every Samsung Galaxy phone running One UI 3.0 or newer.
- Paid: Free, no premium tier.
- vs AppLock Pro: free instead of a subscription, and the encryption is hardware-backed
Migrating from AppLock Pro: Move sensitive apps into Secure Folder one at a time. Most apps run two parallel installs cleanly.
Bottom line: The pick for Samsung owners who care about real encryption, not just a PIN prompt.
Vault by NQ Mobile, best for hiding photos, videos, and SMS rather than apps
Vault tackles the same problem from the other side. Instead of putting a lock on existing apps, it imports the files you want to hide into an encrypted local vault, then optionally deletes the originals. SMS, contacts, photos, and videos all support this flow. A second ‘fake vault’ opens with a different PIN and shows decoy content, useful if someone forces you to unlock.
Where it falls short: Cloud sync sits behind a subscription that runs around $4 per month. The free tier caps how many files you can hide.
Pricing:
- Free: Local vault with photo, video, SMS, and contact hiding up to a fixed cap. App lock included.
- Paid: Premium runs about $4 per month for unlimited vault, cloud sync, and the decoy vault feature.
- vs AppLock Pro: pricier monthly but the vault model is fundamentally more secure than an overlay lock
Migrating from AppLock Pro: Import each photo or video into the vault. Allow about ten minutes for a thousand-file gallery.
Bottom line: The pick if your real concern is private photos, not app access.
LOCKit by SHAREit, best for lockers bundled with battery and storage tools
LOCKit pairs the standard PIN, pattern, and fingerprint locks with a few SHAREit-flavoured extras: a battery saver, junk cleaner, and notification cleanup. The lock prompt itself is fast and the app stays small. WiFi and Bluetooth lock toggles let you stop strangers from connecting headphones or transferring files.
Where it falls short: Belongs to the SHAREit ecosystem, which some users avoid for privacy reasons. The cleaner adverts pop up in the main app even though the locker itself is ad-free at the prompt.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app locking with PIN, pattern, and fingerprint. Bundled cleaner and battery tools.
- Paid: No paid tier. The app is free with promotional cards inside.
- vs AppLock Pro: completely free and ad-free at the actual lock prompt
Migrating from AppLock Pro: No data transfer. Picking apps to lock takes a couple of minutes.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a free lock and you don’t mind the SHAREit branding.
AppLock - Fingerprint Lock by 7Apps, best for fingerprint-first locking with no extras
This locker does one thing: it puts a fingerprint or PIN gate in front of any app you pick, and that’s it. No vault, no cleaner, no themes shop. The install footprint is small and the lock prompt paints instantly on modern devices. Time-of-day rules let you auto-lock messengers between 9 and 5.
Where it falls short: No photo vault, no intruder selfie, no decoy lock. If you need any of those, look elsewhere on this list.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app locking with fingerprint, PIN, and pattern. No ads inside the lock prompt.
- Paid: No paid tier required for core features.
- vs AppLock Pro: leaner, faster, and free with no upsell
Migrating from AppLock Pro: No data transfer. Selecting your lock list takes about a minute.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a minimal locker and nothing else.
AppLock Fingerprint by SpSoft, best for low-end Android devices and older phones
SpSoft’s AppLock Fingerprint sits under 5MB installed and runs on Android 7 and newer, which makes it the right call for older hardware that struggles with AppLock Pro’s accessibility-service overhead. The lock works with fingerprint, PIN, pattern, or knock-code. A simple intruder log records failed attempts.
Where it falls short: The UI looks like a 2017 app. Some users report the lock not re-arming reliably on aggressive battery-saver ROMs.
Pricing:
- Free: App locking with fingerprint and PIN. Basic intruder log.
- Paid: A one-off upgrade around $2 removes the small banner ad and unlocks a few extra themes.
- vs AppLock Pro: lighter on RAM and battery, better for budget devices
Migrating from AppLock Pro: No data transfer. Pick your locked apps in the setup flow.
Bottom line: The pick for older or budget Android devices where AppLock Pro feels heavy.
How to choose
Pick AppLock by DoMobile if you want a like-for-like AppLock Pro replacement with a deeper photo vault and a longer track record. Pick Smart AppLock if you’d rather pay once than subscribe, and you care about an intruder log. Pick Samsung Secure Folder if you own a Galaxy device, because the Knox-backed encryption is genuinely different from a lock overlay. Pick Vault by NQ Mobile if your real problem is private photos and videos, not app access. Pick LOCKit if you want free and you already have SHAREit installed. Pick the lean AppLock - Fingerprint Lock if you want one feature done well. Pick AppLock Fingerprint by SpSoft for older Android phones where every megabyte counts.
Stay on AppLock Pro if you’ve already paid the subscription and the spy-camera feature is what you actually use; few alternatives match its current implementation.
FAQ
Is AppLock by DoMobile better than AppLock Pro? Better for users who want a built-in photo vault and longer feature history. AppLock Pro has a cleaner UI; DoMobile has more raw capability. Pricing is comparable.
What is the best free AppLock Pro alternative? Samsung Secure Folder is free on every Galaxy device and uses hardware-backed encryption. For non-Samsung users, LOCKit and AppLock - Fingerprint Lock are both fully free with no paywall at the lock prompt.
Can I import my locked-app list from AppLock Pro? No. None of the locker apps share a settings format. Re-pick your locked apps once on the new app; for a typical 8-app set it takes about two minutes.
Is there a built-in app lock on Android? On Samsung Galaxy, yes: Secure Folder and Lock and Hide Apps. On Pixel and most other Android brands there’s no first-party app lock, which is why third-party AppLock Pro alternatives exist.
Are app lockers safe to use? Reputable ones, yes. The risk is permission creep: any locker needs accessibility access, which is a powerful permission. Pick an app from a publisher with a long track record and read what the permission is used for.
