Veil
Veil vs Curtainly
Pick Veil if you want a deliberate menu-bar toggle, Cover App demos, and a signed DMG from veilformac.com at about $7.90 lifetime (one Mac) after a 3-day trial. Pick Curtainly if you want a menu-bar “curtain” that turns on by itself when you share in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Meet, plus desktop cleanup — free during its beta (macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon). Neither replaces Zoom’s virtual background on your webcam.
Veil blurs background application windows while one app stays clear. Use Frontmost Window mode to follow focus, or Cover App to lock clarity on a slide deck or IDE for an entire-screen share. You turn Veil on manually before Zoom, Teams, Meet, or a recording—it does not watch for meetings.
Curtainly drops a privacy curtain over your Mac during screen sharing: it hides wallpaper and desktop icons, auto-hides the Dock, turns on Do Not Disturb, mutes alert sounds, and turns off AirDrop receiving, plus hides the apps you list. Per curtainly.tech, it turns on by itself when you share in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Meet; for anything else you press ⌃⌥C. It cannot tell when you share a single browser tab, or share from Safari or Firefox.
Sources checked November 9, 2026: curtainly.tech (home page and FAQ).
Pricing (US, checked November 9, 2026; confirm in the store or site you buy from):
| Feature | Veil for Mac | Curtainly |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Blur background windows; keep one app (or frontmost window) clear | Privacy curtain: hide/blur apps and tidy desktop during screen share |
| Not this | Zoom/Teams camera virtual background | Zoom/Teams camera virtual background |
| Activation | Manual menu-bar toggle (no meeting auto-detect) | Turns on by itself in Zoom / Microsoft Teams / Slack / Google Meet; ⌃⌥C for other apps. No paid tier published during beta. |
| Visible app count | One Cover App, or frontmost window follows focus | Curtain model: hides the private apps you list—not the same as picking one "cover" window |
| Desktop icons / wallpaper | Does not hide wallpaper or desktop icons | Both hidden during the beta (wallpaper and icons, Dock auto-hide, Do Not Disturb, alert sounds muted, AirDrop receiving off) |
| Notifications | Not hidden—use macOS Focus or Do Not Disturb | Do Not Disturb turned on by the app; time-sensitive notifications can still get through (per its site) |
| Distribution | Signed DMG from veilformac.com | Beta sign-up on curtainly.tech (Join the beta / Waitlist) |
| macOS requirement | Recent macOS (see download page) | macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon only |
| Pricing (US, November 9, 2026) | $7.90 lifetime license (1 Mac) after 3-day DMG trial | free during beta, no paid tier published |
Veil and Curtainly both address “don’t leak Slack or Mail when I share the whole screen”—a different layer than blurring your face on camera. Veil optimizes for simple manual blur and Cover App control. Curtainly optimizes for automatic curtain drops and broader desktop cleanup — no toggle to remember. For a step-by-step Veil setup, see blur background windows on Mac during screen sharing.
There is no universal winner—both reduce accidental exposure better than hoping viewers ignore your desktop:
FAQ
Both help keep Slack, Mail, and other apps off your screen share—not your Zoom or Meet camera background. Veil is a manual menu-bar blur from a signed DMG on veilformac.com with Cover App mode. Curtainly is a menu-bar curtain from curtainly.tech that turns on by itself when you share in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Meet; it is free during its beta, with no paid tier published.
Per curtainly.tech, it turns on by itself when you share in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Meet. It cannot detect single-tab sharing, Safari or Firefox shares, or other apps — those use the ⌃⌥C hotkey. Veil does not auto-detect meetings.
As checked November 9, 2026: Veil costs $7.90 for a one-Mac lifetime license after a 3-day DMG trial. Curtainly is free during its beta, with no paid tier published on curtainly.tech.
macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon only