Veil
Veil vs Hush
Pick Veil if you want a simple manual blur before calls, bought as a ~$7.90 lifetime DMG from veilformac.com with Cover App mode for demos. Pick Hush if you prefer the Mac App Store, optional auto-blur when screen sharing starts, and picking multiple apps to stay visible while everything else blurs. Neither tool replaces Zoom’s virtual background—that only affects your webcam.
Veil is a menu-bar app that blurs background 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 during an entire-screen share. You toggle Veil on manually before Zoom, Teams, Meet, or a recording—it does not watch for meetings.
Hush blurs desktop clutter and background apps during screen sharing. Focus Mode keeps the active window or hand-picked apps visible while other windows blur. Desktop Mode covers wallpaper, icons, and widgets. Hush can activate from the menu bar, a hotkey, or—if you enable it—when macOS screen sharing starts.
Sources checked November 9, 2026: US Mac App Store listing, Poteam product page.
Pricing (US, checked Nov 9, 2026; confirm in the store you buy from):
| Feature | Veil for Mac | Hush |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Blur background windows; keep one app (or frontmost window) clear | Blur background apps and/or desktop wallpaper during screen share |
| Not this | Zoom/Teams camera virtual background | Zoom/Teams camera virtual background |
| Screen-share activation | Manual menu-bar toggle (no meeting auto-detect) | Manual, hotkey, or optional auto-activation when sharing starts |
| Multi-app visibility | One Cover App, or frontmost window follows focus | Focus Mode: select multiple apps to stay visible |
| Desktop wallpaper / icons | Does not hide wallpaper or desktop icons | Desktop Mode can blur or replace wallpaper and hide clutter |
| Zoom / Teams workflow | Toggle on, then share entire screen or one window; preview the feed | Same meeting apps; optional auto-blur when sharing begins |
| macOS notification banners | Not hidden—use macOS Focus or Do Not Disturb | Not documented on the App Store listing; developer FAQ mentions keeping notifications off the shared screen—verify in the app |
| Distribution | Signed DMG from veilformac.com | Mac App Store; also included with a Setapp membership (per developer FAQ) |
| macOS requirement | Recent macOS (see download page) | macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later |
| Pricing (US, Nov 9, 2026) | $7.90 lifetime license (1 Mac) after 3-day DMG trial | Desktop Mode free forever; Hush Pro is a one-time in-app purchase after 5-day trial (developer site) |
| Trial | 3-day DMG trial | 5-day Pro trial per developer site; App Store trial terms may differ |
| Privacy processing | Local on-device blur | Local on-device; developer states no cloud upload |
Veil and Hush both address desktop window blur during screen sharing—a different layer than Zoom’s “blur my background” on your face. Veil optimizes for a predictable manual workflow and a lower lifetime price on veilformac.com. Hush adds App Store convenience, richer desktop cleanup, multi-app Focus Mode, and optional auto-activation. For a step-by-step Zoom setup with Veil, see how to blur background windows on Mac during Zoom.
There is no universal winner—both blur inactive windows better than hoping viewers ignore your desktop:
FAQ
Both blur background apps during screen sharing—not your webcam feed. Veil is a manual menu-bar toggle distributed as a signed DMG from veilformac.com with Cover App and Frontmost Window modes. Hush is a Mac App Store app from Poteam with Focus Mode to pick visible apps, optional auto-activation when screen sharing starts, and a separate Desktop Mode for wallpaper and icons.
No. Veil for Mac is distributed from veilformac.com as a signed DMG. It is not the Mac App Store listing named “Veil-Focus & Screen Privacy.”
Hush offers optional automatic activation when screen sharing is detected, per its Mac App Store release notes and developer site. Veil does not auto-detect meetings—you toggle it on manually before sharing.
As checked November 9, 2026, Veil costs $7.90 for a one-Mac lifetime license after a 3-day DMG trial from veilformac.com. Hush offers Desktop Mode free forever; Hush Pro is a one-time in-app purchase after a 5-day trial on the developer site.
Veil does not hide notification banners—use macOS Focus or Do Not Disturb. Hush’s public App Store text does not document notification control; check the current app if banners are a concern.