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Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to HiddenVM – Use any desktop OS without leaving a trace

HiddenVM — Use any desktop OS without leaving a trace. - aforensics/HiddenVM

HiddenVM is a desktop application that allows users to run a temporary operating system without leaving traces on their main computer. It creates an isolated virtual environment that leaves no persistent data after… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. HiddenVM – Use any desktop OS without leaving a trace launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1
    HiddenMe▲276

    Click a button to hide all the desktop icons on your Mac

    2015 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Automated privacy for macOS screen sharing

    2025 · stealthly.app · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Shelve▲156

    Effortless & secure secrets management

    2025 · shelve.cloud · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    enject: Hide .env secrets from prAIng eyes: secrets live in local encrypted stores (per project) and are injected directly into apps at runtime, never touching disk as plaintext. - GreatScott/enject

    Feb 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    I wanted to see how fast an isolated code sandbox could start if I never had to boot a fresh VM. So instead of launching a new microVM per execution, I boot Firecracker once with Python and numpy already loaded, then snapshot the full VM state. Every execution after that creates a new KVM VM backed by a `MAP_PRIVATE` mapping of the snapshot memory, so Linux gives me copy-on-write pages automatically. That means each sandbox starts from an already-running Python process inside a real VM, runs the code, and exits. These are real KVM VMs, not containers: separate guest kernel, separate guest…

    Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6
    Black Out▲312

    Hide sensitive parts of an image before you share it

    2017 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    Cloakly▲90

    I built a Windows tool to solve a problem I kept running into during live coding interviews and proctored assessments. I wanted to keep reference notes or personal apps open on my own screen without exposing them to the interviewer or screen-share software. Cloakly hides specific windows from the screen-share stream while keeping them fully visible locally. It works with Zoom, Teams, Meet, Loom, and most proctoring tools. Right now the core engine works, and I'm looking for beta testers to help with edge cases before the public release. Would love feedback from anyone who regularly…

    Jan 2026 · getcloakly.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    A MacOS panic button where one key press cleans your screen

    Mar 2026 · solee0524.github.io · its alternatives →

  9. 9
    Mirror▲166

    Detect hidden apps on MacOS

    Dec 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Shuru is a lightweight sandbox that spins up Linux VMs on macOS using Apple's Virtualization.framework. Boots in about a second on Apple Silicon, and everything is ephemeral by default. There's a checkpoint system for when you do want to persist state, and sandboxes run without network access unless you explicitly allow it. Single Rust binary, no dependencies. Built it for sandboxing AI agent code execution, but it works well for anything where you need a disposable Linux environment.

    Feb 2026 · shuru.run · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    A Fully Homomorphic Encryption Brainfuck virtual machine - f-prime/arcanevm

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    In 2021 after getting thoroughly sick of Privnote, i built "Burner Note". Even though i didn't promote it in anyway other than a post here and a post on reddit, it ended up getting about 7000(ish) unique users per month. I kinda let it die about 18 months ago but i've resurrected it with some big upgrades. Most botable the app is now truly end to end encrypted (previously was just server side), and I've added dark mode as well as a few other bells and whistles. Feedback welcomed.

    Jan 2026 · burnernote.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Your browser's blind spots, Exposed.

    Jan 2026 · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Hide what shouldn’t be seen on your computer

    May 2026 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15BI

    Self-hosted virtual machines for background coding agents.

    Jun 2026 · bastion.computer · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Hides all the icons from your desktop with a click

    2018 · valentinourbano.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    Hey HN, Lume is an open-source CLI for running macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon. Since launch (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42908061), we've been using it to run AI agents in isolated macOS environments. We needed VMs that could set themselves up, so we built that. Here's what's new in 0.2: *Unattended Setup* – Go from IPSW to a fully configured VM without touching the keyboard. We built a VNC + OCR system that clicks through macOS Setup Assistant automatically. No more manual setup before pushing to a registry: lume create my-vm --os macos --ipsw latest…

    Jan 2026 · cua.ai · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Contribute to fmeringdal/covert development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    aToday, we’re excited to announce that we’re going to be able to build tools that impact almost every software developer on the planet — we’re joining GitHub.

    2015 · appcanary.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    High performance secure & portable Rust functions in Node.js

    2020 · secondstate.io · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Create microVMs from OCI images. Contribute to slp/krunvm development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Free password manager that you can keep for yourself in a single HTML file. Client side AES encryption, trust no one policy, off the grid password manager. Take full control of your data online or offline.

    2021 · passpilot.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23LV

    Hello HN! We've been working on a new hypervisor https://kwarantine.xyz that can run strongly isolated containers. This is still a WIP, but we wanted to give the community an idea about our approach, its benefits, and various use cases it unlocks. Today, VMs are used to host containers, and make up for the lack of strong security as well as kernel isolation in containers. This work adds this missing security piece in containers. We plan on launching a free private beta soon. Meanwhile, we'd deeply appreciate any feedback, and happy to answer any questions here or on our slack…

    2021 · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    A Rust crate for containing memory leaks and fragmentation - brannondorsey/mem-isolate

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →