Comparison

IMAFE vs Underlayer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

IMAFE

Securely encrypt plain-text secrets into ordinary-looking images using military-grade AES-256 encryption. Protect messages, passwords, and sensitive information with password protection and offline processing. This open-source tool ensures your data remains private and under your control.

Highlights
  • AES-256 encryption
  • Encrypt plain-text secrets
  • Hide secrets in images
  • Password protection
  • Offline functionality
  • Open source
Features
Read full description

IMAFE: Transform and Encrypt Your Secrets into Innocent-Looking Images Need to keep something private? IMAFE is the ultimate tool for securing your plain-text secrets—whether they’re messages, passwords, or other sensitive information. With IMAFE, you can encrypt your secrets into ordinary images that look completely normal to anyone else. Backed by military-grade AES-256 encryption, your information is safe, secure, and hidden in plain sight. With IMAFE, your secrets are just a password away—accessible only to you or the people you choose to share them with. And the best part? Everything happens directly on your device, ensuring your privacy stays intact. Key Features: - AES-256 Encryption: Protect your secrets with the most advanced and secure encryption standard available. - Plain-Text Support: Encrypt plain-text secrets—like messages, passwords, or notes—into unsuspecting images. - Hide in Plain Sight: Transform sensitive information into images that look just like everyday pictures. - Password-Protected: Only you or those with your chosen password can decrypt and access the hidden information. - Works Offline: All encryption and decryption happens on your device, ensuring no data ever leaves your control. - Open Source: IMAFE is fully open-source, giving you full transparency into how it works and confidence in its security. Why Choose IMAFE? Your privacy is more important than ever, and with IMAFE, you stay in complete control of your secrets. Unlike other apps, IMAFE works entirely offline—no internet connection required. This means your data is never uploaded to the cloud or sent to third-party servers. Everything happens on your device, so your secrets never leave your hands. IMAFE is also open source, which means anyone can review its code to ensure it’s as secure as it claims to be. Whether you’re securing personal information, protecting sensitive data, or just having fun sharing secret messages with friends, IMAFE makes it simple, safe, and effective. How It Works: 1. Add your secret: Enter your plain-text message, password, or sensitive information. 2. Select an image: Choose an ordinary image to hide your secret inside. 3. Encrypt: With just a few taps, transform your secret into an innocent-looking image, protected by AES-256 encryption and your chosen password. 4. Share safely: Send the encrypted image to friends or colleagues—they’ll need the password to decrypt it. Who Is IMAFE For? - Privacy-conscious individuals who want complete control over their sensitive data. - Professionals who need a simple way to secure passwords or confidential information. - Anyone looking for a creative and fun way to share secret messages with friends. Whether you’re storing passwords, protecting private messages, or just experimenting with encryption, IMAFE is for everyone. Try IMAFE now and take control of your privacy—right from your device!

About

Underlayer

Features
Read full description

UNDERLAYER - STEGANOGRAPHY MADE SIMPLE Transform ordinary images into secret carriers. Hide confidential messages invisibly within photos and share them through any messenger without raising suspicion. KEY FEATURES: HIDE SECRETS • Embed text messages invisibly into any image • Two encoding modes: Hidden (invisible pixels) and Open (colored frame) • Open mode survives messenger compression (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.) • Share processed images directly or save to gallery REVEAL MESSAGES • Extract hidden text from steganographic images • Automatic detection of encoding method • Works with images received through messengers • Share intent support - open images directly from gallery WHY UNDERLAYER? • Simple & Intuitive - No cryptography knowledge required • Messenger-Friendly - Open mode designed for compressed sharing • Privacy First - All processing happens locally on your device • Universal - Works with JPG, PNG, WebP formats • No Account Required - Start using immediately USE CASES • Private communication through public channels • Watermarking images with hidden ownership data • Secure note-taking in plain sight • Educational tool for learning steganography • Fun way to send secret messages to friends SECURITY & PRIVACY • No internet connection required for processing • Your messages never leave your device • No data collection or tracking • Complete control over your secrets PREMIUM FEATURES • No banner ads at the bottom • No interstitial ad interruptions • Process unlimited images without ad breaks HOW IT WORKS 1. Select any image from your gallery 2. Enter your secret message 3. Choose encoding mode (Hidden or Open) 4. App embeds message into image pixels 5. Share through messengers or save locally 6. Recipient opens image in Underlayer to reveal message ENCODING MODES EXPLAINED HIDDEN MODE • Message embedded invisibly in image pixels • Completely undetectable to human eye • Best for uncompressed image sharing • Lost when image is compressed by messengers OPEN MODE • Message encoded as colored frame border • Visible as decorative edge around image • Survives Telegram, WhatsApp compression • Recommended for messenger sharing INTERNATIONAL • Available in English and Russian • More languages coming soon • Automatic language detection Whether you're a privacy enthusiast, security professional, or just curious about steganography - Underlayer makes it accessible to everyone. Download now and start hiding your secrets in plain sight! Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

IMAFE4 screens
Underlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: IMAFE at none against Underlayer's 1. IMAFE also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 months). Underlayer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Underlayer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. IMAFE asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IMAFE ships an update every 2 days, Underlayer every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
IMAFE versus Underlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIMAFEUnderlayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB169 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAhmad SalemMihail Rukavishnikov

In-app purchases

None

IMAFE

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Underlayer

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$2.997 Days

Questions

Is IMAFE free?
IMAFE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Underlayer free?
Underlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do IMAFE or Underlayer have ads?
Underlayer shows ads; IMAFE does not.
Which is updated more often, IMAFE or Underlayer?
IMAFE ships an update every 2 days, and Underlayer every 5 months. Most recently, IMAFE was updated on September 8, 2026 and Underlayer on September 12, 2026.

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