Stego vs Underlayer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Stego
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Stego lets you hide private text or images inside ordinary photos and extract them later on your iPhone or iPad. Your cover images and hidden payloads are processed on your deviceβthey are not uploaded to Japality Limited. CHOOSE YOUR WORKFLOW β’ LSB-1 for lossless PNG workflows β’ DCT and GN-QIM for JPEG and recompressed sharing scenarios β’ Social Media Mode to prepare images for apps that may resize uploads β’ Optional error correction for tougher recovery FEATURES β’ Hide text, notes, or an image inside another image β’ Extract hidden content from stego images β’ UTF-8 support, including Chinese and emoji β’ Warnings when a cover image is too flat for reliable embedding FREE & STEGO PRO Stego is free to use with ads. Stego Pro (monthly or yearly subscription) removes banner, interstitial, and app-open ads. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage subscriptions in Settings β Apple ID β Subscriptions, or in Stego β Settings β Stego Pro. PRIVACY See our Privacy Policy for how ads (Google AdMob) and subscriptions (RevenueCat) handle data. Steganography operations themselves stay on your device. IMPORTANT Stego is for lawful personal use only. You are responsible for complying with applicable laws. Steganography is not encryptionβanyone with the original file may detect or lose hidden data if the image is recompressed. Support: https://app.japality.com/stego/i/support/ Privacy: https://app.japality.com/stego/i/privacy_policy/ Terms: https://app.japality.com/stego/i/terms/
Underlayer
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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 β’ Embed text messages invisibly into any image β’ Two encoding modes: Hidden (invisible pixels) and Open (colored frame) β’ Open mode survives messenger compression (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.) β’ Share processed images directly or save to gallery REVEAL MESSAGES β’ Extract hidden text from steganographic images β’ Automatic detection of encoding method β’ Works with images received through messengers β’ Share intent support - open images directly from gallery WHY UNDERLAYER? β’ Simple & Intuitive - No cryptography knowledge required β’ Messenger-Friendly - Open mode designed for compressed sharing β’ Privacy First - All processing happens locally on your device β’ Universal - Works with JPG, PNG, WebP formats β’ No Account Required - Start using immediately USE CASES β’ Private communication through public channels β’ Watermarking images with hidden ownership data β’ Secure note-taking in plain sight β’ Educational tool for learning steganography β’ Fun way to send secret messages to friends SECURITY & PRIVACY β’ No internet connection required for processing β’ Your messages never leave your device β’ No data collection or tracking β’ Complete control over your secrets PREMIUM FEATURES β’ No banner ads at the bottom β’ No interstitial ad interruptions β’ 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 β’ Message embedded invisibly in image pixels β’ Completely undetectable to human eye β’ Best for uncompressed image sharing β’ Lost when image is compressed by messengers OPEN MODE β’ Message encoded as colored frame border β’ Visible as decorative edge around image β’ Survives Telegram, WhatsApp compression β’ Recommended for messenger sharing INTERNATIONAL β’ Available in English and Russian β’ More languages coming soon β’ 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Stego at every 2 months against Underlayer's every 5 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Stego sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Underlayer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Stego ships an update every 2 months, Underlayer every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on August 11, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stego | Underlayer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months β better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 169 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Japality Limited | Mihail Rukavishnikov |
In-app purchases
Stego
- Stego Pro (Monthly)$2.991 Month
- Stego Pro (Yearly)$14.991 Year
Underlayer
- Premium$2.997 Days







