Allatori vs Obfuscar

Allatori is a Java obfuscator that works on compiled class files to protect intellectual property and make reverse engineering more difficult. It does not require original Java source code. Its features include name, control-flow and debug-information obfuscation, string encryption, watermarking and incremental obfuscation, along with a utility for stack traces and a module intended to disrupt decompilers. It supports J2EE, J2SE, J2ME and Android targets. Build options include a command-line interface, Apache Ant, Maven, Android Studio and an Eclipse plugin. Written in Java, it can technically run wherever a Java 1.4-or-later virtual machine is supported; the maker says it has been tested on Windows, Mac OS X and UNIX. The maker reports typical application size reductions of about 10–40%, sometimes up to 60% with many third-party libraries. String encryption can add 1–2% to bytecode size, while flow obfuscation can slightly increase size and rarely reduce performance. Native methods and their containing classes are not renamed automatically. A single developer license costs $290 as a one-time purchase; the free plan is also listed.

Obfuscar is a free tool for obfuscating .NET assemblies on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It renames metadata—including methods, properties, events, fields, types, and namespaces—to short names, making decompiled code harder to follow. The shorter names can also reduce executable size. An optional string-hiding feature replaces string loads with calls that retrieve values from a buffer, at a small performance cost; the project notes that this hiding is reversible. Configuration uses an XML file to specify assemblies, dependency paths, and output location. Obfuscar is available as a NuGet package and a .NET Global Tool, with command-line use. Its 3.0 beta requires absolute paths and rejects relative paths and variable placeholders. The project cautions that obfuscation does not stop a determined reverse-engineering effort and that malformed or malicious assemblies can cause unexpected behavior, including crashes or hangs. It recommends processing only trusted inputs.