Allatori vs ProGuard

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.

ProGuard is a free, open-source command-line tool for shrinking Java bytecode and optimizing code. It processes Java class files by removing unused classes, fields, methods, attributes, and instructions, then renaming remaining classes, fields, and methods with short meaningless names. It also preverifies code, producing smaller and faster applications and libraries. Guardsquare describes ProGuard as suitable for Java and Kotlin apps in mobile, embedded, and desktop environments. Build setup is documented for Android Gradle, Java or Kotlin Gradle, Ant, and Maven projects, and Android's default shrinker, R8, is compatible with ProGuard configuration. ProGuard Playground lets developers experiment with and share keep rules without rebuilding an app. ProGuardCORE is a separate free, open-source library for reading, writing, analyzing, and processing Java bytecode, including Kotlin metadata. Library jars or equivalent paths must be specified as inputs, and ProGuard leaves those libraries unchanged. Code called dynamically through reflection may need to be declared as an entry point in configuration. ProGuard runs on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows.