Side by side

JS-Confuser vs ProGuard

Both stand on code obfuscation software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

JS-Confuser

Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

JS-Confuser offers browser-based and API workflows with configurable obfuscation options. Treat obfuscation as a barrier rather than foolproof protection, and weigh the possible size, performance, and compatibility costs.

Visit JS-Confuser

ProGuard

Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1

ProGuard combines shrinking, optimization, obfuscation, and preverification for Java class files in a free command-line tool. Account for its library-input requirements and configure code accessed through reflection when needed.

Visit ProGuard

The facts

	JS-Confuser	ProGuard
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	Android, Linux, Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	js-confuser.com	guardsquare.com
On code obfuscation software	#1 of 34	#5 of 34

JS-Confuser: what it does well

Free and open source.
Playground runs offline in the browser.
Offers Low, Medium, and High presets.
API supports source code and Babel ASTs.

What to know first

Obfuscation can increase file size and performance overhead.
Obfuscation may break a program.
Determined reverse engineers may recover code or sensitive information.
Tamper protection requires eval and non-strict mode.

ProGuard: what it does well

Free, open-source command-line tool.
Removes unused classes, fields, methods, and instructions.
Supports Java and Kotlin applications.
Documented integrations include Gradle, Ant, and Maven.
Playground supports trying and sharing keep rules.

What to know first

Library paths must be specified as inputs.
Libraries supplied as inputs remain unchanged.
Reflective code may need configured entry points.

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