DexGuard is used for obfuscation and code hardening. It's a product that protects your Android applications that go to the Play Store. DexGuard does more than obfuscation as it also has code hardening and encapsulation features. The tool protects your applications from being re-engineered and taken out.
Has code hardening and obfuscation features, and adds a security layer; user-friendly and easy to integrate
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
DexGuard is one of the best products I've seen regarding the code hardening and obfuscation layers it can implement. It's a well-known product in the market, and it also has an open-source version called ProGuard which I also find valuable because it's more of an application optimizer for making your code sites smaller.
What I like best about DexGuard is that it takes all the features of ProGuard and adds a security layer.
DexGuard is also popular as a command line product that can be easily integrated with my company's system. I also like that it's not very difficult to understand as a product and is user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
What needs improvement in DexGuard is its maturity level in terms of Flutter support. DexGuard doesn't cover every aspect of SDK protection, particularly for Flutter-based applications. The product just started supporting Flutter-based applications, so it's not yet on a mature level. Flutter is a platform widely used for mobile application development, and DexGuard still needs many improvements in supporting Flutter for obfuscation purposes.
Compared to other products, onboarding DexGuard can be more challenging because it lacks evaluation. The DexGuard team gives a very technical demonstration. Still, there's no evaluation for this product, which means people have to judge it based on the demonstration only, which can be challenging.
If you compare DexGuard with Alluvial or New Relic APM based on technical aspects, there's no problem with DexGuard because it's pretty stable. I've not heard anyone saying that it's a low-end product or that it doesn't meet requirements. However, other products can sometimes be a bit more economical when compared with DexGuard because the DexGuard team still has some low-hanging scenarios that need to be taken care of.
As DexGuard is a sophisticated product, for example, it can give thirteen layers of obfuscation and a very high level of code hardening. It can catch particular issues and run time through ThreatCast. Hence, it has features that other products don't have, so you might have to pay a small premium based on specific scenarios, which makes other products more economical than DexGuard. This could be another area for improvement.
An additional feature I'd like to see in DexGuard is a GUI. There should be two options in the product, the command line option and a GUI option. Some people prefer using the command line option, and some people would love the GUI option, so having both options in DexGuard would make the product better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working on DexGuard since 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
DexGuard is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
DexGuard is a scalable product mainly because of its licensing model. Its license is based on the industry you're using it for. DexGuard licensing is also based on how many applications you have, so it's very much scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Regarding technical support, DexGuard doesn't have support lines available in every country it represents. It has region-based support, so there might be a delay at times. Still, considering the quality of support, DexGuard is very good because the DexGuard guard team comprises experts rather than novices who don't know anything about the product or support. DexGuard also has domain specialists, so if you're in the banking industry and need support, a specific DexGuard support team will assist you. If you're in the gaming industry, DexGuard also has a particular support team for you. You get domain-specific support from DexGuard.
The DexGuard support team has a rigorous selection process and training.
On a scale of one to five, I'm rating DexGuard as four because it still needs improvement SLA-wise. At times, I've seen the response time is a bit longer than the other tools I work with. One aspect of support is the quality, and the other is the TAT, which means the DexGuard team has to respond or acknowledge issues immediately, apart from giving good quality support, which is why I'm unable to provide support with a perfect score.
How was the initial setup?
As DexGuard is a command-line product, its initial setup is simple. If you're using ProGuard, you can add DexGuard to it, which means you don't have to do the entire structure. While most of the products with different UIs have to be set up in a bit more complicated manner, that isn't the case with DexGuard being a command-line tool.
The Guardsquare team also gives you the commands, so it's even easier to set up DexGuard. It's a well-supported and well-documented product.
I'm scoring DexGuard a five out of five in terms of setup as it's known to everyone and it's user-friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
DexGuard has a very flexible licensing model that's lucrative. As it's based on your industry and the number of applications you have, you won't have to pay as much as what an enterprise is paying if you're a small business.
My rating for DexGuard pricing and licensing is a five out of five. If I could rate it more than five, I would because it's excellent.
What other advice do I have?
My company also works with Guardsquare products. It's a partner of Guardsquare.
I have hands-on experience with DexGuard, iXGuard, and ThreatCast from Guardsquare.
My rating for DexGuard is nine out of ten because it's good enough. I'm not giving it a ten because it still has room for improvement.
