Beneath vs Dev Tool Box: the same ten tools, plus a page inspector
Short answer
Beneath and Dev Tool Box now carry the same ten utilities: JSON, Base64, URL encoding, JWT, hashes, case conversion, timestamps, number bases, string escaping and colour. Dev Tool Box gives you all ten free. Beneath gives you three free and puts the other seven behind a one-time Pro unlock, but adds a browser and page inspector that Dev Tool Box does not have.
Published . Last reviewed . App Store figures checked 15 September 2026.
At a glance
| Fact | Beneath | Dev Tool Box |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Standalone browser, inspector and 10 developer tools | Offline utility collection |
| Released | 14 September 2026 | 11 August 2025 |
| Developer | Dynamic Web Solutions B.V. (AppActive) | Seonggon Sim |
| Price | Free, with a one-time €9.99 Pro unlock | Free |
| Minimum iOS | 17.0 | 18.0 |
| Download size | 27.4 MB | 3.9 MB |
| Current version | 1.0 | 1.0.7 |
| Last updated | 14 September 2026 | 1 September 2026 |
| App Store rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
Figures come from each app's App Store listing, read through Apple's lookup API on 15 September 2026: Beneath and Dev Tool Box.
What changed, and why this page is different now
Beneath started as a browser and page inspector with no converters at all. It now ships ten developer utilities, and they are close to a one for one match with Dev Tool Box’s list. That makes these two genuinely comparable, where an earlier version of this page said they were not. We have rewritten it rather than leaving the old claim standing.
The tools, side by side
Both apps carry the same ten. The difference is what you pay for.
| Tool | Beneath | Dev Tool Box |
|---|---|---|
| JSON formatter and validator | Free | Free |
| Base64 encode and decode | Free | Free |
| URL encode and decode | Free | Free |
| JWT decoder | Beneath Pro | Free |
| Hash generator, MD5 to SHA-512 | Beneath Pro | Free |
| Case converter | Beneath Pro | Free |
| Unix timestamp converter | Beneath Pro | Free |
| Number base converter | Beneath Pro | Free |
| String escape and unescape | Beneath Pro | Free |
| Colour converter | Beneath Pro | Free |
On tools alone, Dev Tool Box is the better deal. It gives you all ten for nothing. There is no way to read that table and conclude otherwise, so we will not pretend otherwise.
Where the two apps stop resembling each other
Everything below exists in Beneath and has no counterpart in Dev Tool Box, because Dev Tool Box has no browser.
| Capability | Beneath | Dev Tool Box |
|---|---|---|
| Browse to a URL | Yes | No |
| Raw server bytes, kept separate from the live DOM | Free | No |
| Response headers and redirect chain | Free | No |
| DOM tree with element picker | Free to view | No |
| Matched CSS rules and box model | Free | No |
| List of network requests | Free | No |
| Full request details, bodies, timing, WebSocket frames | Beneath Pro | No |
| Copy request as cURL | Beneath Pro | No |
| Console with a JavaScript REPL | Beneath Pro | No |
| Edit the page, attributes and HTML | Beneath Pro | No |
| Cookies, including HttpOnly | Free to view | No |
| Edit storage and cookies | Beneath Pro | No |
| Real Chrome DevTools panels | Beneath Pro | No |
| Safari share-sheet capture | Free | No |
What Dev Tool Box includes
From its App Store description: a JSON formatter and validator with tree view and search, a URL encoder and decoder, Base64 with URL-safe support, a JWT decoder, a text case converter, a hash generator covering MD5 through SHA-512, a Unix timestamp converter, a number base converter, string escaping, and a colour converter that emits SwiftUI, UIKit and CSS snippets.
It processes everything on device, works offline, carries no ads or tracking, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac as a universal app. It is 3.9 MB and free. Version 1.0.7 shipped on 1 September 2026.
Note the one place it asks more of your device than Beneath does: Dev Tool Box requires iOS 18, where Beneath runs on iOS 17.
How Beneath’s toolbox works
The three free tools are the ones people reach for most: JSON, Base64 and URL encoding. They have no time limit and no watermark. The remaining seven unlock together with a single one-time Beneath Pro purchase, which also unlocks the inspector features listed above.
The tools sit next to the browser rather than in a separate app, which matters when the thing you want to decode came out of a page you are already looking at. A JWT in a request header, a Base64 data URI in the source, a timestamp in a JSON response: you are already there.
Which should you pick
Pick Dev Tool Box if converters are genuinely all you need. All ten, free, 3.9 MB, on iOS 18 or later. Nothing here is a trick.
Pick Beneath if you also need to understand pages: what the server sent against what JavaScript produced, which request failed, what got stored. The three free tools cover the common cases, and Pro adds the rest of the toolbox alongside the deeper inspector.
Pick both if you want every converter free and a page inspector as well. Dev Tool Box is 3.9 MB and Beneath is 27.4 MB, and nothing stops you installing both.
How we compared these
Figures for both apps came from Apple’s iTunes lookup API for the Netherlands storefront on 15 September 2026. Dev Tool Box’s capabilities come from its own App Store description. Beneath’s tool list and free versus Pro split come from the app’s source, which we maintain. Beneath reached the App Store on 14 September 2026 and has no ratings yet, so it has no track record to weigh against Dev Tool Box’s. Tell us if anything here goes out of date.
Frequently asked questions
Does Beneath have a Base64 encoder?
Yes, and it is free. Base64, the JSON formatter and the URL encoder are the three tools Beneath includes without any purchase. Base64 handles URL-safe variants as well.
Which tools does Beneath charge for?
Seven of the ten: the JWT decoder, hash generator, case converter, timestamp converter, number base converter, string escaper and colour converter. They unlock together with a single one-time Beneath Pro purchase.
Is Dev Tool Box cheaper?
Yes. Dev Tool Box is free and includes all ten of its utilities at no cost. If converters are all you want, it is the cheaper way to get them.
Can Dev Tool Box inspect a website?
No. Dev Tool Box works only on data you paste into it. It has no browser and no page inspector, so it cannot show a live page's DOM, network requests or cookies.
Which runs on an older iPhone?
Beneath. It requires iOS 17 or later, while Dev Tool Box requires iOS 18, the highest requirement of any app compared here.