A recent comparison presents CertiFiles and CertiPhoto as legally equivalent solutions. The essential point is not marketing: it is the evidence that is produced, its signature, integrity and preservation.
A qualified timestamp is useful: it dates an object. But on its own, it does not identify the issuer of the certificate nor prove that the final PDF actually comes from the claimed service. For electronic evidence, French Civil Code article 1366 highlights identification and integrity as central requirements.
| Criterion | CertiPhoto | CertiFiles | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final PDF signature | CertiPhoto produces an electronically signed PDF certificate with an LTV validation chain. | The public communication reviewed mainly emphasizes timestamping. If the final PDF is not signed, its origin is not established at the same level. | A merely timestamped PDF does not provide the same assurance as a signed, verifiable PDF. |
| eIDAS timestamping | CertiPhoto uses timestamping as one proof component, alongside the certificate signature. | CertiFiles also claims qualified eIDAS timestamping. | Two timestamps can date two files, but that does not automatically make two pieces of evidence equivalent. |
| Certificate format | CertiPhoto generates standardized PDF/A-3B documents designed for probative preservation. | Public materials do not demonstrate a comparable signed LTV PDF/A-3B level. | Long-term preservation matters as much as the document appearance. |
| Photo and video | CertiPhoto certifies photos and videos. Video certification is open to everyone, and real-time video is reserved for authorized accounts. | The CertiFiles comparison presents CertiPhoto as lacking video, which is now inaccurate. | An up-to-date comparison must reflect features that are actually available. |
| Fraud prevention | CertiPhoto combines app-side controls, SHA-256 fingerprints, strengthened geolocation, technical traces and server validation. | No comparable anti-fraud measures are publicly documented with the same level of precision. | Evidence is not just a file: it relies on a trust chain. |
| Archiving | CertiPhoto relies on a structured probative archiving architecture designed for long-term preservation requirements. | Compliance with a comparable probative archiving framework is not publicly documented. | Evidence must remain verifiable over time, not only on the creation day. |
| PDF certification | CertiPhoto certifies what is captured and builds a verifiable certificate. | Turning a capture into a PDF, without a probative signature on the final PDF, does not by itself add legal assurance. | The PDF container is not the proof; the technical and legal chain is. |
| Offline mode | CertiPhoto favors a controlled chain with synchronization and server-side certification. | Offline mode may sound convenient, but it shifts risk: without immediate validation, the evidential chain can be weakened unless strict safeguards compensate for it. | Offline can help operations, but it is a false good idea if it weakens evidential value. |
| Pricing and scope | CertiPhoto offers individual packs, business plans, a portal, quotas, invoices and API features. | Simplified price comparisons can hide included features and the actual evidence level produced. | A unit price only makes sense when the evidence obtained is comparable. |
In digital evidence, certification is not just about producing a signed file. It must make it possible, at the precise moment evidence is created, to check that data has not been altered, that the context is authentic and that the technical identity of the device is reliable. Connected mode enables these checks when they matter most.
A smartphone local clock can be changed, intentionally or not. Without network access, it becomes difficult to prove how much time elapsed between capture and reconnection. In connected mode, the reference time is provided and validated server-side, strongly reducing this ambiguity.
Attestation mechanisms such as Play Integrity, App Attest or DeviceCheck are most reliable when verified online at the time of the request. Offline, the app relies at best on a previous or local state.
A connected architecture can issue one-time tokens, consume them immediately and block reuse of the same attempt. This centralized control is essential against fraud.
Available credits, account status, rights, compliance rules or revocation can change at any time. Without a connection, the app works with a partial or outdated view.
In connected mode, every sensitive step can be logged server-side with fingerprints, metadata and control decisions. This independent audit trail becomes decisive in a dispute.
In short, connected mode is not a technical comfort feature: it is a structural condition of trust for robust certification. Connectivity imposes a constraint, but that constraint is precisely what helps produce fresh, controlled and audited evidence.
CertiPhoto does not merely date an image. The service is designed to produce usable evidence: controlled capture, cryptographic fingerprints, geolocation, signed PDF/A-3B certificate, public validation and probative archiving. This combination is what makes the difference.
This page responds to public claims reviewed on July 20, 2026 and recalls the relevant reference texts.
The simplest approach is to open a CertiPhoto certificate and look at its signature, format, fingerprints and verification data.