Report updated Jun 21, 2026

TL;DR:Search By Image provides a single-purpose utility for reverse image lookups, but its reliance on ad-supported revenue and inconsistent search accuracy creates a high-friction user experience that competitors with better browser integration easily exploit. Users feel Mixed, praising high-resolution image retrieval capabilities provide significant utility for professional and creative research tasks but frustrated by inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries. The app provides essential reverse-image utility but suffers from poor localization and aggressive ad-monetization, so the PM must prioritize system-wide share sheet integration and language-toggle fixes to prevent churn to browser-native competitors..|TL;DR:Search By Image provides a single-purpose utility for reverse image lookups, but its reliance on ad-supported revenue and inconsistent search accuracy creates a high-friction user experience that competitors with better browser integration easily exploit. Users feel Mixed, praising high-resolution image retrieval capabilities provide significant utility for professional and creative research tasks but frustrated by inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries. The app provides essential reverse-image utility but suffers from poor localization and aggressive ad-monetization, so the PM must prioritize system-wide share sheet integration and language-toggle fixes to prevent churn to browser-native competitors..

Search By Image !! is an established photo & video app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.1/5 rating from 59.6K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate high-resolution image retrieval capabilities provide significant utility for professional and creative research tasks, though inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries remains a common concern.

What is Search By Image !!?

Search By Image is a utility app for reverse image lookups on iOS and Android.

Users hire this app to identify image sources and biological specimens, but the current ad-heavy experience forces them to seek browser-native alternatives.

Current Momentum

v1.1 · 1mo ago

Zombie
  • Ships general stability and bug fixes.
  • Maintains long-term maintenance-mode update cadence.
AI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.

Active Nemesis

Image Downloader for Safari

Image Downloader for Safari

By Pierre Stanislas

Other Rivals

Photo Sherlock search by image
Reversee: Reverse Image Search
CleanMy®Phone: Cleanup Storage
Photo Search - Lens for finder
Golden Hour App
Search by Image for Safari
Timestamp Camera Basic
myLightMeter PRO

7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸

Photo & Video

No ranking data

ToolsGrossing

Rating Pulse 🇺🇸

Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.

What makes this app unique?

What Does It Look Like?

How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?

Loading...

What Are The Key Features?

Reverse Image SearchStandard

Queries multiple search engines simultaneously to identify image origins or visually similar content.

In-App Image EditorDifferentiator

Provides tools to rotate, flip, and crop images before initiating a search.

Direct Share IntegrationDifferentiator

Allows users to open images directly from other applications without saving to local storage.

How much does it cost?

Freemium
  • Free with ad-supported interface
  • Full version via one-time purchase

Freemium model relies on ad-inventory for the majority of users with a one-time purchase gate to remove ads.

Who Built It?

Photo & Video

Enrichment in progress

Publisher profile available very soon

What other apps does Hyeoseong Hwang make?

What do users think recently?

High confidence · 56 reviews analyzed · Based on 56 reviews. Signal may be noisy.

How did the latest release land?

Overall
4.1/ 5
(59.6K)
Current version
3.0/ 5
-1.1 vs overall
(20)
Main signal post-update: inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries.

What is the recent mood?

Mixed

Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate high-resolution image retrieval capabilities provide significant utility for professional and creative research tasks, but report inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries.

What Users Love

High-resolution image retrieval capabilities provide significant utility for professional and creative research tasks

What Frustrates Users

Inaccurate search results and failure to identify famous subjects frustrate users during standard queries

What Users Want

Expanded media support to include video-based image searching for more comprehensive identification results

What is the competitive landscape for Search By Image !!?

How's The Photo & Video Market?

How does it evolve in the Photo & Video market?

The app maintains a niche presence, holding a #152 Grossing rank in the Irish Tools category. The lack of top-tier chart presence suggests the current monetization model struggles to scale against browser-native competitors.

ChartRankChange
AndroidGrossing#152NEW
No rank history available for this chart.

The rivals identified

The Nemesis

Image Downloader for Safari

Image Downloader for Safari

4.2 (79.3K)

Pierre Stanislas

This app directly competes for the same utility-focused user base by streamlining the process of interacting with web-based imagery, effectively capturing the same 'search and extract' workflow.

Head to Head

The target must pivot toward a specialized 'search-first' UX or integrate deeper into system-wide share sheets to compete with the nemesis's browser-native convenience.

What sets Search By Image !! apart

  • Focuses specifically on reverse image search utility rather than general image file management

  • Provides a more streamlined, single-purpose interface for users who only need to identify image sources

What's Image Downloader for Safari's Edge

  • Massive install base and review volume create a significant barrier to entry for new competitors

  • Superior browser integration allows for frictionless image detection without leaving the Safari environment

Contenders

Includes advanced image pre-processing tools that improve search accuracy for cropped or low-quality source images

Features custom camera integration allowing users to search physical objects directly from the app interface

Offers a powerful iOS extension that enables reverse searching directly from any app's share sheet

Includes built-in image editing tools that allow users to crop or rotate images before searching

Utilizes sophisticated on-device AI to categorize and delete duplicate or blurry photos automatically

Monetizes through a premium subscription model that funds continuous feature development and high-end UI polish

Photo Search - Lens for finder

Photo Search - Lens for finder

3.7 (6.6K)

BigQ Apps

It targets the same user intent of identifying unknown images through a simplified search-by-image interface.

Implements smart filtering options that help users narrow down search results by specific image criteria

Provides a more aggressive, ad-supported monetization strategy that lowers the barrier for casual, one-time users

Peers

Offers highly specialized offline functionality for photographers working in remote locations without cellular data

Provides precise sunlight phase calculations that serve as a critical tool for professional outdoor photography

Supports multiple search engine integrations, giving users more control over their preferred data source

Provides specialized image extraction modes that handle complex web layouts better than standard search tools

Delivers millisecond-accurate metadata overlays that are essential for legal, construction, or professional documentation workflows

Supports custom watermark imports, allowing users to brand their photos directly within the capture process

Provides professional-grade incident and reflected light metering that exceeds the capabilities of standard camera apps

Includes a hyperfocal distance calculator that is a must-have utility for serious landscape and street photographers

New Kids on the Block

The outtake for Search By Image !!

Strengths to defend, gaps to attack

Core Strengths

  • Single-purpose utility reduces cognitive load for identification tasks
  • One-time purchase model provides clear alternative to subscription-only rivals

Critical Frictions

  • 0.7★ rating gap between Android and iOS versions
  • Forced Cyrillic search results for non-Russian users
  • Aggressive ad-jamming complaints in recent feedback

Growth Levers

  • Localized search results for English-speaking markets
  • System-wide share sheet integration to reduce friction

Market Threats

  • Browser-native extensions capturing search intent
  • Aggressive ad-supported competitors lowering casual entry barrier

What are the next best moves?

highPivot

Audit language settings to ensure English-default results because Cyrillic-only results are a top churn driver → improve retention.

User feedback explicitly cites forced Cyrillic results as a primary frustration.

Trade-off: Pause the image-editor UI refresh — localization is a higher-impact retention lever.

highInvest

Ship system-wide share sheet integration because it is a standard feature in competing tools → increase DAU/MAU ratio.

Competitors like Reversee use this to capture users without leaving the browser.

Trade-off: Deprioritize the one-time purchase ad-free gate audit — share-sheet utility drives more organic growth.

A counter-intuitive read

The app's #152 Grossing rank is a liability, not an asset, as it signals that the current monetization model is too aggressive for a utility that users expect to be free or browser-integrated.

Feature Gaps vs Competitors

  • System-wide share sheet integration (available in Reversee)
  • Advanced image pre-processing (available in Photo Sherlock)

Key Takeaways

The app provides essential reverse-image utility but suffers from poor localization and aggressive ad-monetization, so the PM must prioritize system-wide share sheet integration and language-toggle fixes to prevent churn to browser-native competitors.

Where Is It Heading?

Mixed Signals

The reverse image search market is consolidating around browser-native tools that remove the need for standalone apps. Without a shift toward deeper system integration, the app will continue to lose users to more convenient browser extensions.

The latest update failed to address core search accuracy complaints, which continues to drive negative sentiment among the user base.

Recent release activity is limited to stability improvements, indicating the product is in maintenance mode rather than active feature expansion.

Disclosure

Independent intel to help builders create better apps.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. See methodology.

Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Search By Image !!, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

Hope this helps & keep building! · Found an error?

What's new in this report

The report now identifies forced Cyrillic search results and aggressive ad-monetization as primary churn drivers, forcing a pivot toward system-wide share sheet integration.

added

Forced Cyrillic Results

added

Aggressive Ad-Jamming

shifted

Localization Focus

added

Standalone Interface Inconvenience

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “Search By Image !! Intelligence Report.” Updated Jun 21, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/photo-video/search-by-image

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