Date stamper for photos: what the apps actually do, and what the stamp can say
Short answer: a "date stamper" is any tool that prints a date onto the picture itself, and the apps sold under that name do it in three different ways. Camera apps stamp the photo as it is taken, using the phone clock and often the GPS. After-the-fact stampers put a date on photos you already have, either by reading the date saved in the file or by letting you type one. Built-in camera watermarks (Samsung has one) stamp new photos only. The stamp looks the same in all three cases; what it can honestly say is not the same.
Before you install one, check four things on the vendor's own page: where the date comes from, whether the stamp also prints the vendor's logo, whether the app can stamp photos already in your gallery, and whether the paid part is a one-time purchase or a subscription. The table below lists what each vendor's pages said on November 9, 2026.
What is a date stamper, and why does the source of the date matter?
The phrase comes from film cameras that printed the date in orange digits in the corner. On a phone, every photo already carries its date in the file's EXIF metadata, but that date is invisible in the picture, is removed by most messaging apps, and can be edited. A date stamper makes the date part of the pixels, so it stays visible wherever the photo goes.
That is the whole benefit, and it is real. The catch is that a printed date can come from three places: the phone clock at the moment of capture, the EXIF field the camera wrote earlier, or a person typing. All three look identical on the image. An app that tells the reader which one it used is giving them information; an app that does not is asking to be taken on faith. For the full picture of how phones produce the time and position, see where the time and GPS on a photo stamp come from.
Three kinds of date stamper
Camera apps that stamp at capture. You take the photo inside the app and the stamp is written as the shutter fires. Timemark, Timestamp Camera, Solocator and JotCam all work this way. Solocator's settings page lists date and time in local or UTC with the time zone, "GPS position and ± accuracy", compass bearing and altitude. JotCam's stamp guide lists date and time, compass heading, coordinates in decimal degrees or UTM, and a project label; its features page adds that Photo Notes are stamped onto the photo too. This is the only kind that can say "this is what the phone reported when the picture was taken."
After-the-fact stampers. These put a date on photos that already exist: desktop programs, online tools and the import function of some camera apps. The honest ones read the EXIF date and label it as such; the rest print whatever you type, or today's date. Our own browser-based date stamper does the first: it reads the capture date from the file when there is one, lets you type one when there is not, and prints which it used, plus "stamp added later".
Built-in camera watermarks. Samsung's Camera app has a Watermark setting with a "Date and time" switch and an editable model name; Samsung says it applies to photos taken after you turn it on, and that availability may vary by device and software version. Apple's Camera has no such setting. These stamps are a line of text with no note of where the time came from.
Date stamper apps side by side (vendor pages, checked November 9, 2026)
| App | Stamps at capture | Stamps photos already taken | Prints its own logo on free photos | Paid part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timemark | Yes: date, time, GPS, address | Not stated on the pages checked | Yes: help center says the free plan keeps the Timemark logo in a corner of every photo | Plus subscription on iOS; Android also offers a one-year purchase that does not renew |
| Timestamp Camera (jeyluta) | Yes: timestamp on photos and video | Listing says "Support import photo as a virtual camera"; which date is stamped on an imported photo is not stated | Not stated; the free version shows ads | In-app "Upgrade to pro version", USD 4.99 on the App Store |
| JotCam | Yes: date and time, compass, coordinates, project label | Import yes, but imported photos "do not receive JotCam's original live camera stamp"; they get notes and markup | Yes: "Small JotCam watermark on new photos" on the free tier | Pro one-time purchase, listed at CAD 6.99 |
| Solocator | Yes: date and time (local or UTC), GPS with ± accuracy, bearing, altitude | Not stated; the pages mention editing fields and addresses for photos in Solocator's own library, not importing gallery photos | No free tier; no vendor watermark described | App $0.99 plus "Industry Pack" $5.99, one-time, US App Store |
| Samsung Camera watermark | Yes: date and time, model name | No: applies to photos taken after it is turned on | Model name is part of the watermark; editable | Free, built in |
"Not stated" means the vendor's pages do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing. An app like Asof covers all three cases in one place: it stamps at capture with the source of each value, stamps gallery photos from their EXIF with the label "stamp added later", and prints no logo; the comparison page has the full table with it included.
How to pick a date stamper in five checks
- Find the word "watermark" or "logo" on the vendor's plans page. If the free plan prints the vendor's logo, decide whether that belongs on photos you send to a client, a landlord or an adjuster.
- Ask where the date comes from. At capture, from the phone clock; after the fact, from EXIF or typed. If the app does not say, assume the reader of your photo cannot tell either.
- Check what happens to imported photos. Some apps import but do not stamp (JotCam says so plainly); others stamp with today's date, which is worse than no stamp.
- Look at where the stamp sits. A corner stamp can cover a serial number or a crack; a band under the image covers nothing.
- Read the price line twice. "Upgrade" can mean a one-time purchase or a subscription; the App Store lists in-app purchases near the price button, and the vendor's pricing page says which it is. What "free" means in each app goes through the current list.
What no date stamper can do
None of them makes a photo impossible to edit, and none can recover a date that the file no longer has. A photo that arrived through a messaging app usually has no EXIF left, so an after-the-fact stamper can only print a typed date for it. And a stamp from any app is a claim written by software on a phone whose clock and GPS can be wrong; the useful apps say so on the stamp, the others leave it to you to explain.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a date stamper and a timestamp camera?
Usage, not technology. "Date stamper" usually means a tool that puts a date on photos you already have; "timestamp camera" means an app you shoot with that stamps as you go. Both print text onto the image. Only the camera kind can record what the phone knew at the moment of capture.
Can a date stamper add the real date to an old photo?
Only the date the file still contains. If the EXIF capture date is there, an honest stamper reads and prints it, labelled as coming from the file. If the file has been through a messaging app or a screenshot, the date is gone and anything printed is typed.
Do free date stamper apps put their logo on the photo?
Some do. Timemark's help center says the free plan keeps its logo in a corner of every photo; JotCam's pricing page lists a small JotCam watermark on new photos in the free tier. Solocator has no free tier and describes no vendor watermark. Check the plans page, not the app description.
Is there a date stamper that works in the browser without uploading the photo?
Yes: the stamper on this site runs entirely in the browser, reads the EXIF date, prints it in a band under the image with its source, and saves a new JPEG. The original file never leaves your device.