Tools that just work

Tools That Just Work is a collection of over a thousand small, free utilities — for images, PDFs, text, code, math, conversions, calculations and more. There's no sign-up, no login, and nothing to install. You open a tool, use it, and close the tab.

Why it exists

This site started out of a specific kind of annoyance. You search for something simple — "convert a HEIC photo to JPG," say — and the first result makes you upload your photo to a stranger's server, sit through a countdown, dodge three pop-ups, and then hit a "you've used your free conversion, sign up to continue" wall. For a task that should take five seconds. And somewhere along the way, your personal photo ended up on somebody else's computer.

I wanted the opposite of that: tools that open instantly, don't ask who you are, and never take your files anywhere.

The one rule: your files never leave your device

Everything here runs in your own browser. When you drop in a photo, a PDF, or a block of text, the work happens on your computer or phone using JavaScript — and WebAssembly for the heavier jobs like OCR or PDF rendering. There is no upload, because there's no server on the other end waiting to receive your file. That's not a privacy policy promise; it's just how the tools are built.

The one small exception is a handful of "Live Data" tools — things like weather or currency rates — that have to fetch public information from the internet to work. Those are clearly marked, and they still never send your files anywhere.

How it stays free

I'll be straightforward about this: the site is supported by ads, and it always will be free to use. The ads pay for hosting so the tools can stay open to everyone with no accounts and no paywalls. Your files are never part of that in any way — advertisers can't see them, and neither can I, because they never leave your device.

Who's behind it

It's built and maintained by Daniel, one independent developer — not a company or a content farm. Every tool is written and tested by hand, and new ones get added regularly — often because someone asked for them. If a tool gets something wrong, or the one you need is missing, that's on me, and I genuinely want to hear about it.

Get in touch

Found a bug, have an idea for a tool, or just want to say hello? The contact page is the place. Specific, practical suggestions are the easiest to build — and the most likely to actually appear on the site.