Candid Tools

Private browser file tools, compared

If you're editing client images or sensitive PDFs and don't want them touching a server, the question is simple: does this tool actually process files in your browser, or does it upload them somewhere first? Below is what each vendor states on its own site, checked directly against their pages in September 2026. Pricing and limits change - where a vendor's own page backs a row, it's linked under the name, so you can check the current numbers.

Candid Tools

Where files are processed
Your browser, for every tool. Domain Info sends only the domain name to run a lookup, and P2P File Share relays a small connection blob - never a file
Account
Never required
Free tier
No usage cap - bounded by your device, not a plan tier. All 64 tools included
Price
$0, always. No paid tier exists
Offline after load
Not yet verified - we haven't tested true offline behavior after first load, so we're not claiming it until we have

Photopea

Source: photopea.com/privacy.html
Where files are processed
Your browser - client-side, by their own privacy policy
Account
Not required (optional, for cloud storage integrations)
Free tier
No file-size limit stated; bounded by your device's hardware
Price
Free; an optional paid tier removes ads and adds cloud features
Offline after load
Not stated on their site

TinyWow

Source: tinywow.com/your-data
Where files are processed
Their server - files are uploaded and, per their own site, deleted 1 hour after processing
Account
Not required for the free tools
Free tier
Not stated on their site
Price
Free tools are free; an optional premium account exists
Offline after load
No - processing depends on their server

Smallpdf

Where files are processed
Their server - files are uploaded for processing
Account
Not required for the free tier
Free tier
Reported at ~2 tasks/day with files auto-deleted after about an hour (third-party reported - not independently confirmed on smallpdf.com)
Price
Reported around $12/month billed annually (third-party reported)
Offline after load
No - processing depends on their server

iLovePDF

Source: ilovepdf.com - Data Processing Agreement
Where files are processed
Their cloud servers, per their own Data Processing Agreement - files are auto-deleted within 2 hours
Account
Required
Free tier
Per-tool caps (roughly 15-200MB depending on the tool)
Price
Paid plan available; pricing varies by region
Offline after load
No - processing depends on their server

Online-Convert

Source: onlineconvert.com/privacy-policy
Where files are processed
Their server, per their own privacy policy - files are uploaded, temporarily stored, and auto-deleted after 24 hours
Account
Required
Free tier
Described as "limited" - no specific number given
Price
Credit packs, from about €13 one-time up to €68/month for recurring credits
Offline after load
No - processing depends on their server

The real split: browser vs. server

Of the tools above, only Photopea and Candid Tools process files entirely on your device. TinyWow, Smallpdf, iLovePDF, and Online-Convert all upload your file to their servers - they just differ in how quickly they delete it afterward (1 hour to 24 hours, by their own stated policies). If a file never leaving your device is the requirement, that narrows the field to two.

Where Candid Tools differs from Photopea

Photopea is a genuinely client-side, browser-based image editor - closer to a Photoshop alternative than a task-specific tool. Its free tier is ad-supported and its interface is built for people already comfortable with layer-based image editing. Candid Tools is a set of 64 single-purpose tools - resize, crop, merge a PDF, format JSON - meant to be opened, used for one task, and closed, with no ads and no account at any point.

Sources

Facts above came directly from each vendor's own site where a source is linked under its name. Smallpdf's numbers are reported by third parties, not independently confirmed on smallpdf.com, and are marked as such - we'd rather under-claim than get a competitor's numbers wrong.

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