Building a privacy-first alternative to traditional PDF tools

I’ve been working on GoPDFTools over the past few weeks, and it started from a simple frustration.

Almost every PDF tool I used required uploading files to a server even for basic tasks like converting images to PDF or compressing a document.

That never felt right, especially when dealing with personal or sensitive files.

So I decided to build a browser-based alternative where everything runs locally. No uploads, no storage just fast, client-side processing.

It’s been an interesting challenge so far:

- Handling large files without freezing the browser

- Managing memory efficiently

- Keeping the experience smooth on mobile devices

The goal is simple:

Make everyday PDF tasks faster, simpler, and more private.

Still early, still improving — would really appreciate any feedback, especially around performance and usability.

If you’re curious, you can try it here:

https://gopdftools.io/