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I made PDF tools that work with no internet – full offline PWA

I made PDF tools that work with no internet – full offline PWA

by honzabroski·Mar 17, 2026·2 points·1 comment

AI Analysis

MidCozySolve My Problem

Offline PWA works on airplanes — but iLovePDF and PDF24 already dominate this space.

Strengths
  • WASM processing means files literally cannot leave the device — genuine privacy
  • PWA installation enables true offline use with no server dependency whatsoever
  • 37 tools across PDF, image, and utility categories in a single browser app
Weaknesses
  • Browser-based PDF tools is an extremely crowded category with established players
  • Offline capability is a feature differentiation, not a fundamentally novel approach
Category
Target Audience

General users needing PDF tools without uploading files

Similar To

iLovePDF · Smallpdf · PDF24

Post Description

Few days ago, I posted fileGOD - browser-based PDF tools where files never leave your device. Got some good feedback, but I buried the lede.

The part I should have led with: fileGOD works completely offline. Open it once, install it as a PWA, turn off your Wi-Fi, and compress/merge/split PDFs or convert images. Everything still works. No spinner, no "connection lost" error. Just works.

I haven't found a single competitor that does this. iLovePDF, Smallpdf, PDF24 — they all need an active connection because they process on their servers. fileGOD processes everything locally via WASM, so there's literally nothing to phone home for. Use cases where this actually matters:

- Airplane, working on contracts - School with garbage Wi-Fi (we give free accounts to .edu emails) - Government office with restricted network - Field work — construction sites, rural clinics, anywhere with spotty signal - You just don't want Adobe's 23$/month subscription for compressing one PDF

30+ tools, 25 languages, install it and forget you need internet.

filegod.app — try it in airplane mode.

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