How I Built 162+ Free Online Tools with Next.js (And Why I Did It)
I kept hitting the same wall: every time I needed a quick utility—merge a PDF, format some JSON, test a regex—I'd land on a site that either:
Required signup just to process 3 files
Uploaded my data to their servers (privacy red flag)
Hit me with a paywall after 2 uses
Looked like it was designed in 2003
So I built Craftisle to fix that.
What It Is
Craftisle is a free, browser-based toolkit with 162+ utilities and a curated directory of 16,000+ free & open-source software across 200+ categories.
Everything runs 100% in your browser—no uploads, no registration, no tracking.
The Toolbox (162+ and counting)
📄 PDF Tools
Merge, split, compress, convert, rotate, watermark, extract pages, add password.
🖼️ Image Tools
Compress, convert, resize, crop, upscale (AI), background removal, watermark removal, ID photo maker.
👨💻 Developer Tools
Regex tester/visualizer with real-time highlighting
JSON formatter/validator
HTML editor with preview
Cron expression generator & parser
JWT decoder
🔐 Encryption Tools
AES/DES encryption, Bcrypt hash, MD5/SHA256 hash, Base64/32/58 encode/decode.
🔄 Format Converters
CSV ↔ JSON ↔ XML ↔ YAML, Markdown ↔ HTML, SQL ↔ JSON.
📝 Text Tools
Case converter (camelCase, snake_case, PascalCase…), diff checker, palindrome checker, Unicode tools.
🎲 Generators
QR code generator, UUID generator, random string, Lorem Ipsum, handwriting animation.
⏱️ Time & Network Tools
Unix timestamp converter, Cron parser, IP calculator, User-Agent parser.
🎮 Utilities
Coin flip, countdown timer, Pomodoro timer, scoreboard, stopwatch, lucky wheel.
The Architecture
Stack:
Next.js 16 (App Router) — SSR/SSG hybrid
Tailwind CSS — rapid UI iteration
Vercel — deployment & edge functions
Prisma + PostgreSQL — software directory backend
i18next — multi-language support
Key design decision: All tool processing happens client-side using Web APIs (FileReader, Canvas, Web Workers). This means:
✅ Zero server cost for processing
✅ User files never leave their device
✅ Works offline (PWA-ready)
The Software Directory
In addition to the tools, I built a curated directory of 16,000+ free & open-source software across 200+ categories:
AI tools
Privacy-focused alternatives
Developer tools
Design resources
Self-hosted solutions
Updated weekly. Each entry includes alternatives & comparisons.
👉 Browse the directory
Lessons Learned
Client-side processing is underrated
Most "online tools" are just wrappers around server-side scripts. Moving processing to the browser eliminates privacy concerns and server costs.Free doesn't mean low quality
You can build professional-grade tools without paywalls. Ads? Optional. Tracking? None.Developer experience matters
Regex tester with real-time visual feedback > static form. JSON formatter with tree view > raw text.
Try It
👉 craftisle.com
No signup. No upload. No paywall. Just tools that work.
If you find a missing tool or have feedback, open an issue on GitHub (repo coming soon).
