DEV Community: Vipul Singh

Every "free" digital business card maker had a catch — so I built one that doesn't

Vipul Singh — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:56:05 +0000

A few months back I needed a digital business card. Went through half a dozen "free" tools and found the same pattern every time: 3 fields free, then a paywall. Or free, but your QR code carries their logo. Or free, but your contact info goes into their database "for sync."

That last one bothered me the most — a business card is your contact info. Why does making a digital version of it require uploading it to someone else's server?

So I built one that doesn't do any of that:

16 themes, including role-specific ones (Developer, Lawyer, Real Estate, Healthcare, Photographer)
Real vCard QR codes — scan and it saves straight into Contacts on iOS/Android/Outlook, no app required
Action buttons: Call, Email, WhatsApp, Book Meeting
Export as PNG, SVG, vCard (.vcf), or a print-ready PDF with crop marks
Zero login. Zero server. Your card is saved locally in your browser, full stop.

If you've been burned by a "free" tool that wasn't, I'd genuinely like to hear the worst one you've hit — swapping stories in the comments.

🔗 https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/digital-business-card

I built a free, private Global Salary Calculator (8 countries, offer comparison, 100% client-side)

Vipul Singh — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:47:35 +0000

Gross salary numbers are misleading — what you actually take home depends on tax brackets, social security, and country-specific deductions that vary wildly.

I built a Global Salary Calculator that computes net pay, CTC, and the full gross-to-net breakdown across 8 countries (India, US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, UAE), with:

Auto-detected, country-specific tax rules
Job-offer comparison mode (currency conversion included)
Budget planning using the 50/30/20 rule
Loan eligibility + retirement projections

Like everything on ForgePlug, it's 100% client-side — your salary figures never leave your browser, no signup, works offline.

🔗 https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/salary-calculator

Feedback welcome — especially if you've got a country's tax rules you'd like added.

I built a free EMI calculator that answers the question most loan tools skip

Vipul Singh — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:36:44 +0000

Almost every EMI calculator tells you your monthly payment. Almost none answer the question that actually saves money: if you have extra cash, should you use it to pay down the loan faster (reduce tenure) or lower your monthly payment (reduce EMI)? Same rupee, very different outcomes.

Built a calculator that handles this properly:

Instant EMI, total interest, and true all-in cost (including processing fee)
Full month-by-month amortization schedule with CSV export
Prepayment simulator — one-time or recurring, reduce-tenure vs reduce-EMI, or compare both side by side
Home, car, personal & education loan presets with typical rate ranges

Like everything on ForgePlug, it's 100% client-side — your loan details never leave your browser, no signup, works offline.

🔗 https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/emi-calculator

Feedback welcome, especially on the prepayment UX.

I built a free, private Global Salary Calculator (8 countries, offer comparison, 100% client-side)

Vipul Singh — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:31:55 +0000

Gross salary numbers are misleading — what you actually take home depends on tax brackets, social security, and country-specific deductions that vary wildly.

I built a Global Salary Calculator that computes net pay, CTC, and the full gross-to-net breakdown across 8 countries (India, US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, UAE), with:

Auto-detected, country-specific tax rules
Job-offer comparison mode (currency conversion included)
Budget planning using the 50/30/20 rule
Loan eligibility + retirement projections

Like everything on ForgePlug, it's 100% client-side — your salary figures never leave your browser, no signup, works offline.

🔗 https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/salary-calculator

Feedback welcome — especially if you've got a country's tax rules you'd like added.

I Built a Browser-Based Document-to-PDF Converter That Handles DOCX, E-books, and Images

Vipul Singh — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:06:30 +0000

## Why I built this

Most "convert to PDF" tools handle one format and upload your file to a server to do it. I wanted something closer to a real document studio — broad format support, real layout control, and processing that happens on your own device wherever possible.

What it does

Documents: DOCX, TXT, Markdown, HTML, RTF, ODT, CSV, JSON, XML
E-books: EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2 — parsed locally
Images: PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG, BMP, TIFF
Paste raw Markdown, HTML, or text directly — no file required
Page size (A4, Letter, Legal, A3, A5), orientation, margins (small/normal/large/custom), font selection, compression, hyperlink and image preservation, print/web optimization, page numbering
Live preview panel that renders formatted content and image thumbnails, updating instantly as settings change

Client-side by default

Your files stay on your device whenever client-side conversion is supported — nothing is uploaded during browser-based conversions, and it works offline once loaded.

Details

Individual documents up to 100MB, image batches up to 50. Free, no account required.

Try it: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/document-to-pdf

Would love feedback — especially on any format or edge case that trips it up.

GST Calculator – Inclusive/Exclusive/Reverse & Bulk Invoice Mode with CGST/SGST/IGST Split

Vipul Singh — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:01:22 +0000

Why I built this

Every GST calculator I found online does one thing: base price → GST amount. Real invoicing isn't that simple — you need to go the other direction (extract GST from an inclusive price), reverse-calculate from a final figure, or build a multi-line invoice with different rates per item. So I built GST Calculator for ForgePlug to cover all of it.

What it does

Exclusive mode — add GST on top of a base amount (₹10,000 × 18% = ₹1,800 GST, ₹11,800 total)
Inclusive mode — extract the GST baked into a final bill using price × rate ÷ (100 + rate)
Reverse mode — recover the original taxable value from just the selling price
Bulk mode — multi-line invoices with per-item GST rates, discounts, and shipping
Automatic CGST/SGST split for intra-state supplies, full IGST for inter-state
All slabs covered: 0%, 3%, 5%, 12%, 18%, 28%, plus custom rates
HSN/SAC lookup — search by code or keyword, apply the indicative rate directly
Multi-currency support (INR, USD, EUR, GBP, AED)
Export as PDF, CSV, or print an invoice-style statement
Donut-chart visualization and plain-language "smart insights" on the tax breakdown

Who it's for

Freelancers quoting a GST-inclusive price who need the taxable value for their books, shop owners building a quick multi-item bill with a shipping charge, or anyone checking whether an invoice they received was taxed correctly.

Details

All calculations run client-side — your financial numbers are never uploaded or stored. Free, no signup.

Try it: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/gst-calculator

Would love feedback, especially from anyone doing GST invoicing regularly — what's missing?

Bulk URL Checker – Batch HTTP Status & Redirect Tracking for 100 URLs, SSRF-Protected

Vipul Singh — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 18:52:28 +0000

## Why I built this

Checking URLs one at a time during a site migration or relaunch is tedious, and the tools that do it in bulk for free — Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog — gate that behind a paid plan.

So I built Bulk URL Checker for ForgePlug: a free batch URL checker that handles up to 100 URLs per run, no account required.

What it does

Check status codes, full redirect chains, and response latency for up to 100 URLs at once
Three ways to feed it URLs: paste directly, upload a CSV (auto-detects the URL column), or parse a sitemap
Follows up to 20 redirect hops, recording the status code and Location header at each step
Streams results in real time as each URL finishes, instead of making you wait for the whole batch
Export as a formatted text report or properly-escaped CSV

Built with SSRF protection from the ground up

Since it fetches arbitrary URLs server-side, every redirect destination is validated against private IP ranges (10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x, 169.254.169.254) before it's followed — so it can't be tricked into hitting internal infrastructure. No URLs are stored; everything lives only for the active session.

Details

Runs server-side (Node.js) with a concurrency pool of 10 simultaneous requests. Free tier caps at 100 URLs per run — a commercial plan is planned for unlimited batches, scheduled re-checks, and branded reporting.

Try it: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/bulk-url-checker

Would love feedback, especially from anyone running site migrations or link audits.

I Built a Bulk File Processor With No Artificial File Limits (Batch PDF + Image Ops, 100% Browser-Side)

Vipul Singh — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 20:13:11 +0000

Why I built this

Every free bulk file tool I tried — iLovePDF, SmallPDF, Adobe's free tier — caps you at 1-3 files per batch unless you pay. If you need to compress 40 PDFs or resize 200 product photos, you're stuck upgrading or running the job one file at a time.
So I built Bulk File Operations for ForgePlug: a batch PDF and image processor that runs entirely in your browser, with no artificial cap on how many files you can process at once.

What it does

PDF operations:- Compress (3 quality presets)- Merge, with drag-to-reorder- Watermark (text or image, with position/opacity/size controls)- Convert pages to JPG or PNG
Image operations:- Convert between JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, GIF- Resize by percentage or exact dimensions (aspect-lock optional)- Compress via the Canvas API- Strip EXIF/GPS metadata

How it avoids the usual limits

The only real limit is your own device's memory — not an arbitrary paywall. A few implementation details make that possible:

Bounded concurrency: files process 3 at a time via Web Workers, instead of all at once- Streamed ZIP output: results are zipped as they complete, so the app never holds the whole batch in memory- Per-file failure isolation: a corrupt or locked file gets skipped and reported — it doesn't abort the rest of the batch- Proactive size warnings: a heads-up around ~500MB on desktop / ~150MB on mobile, before you hit a wall ## Details Free, MIT licensed, v1.0.0, updated August 2026. Nothing uploads to a server — everything runs client-side in your browser. Try it: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/bulk-file-ops Would love feedback, especially from anyone who regularly needs to process large batches of files.

I Built a Barcode Generator That Runs 100% in Your Browser (10 Formats, No Uploads)

Vipul Singh — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:50:46 +0000

## Why I built this Most online barcode generators upload your data, watermark the output, or only support one format. So I built Barcode Generator on ForgePlug. ## What it does Generates barcodes in 10 formats — CODE128, CODE39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14, MSI, Pharmacode and Codabar — with a real-time preview as you type. Built-in check-digit validation catches invalid codes before you export. ## Customization Control width, height, margins, font, color and quiet zone spacing, all with live preview. ## Export Download as PNG, SVG or JPEG, including a high-resolution option for print. ## Privacy Everything runs client-side using the JsBarcode library — nothing is uploaded, no account needed, and no watermark even on commercial use. Try it free: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/barcode-generator. Feedback welcome, especially on which formats to prioritize next.

I Built a Free QR Code Generator That Runs 100% in Your Browser (No Uploads, No Signup)

Vipul Singh — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:09:56 +0000

## ### Why I built this A while back I needed a QR code for a WiFi network and got tired of ad-covered generators that watermark your code or require signup. So I built QR Code Generator on ForgePlug — completely free, no login, no watermark. ## What it does 11 QR code types: URLs, WiFi credentials, vCards (contact cards), WhatsApp links, calendar events, plain text, email, phone and SMS. Full visual customization — colors, corner styles, embedded logo — with a live preview as you edit. Export as PNG, SVG or JPEG up to 1200×1200px, ready for print or web. ## Why browser-only matters Everything runs client-side in JavaScript — your WiFi password or contact details never leave your device or touch a server. No uploads, no tracking, no account required. ## Try it Free to use, no signup: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/qr-generator. Feedback welcome, especially on which QR types you'd want added next.

I Built a Personalized Meal Planner That Never Sends Your Data Anywhere

Vipul Singh — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 07:44:54 +0000

Most "free" diet plan generators want your age, weight, health goals, and food preferences — and then send all of it to a server before showing you anything. That's a strange amount of trust to ask for over what to eat this week.

So I built Nutrition Studio on ForgePlug: a personalized diet plan generator, macro calculator, weekly meal planner, and grocery list builder that runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is ever uploaded.

What it actually does

You answer a few questions — age, gender, height, weight, activity level, goal, diet type, cuisine, allergies, excluded foods, and budget — and it generates a full day of balanced meals with calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber, sugar, and sodium. From there it builds a 7-day weekly planner and a grocery list grouped by category.

The Smart Food Replacement Engine

This is the part I'm most happy with. Exclude a food — say, chicken breast — and instead of just leaving a hole in the plan, it recommends nutritionally similar swaps: paneer, tofu, soy chunks, tempeh, eggs, or fish, matched on calories, protein, carbs, and fat. Every meal can also be replaced, regenerated, or shuffled instantly, and the totals update live.

Diet and cuisine coverage

16 diet types — omnivore, vegetarian, eggetarian, vegan, pescatarian, Mediterranean, keto, paleo, low carb, low fat, high protein, gluten free, dairy free, Jain, halal friendly, and kosher friendly — across 14 cuisines, with quick filters for high-protein, low-carb, diabetic-friendly, heart-healthy, and quick meals.

Why browser-only matters here specifically

Diet and health data is about as personal as data gets. Calorie targets, weight, goals, medical-adjacent restrictions — none of it needs to leave your device for the math to work. All calculations use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and standard activity multipliers, run client-side, and your plan is saved only in your browser's local storage. Clear your browser data and it's gone — nowhere else to delete it from.

Worth noting

This is an educational meal-planning tool, not medical advice — it won't diagnose or treat anything, and it's not a substitute for a registered dietitian, especially if you have a medical condition that affects diet.

Try it free, no signup: https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/nutrition-studio

Feedback welcome, especially on diet-type edge cases (Jain and low-FODMAP requests are next on my radar).

I Built a PDF Merger That Never Touches a Server

Vipul Singh — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:15:32 +0000

Every time I needed to combine a few PDFs — a signed contract with its addendum, a stack of scanned receipts — I'd end up uploading them somewhere I shouldn't. Merge PDF on ForgePlug runs entirely in your browser, no uploads, no accounts. https://www.forgeplug.com/tools/merge-pdf