Like most devs, my machine is full of tools I installed for one job and never opened again. Lately I've been cutting that habit for the small, occasional tasks — the kind that don't justify an install or a CLI rabbit hole.
Here's the short list of browser-based tools that actually replaced apps for me.
Images
Shrinking a screenshot for a README, cropping a diagram, or converting an iPhone HEIC into a normal JPG so a teammate can actually open it. All in the browser now — no app, no account.
PDFs
Compressing a PDF to sneak under an attachment limit, merging a few exported pages, splitting a big doc. These are right-now tasks, not download-and-install ones.
Audio & video
Trimming a clip for a demo, pulling audio out of a screen recording, converting a format some player refuses to open.
Quick calculators
A fast age/date diff, a loan estimate, a word counter — tiny utilities I used to dig for across ad-heavy pages.
Lately I run most of these through Toolnaro because everything sits in one place and there's no sign-up wall. But the specific site matters less than the habit: if a task takes under a minute, it probably shouldn't need an install.
Two notes if you do the same:
- Prefer tools that process client-side for anything sensitive — watch where your files go.
- Bookmark the two or three you reach for weekly. That's what makes the habit stick.
My install list is shorter now, and honestly I don't miss the clutter.
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