Every time I needed to merge a PDF, compress an image, or generate a QR code, I had to:
- Sign up for yet another account
- Upload my files to some unknown server
- Hit a "free limit" after 2 uses
- Pay $12/month for basic utilities
So I decided to build my own solution. 65+ tools. Zero server cost. Everything runs in the browser.
## What I Built
Toolkiya — a free online tools platform where every tool runs 100% client-side in your browser. No file uploads, no signups, no limits.
### Tools Available
PDF Tools — Merge, compress, split, edit (with signatures, stamps, annotations)
Image Tools — Compress, resize, crop, convert, AI background removal, watermark
QR Tools — Generate and scan QR codes
Developer Tools — JSON formatter, regex tester, diff checker, hash generator, Base64 encoder, timestamp converter
Document Generators — Invoice, resume builder, rent receipt, salary slip
Calculators — EMI, GST, age calculator, unit converter
Creative Tools — Meme generator, collage maker, WhatsApp sticker maker, festival greeting cards
## The Tech Stack
- Framework: Next.js 16 (App Router)
- Styling: Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
- Language: TypeScript
- PDF: pdf-lib + pdfjs-dist
- Images: Canvas API + browser-image-compression
- AI: @imgly/background-removal (client-side ONNX)
- QR: qrcode + jsqr
- Hosting: Vercel (free tier)
- Analytics: Vercel Analytics + Google Analytics 4
## Why Client-Side?
The key architectural decision was making everything run in the browser:
1. Privacy — Files never leave the user's device. No server ever sees your data.
2. Zero marginal cost — Whether 1 user or 100,000 users, server cost stays at $0.
3. No rate limits — No server to overload, so users can process unlimited files.
4. Speed — No upload/download time. Processing starts instantly.
## How It Works
For PDF merging, I use pdf-lib to load each PDF, copy all pages into a new document, and save — all in JavaScript. The file never touches a server.
For image compression, browser-image-compression uses Web Workers to process images without blocking the UI thread.
For AI background removal, @imgly/background-removal runs an ONNX model directly in the browser using WebAssembly.
## SEO Strategy
Every tool page has:
- Unique metadata (title, description, keywords)
- FAQ schema (JSON-LD) for Google rich results
- Breadcrumb schema
- Canonical URLs
- Sitemap with all 110+ routes
## The Numbers
Week 1 stats:
- 46 visitors, 273 page views
- 6 pages per visitor (good engagement)
- Google already indexing pages
- Traffic growing daily
Cost breakdown:
- Domain: $10/year
- Hosting: $0 (Vercel free tier)
- Server: $0 (client-side processing)
- Total: $10/year for 65+ tools
## What I Learned
Client-side processing is underrated. Most "online tools" upload your files unnecessarily. Canvas API and pdf-lib can handle 90% of common tasks.
SEO compounds. Every blog post and tool page is a potential entry point from Google. More pages = more traffic over time.
Dark mode matters. Switching to dark mode by default increased time-on-site noticeably.
Users love "no signup." The #1 feedback I get is "thank you for not making me create an account."
## Try It
65+ tools, all free, all client-side. No signup needed.
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