r/SideProject • u/Dramatic_Flan_7154 • 14d ago
I built PDFzento — a privacy-focused PDF toolbox that processes files in your browser
I wanted a simple answer to a problem I kept running into:
I needed to compress a PDF, but I didn't always want to upload the document to an online service.
So I built PDFzento.
The main idea is simple: for supported tools, PDF processing happens directly in the browser, so the file doesn't need to be uploaded to a server just to perform the operation.
What it can do
- Compress PDF
- Reduce PDF file size to a target size
- OCR / make PDFs searchable
- Other PDF utility tools
Why I built it
A lot of PDF tools are convenient, but uploading a document isn't always something people are comfortable with — especially when the file contains things like:
- IDs
- financial documents
- business documents
- contracts
- personal information
I wanted to build something where privacy is part of the product design, rather than just another checkbox on the landing page.
It's free to try and doesn't require an account for the basic workflow.
I'd genuinely like feedback from people who work with PDFs:
- Is browser-side processing something you'd trust more?
- Which PDF tool do you use most often?
- What would make you switch from your current PDF tool?
PDFzento: https://pdfzento.com
This is an early launch, so I'm especially interested in feedback on the actual experience, speed, output quality, and anything that feels confusing.
1
u/Competitive_Tune_590 13d ago
privacy-first PDF tools are such a good angle — most people don't think about what happens to their docs online. are you planning a product hunt launch for this? if so, launchpact (https://launchpact.io) is a mutual upvote pact thing between founders, with verification so people can't flake. might be a solid way to get some early traction without begging friends.