The real cost of “free” online converters

You need a JPG, you have a HEIC, and a search result promises to fix it for free. Before you hit upload, it’s worth asking a simple question: where does the file go?

This piece walks through what actually happens to a file on a typical upload-based converter, and why we built Convertur to work differently.

Where your file actually goes

On an upload-based service your photo travels to a server you’ve never heard of, sits in a queue, gets processed, and lands in a storage bucket — often for days.

Between those steps your file may be copied to logs, caches, and backups you’ll never see, in jurisdictions you never chose.

What the fine print says

Terms of service often grant broad rights to process, retain, and sometimes analyze uploaded content. Few people read that far — the button says free, after all.

“Free” usually means the service is monetising something else: ads, your attention, or the data you hand over.

The local-first alternative

WebAssembly lets a browser run the same codecs a desktop app would — which means conversion can happen on your machine, with nothing to upload and nothing to delete afterwards.

There’s no server in the path, so there’s no server log, no retention window, and no terms granting anyone rights to your file.

Takeaways

If a converter needs your file on its server, you’re paying with the file. Local-first tools make that trade unnecessary.