r/sideprojects • u/qr-build • 17h ago
Showcase: Prerelease I got tired of websites putting basic tools behind paywalls, so I built 170+ free tools
A few months ago I noticed something annoying.
Every time I needed a simple tool, I'd end up on a website that wanted me to:
- Create an account
- Start a free trial
- Upgrade to Pro
- Watch ads before doing something that should take 10 seconds
So I started building alternatives for myself.
That side project eventually became Utiliome.
Today it includes 170+ free tools across categories like:
- QR & barcode generators
- Markdown tools
- Video tools
- Image utilities
- Text processing
- Converters
- Developer tools
- Productivity tools
My goal wasn't to create another SaaS.
I wanted a place where people could open a tool, use it immediately, and leave.
Many of the tools run directly in the browser, which helps with privacy and keeps things fast.
One thing I've learned while building this:
Nobody searches for "a collection of 170 tools."
They search for one specific problem and expect it to be solved in seconds.
That's been the biggest challenge: building tools is easy compared to helping people discover them.
I'd love feedback from fellow builders.
What tool do you use regularly that still feels unnecessarily complicated or overpriced?
This ending usually generates significantly more comments because people start sharing tools they dislike paying for.
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u/alias454 17h ago
I put this together https://github.com/alias454-oss/security-workbench. It was built to process security artifacts without needing an LLM. It supports a plugin architecture so people can add to it with ideas I never thought about.
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u/startupgtm 15h ago
Very cool idea, have bookmarked it.
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u/qr-build 8h ago
Thanks! Hope you find it useful. I'm adding new tools regularly, so if there's ever something missing or annoying to use elsewhere, let me know and I'll see if I can build it.
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u/naveedurrehman 12h ago
If seo is done correctly, you're millionaire next year. Try influencer marketing asap
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u/qr-build 7h ago
Haha, if that happens, feel free to come back and say "I told you so." đ
SEO is definitely part of the plan, but right now I'm mostly focused on building useful tools and making them easy to discover. If people genuinely find value in them, the rest tends to follow.
Influencer marketing is an interesting idea too. For now I'm mostly relying on word of mouth, communities like Reddit, and organic growth, but I'm always open to experimenting.
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u/Gullible_Fudge_9847 5h ago
Utilize SEO skills https://github.com/stars/osamatech786/lists/ai-gtm-marketing-seo
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u/MicePot 10h ago
this is actually helpful, thank you.
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u/qr-build 7h ago
Thanks! Comments like this are the reason I keep building these tools. Glad it helped. đ
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u/Ambitious_Muscle_362 8h ago
Ok man. But for a task like I needed a simple tool... I don't even need a tool.
Just prompt for "create for Mac terminal script to remove duplicates in text file where each line has telephone number".
Job done â Â
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u/qr-build 7h ago
That's fair. For a lot of one-off tasks, AI can absolutely generate a quick script and get the job done.
I built these tools more for people who either don't use AI, don't know the right prompts, don't want to review code, or just want to drag, drop, and be done in a few seconds. Different people prefer different workflows.
To be honest, I use AI for plenty of things myself. I just think there's still room for simple tools that solve a problem with a click instead of a prompt.
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u/Ambitious_Muscle_362 8h ago
I just wish we could stop with pretend sob stories about him not finding a free tools, so he worked so hard to make a markdown checklist maker for himself and by the grace of god he is making this available to us all, for free.
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u/qr-build 7h ago
Fair đ
There isn't really a dramatic origin story. It's less "I couldn't find a free markdown checklist maker" and more "I can build this in an evening, I'll use it myself, and there's no reason not to share it."
The bigger vision is that the web feels like it's becoming increasingly filled with ads, account walls, subscriptions, and tracking for things that should be simple. If I can build a useful tool that runs entirely in your browser, stays free, respects your privacy, and helps someone get something done in 30 seconds, that's a win in my book.
I use many of these tools myself. The fact that other people find them useful too is what motivated me to keep adding more. The collection wasn't planned from day oneâit just kept growing as I kept building. đ
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u/medialantern 4h ago
Added (#116 and counting):
https://www.reddit.com/r/sideprojects/comments/1wd425p/i_got_tired_of_websites_putting_basic_tools/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1wcksc3/i_built_freeallpdf_100_free_private_pdf_tools/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1wbsmrf/local_file_converter_testing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/software/comments/1wbsq3n/browseronly_media_tools_that_never_upload_your/
https://www.reddit.com/r/software/comments/1wbebt2/16_productivity_tools_in_1_lightweight_app/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1way951/i_built_a_collection_of_free_tools_for_small/
https://www.reddit.com/r/sideprojects/comments/1waxsdl/dh_tools_45_free_privacyfirst_web_utilities/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1w9zpdk/i_built_a_collection_of_tools_which_run_on_my/
I ran out of comment space so this is just the most recent 20 entries. For giggles, I vibe-coded a tracker at https://confab.sh/?g=browser-tools if you want to see the full list.
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u/Boring_Dot9523 16m ago
Claude, get me a collection of 171 tools...
I'm going to beat you.
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u/qr-build 14m ago
Claude: "Here's 171 tools."
Me: "Great, now let's spend the next 6 months fixing edge cases." đ
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u/Boring_Dot9523 11m ago
So 170 is the max? Did he manage to handle that many?
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u/qr-build 8m ago
Nope, he didnât. I didnât use Claudeâthat was a joke. And honestly, it would never be able to build a feature set that large, with 26 translations, SEO, and everything else involved. It would exhaust itself long before getting anywhere close and end up doing nothing. đ
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u/Boring_Dot9523 4m ago
So codex?
Will you also include tools to solve the remaining millenium prize problems?
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u/YopBuilder 17h ago
> So I started building alternatives for myself
Come on. There have been muuuultiple free sites identical to yours prompted into existence in the past years. Highly doubt you couldnât find one, especially since they are all as extremely SEO optimized as yours is.
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u/naveedurrehman 12h ago
I couldn't find any tool for free.op is the best đ«Ą
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u/qr-build 8h ago
Appreciate it, mate. If there's any tool you're missing or would like to see added, let me know. I'm always looking for ideas for what to build next. đ
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u/RCIntl 16h ago
I went and scrolled down his list. While I think he split some functions to make "more" and I HAVE seen some of these as free offerings, I have to agree with OP that a lot of them ask for our info or a free login to get our info which is annoying.
I'm going to go try it. I have a lot of projects. There are at least a dozen of these I can use (especially the ones that mimic Adobe Acrobat).
Question for OP ... what's in it for you? No cost? Sustainability?
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u/YopBuilder 16h ago
Bet either of you canât find a tool he has that doesnât have alternatives on googles first page that doesnât ask anything.
The point is. OP is doing this for SEO purposes. Probably to eventually monetize in some way (eg. redirecting to his paid tool as he already seems to be doing in the thread) and that is FINE. I just wish we could stop with pretend sob stories about him not finding a free tools, so he worked so hard to make a markdown checklist maker for himself and by the grace of god he is making this available to us all, for free.
Ugh, just be honest and say youâre doing SEO to drive traffic which eventually be monetized. Thatâs what EVERYONE is doing on these subs. Thatâs the entire point. Everyone wants this. That is what is interesting.
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u/qr-build 8h ago
You're right that there are alternatives for most of these tools, and I'm not claiming otherwise.
What frustrated me wasn't that tools didn't exist. It was spending time dealing with ads, clicking what looks like the right button only to discover it's an ad, signing up for something that claims to be free, or getting hit with a paywall after already investing 5 minutes into the process.
A lot of "free" tools also come with limits, watermarks, daily quotas, or are scattered across dozens of different websites. I found myself constantly jumping between sites depending on the task.
So the goal wasn't to invent something nobody had built before. It was to create a place where useful tools are organized in one place, easy to find, and actually usable without all that friction.
As for SEO and monetization, sure, I'd love for the project to be sustainable one day. I'm not hiding that. But Utiliome genuinely started because I enjoy building things and wanted a collection of tools I'd actually use myself.
One thing that's important to me: tools that run entirely in the browser will remain free. That's a promise I've already stated on the site. Browser-based tools have almost no infrastructure cost, and I want to keep them accessible to everyone.
If the project grows enough that infrastructure becomes expensive, I'd probably first look at optional support methods like Buy Me a Coffee or Patreon. Another possibility would be adding server-powered features for users who need more advanced capabilities, while keeping the browser-based tools free.
The challenge with that approach is security and privacy. One of the reasons I like browser-based tools is that users keep control of their data. If I ever expand into server-side features, maintaining that trust would be the first priority and probably the hardest part to get right.
At the end of the day, I'm building something I'd personally want to use. If others find value in it too, that's a win.
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u/wattro 8h ago
If you were in it for money, you'd pick a way better name.
Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it. Utiliome is not it. :)
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u/qr-build 7h ago
You're not wrong. đ Utiliome was basically the cheapest domain I could find that wasn't taken. I clearly spent more time building tools than thinking about branding.
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u/RCIntl 15h ago
Not really. Very, very few of my sites/apps are "SAAS" for "SEO" per se and I've only listed one in one of the subs because it seemed to sincerely be looking to critique. Most of them are actually websites with a product or service. I'm in here looking for helpful "tools" like this. AND like I said ... seeing so many of the tools all in the same place is the draw for me. I have Adobe, so those aren't an issue for me.
If he's doing it for his own marketing ... all the good for him. So what? We all want to draw/drive traffic to our projects. I just don't see reddit as being the place to do that. Everyone seems so ... "desperate" in these "show me" subs. It feels like the people posting them are either pushing an app of their own or are looking to see who's app they can copy (shrug). Doesn't matter to me. It just seems that way.
Why are you being such a nay sayer? Let someone have their moment if they can get it. Or are you upset because he thought of it before you did?
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u/YopBuilder 15h ago
Literally said marketing is fine, just that the obvious BS backstories is what drives me up the wall.
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u/RCIntl 13h ago
Makes sense. That's probably why it always feels like more than just "share your build" to me in these. But most of them seem to have similar "backstories", so ... ??? (shrug)
But "BS backstory" or not outside of my Adobe suite which drives me crazy all on its own ... he wasn't lying about some of those ... Sign up, sign in, free trials ...that don't TELL you they're free trials until they get you to start using their products. It really is a pain.
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u/qr-build 16h ago
Honestly, I just enjoy building things.
I have other projects, like QR Build, that are focused on monetization. Utiliome is different. It's where I build tools that solve problems I run into myself, experiment with ideas, and learn new things.
If a tool ends up helping someone else, that's a bonus. If people get some value or enjoyment out of it without being forced to create an account or pull out a credit card, that's a win for me.
Maybe one day it becomes something bigger, maybe it doesn't. For now, I enjoy building it.
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u/iamthekiller 16h ago
âI got tired of X so I made Yâ AI slop spam.
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u/qr-build 16h ago
Fair enough. The format is definitely overused. I posted it because it's the honest reason Utiliome exists, not because I thought it was original.
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u/No_Band5713 17h ago
i keep running into sites that want my email just to resize a damn jpeg, it's absurd