There are thousands of apps and tools out there but for many tasks, you don’t actually need to download anything or pay for an expensive service so solve a simple problem. Here is a list of 7 ridiculously useful free online tools I stared using throughout the year.
1. Excalidraw
Excalidraw is an awesome online whiteboard that runs entirely within the browser, no account required. The files are stored on your device. It’s extremely flexible whether you’re explaining something, taking notes in class or creating diagrams for an article. While the core project is open source and totally free, there is also a paid cloud service called Excalidraw Plus that can sync your whiteboard between devices and allows for collaboration. But to be honest, I don’t think any individual actually needs it since the free version is absolutely incredible. Also, since it’s open source, you could as well just run it on your own server and be completely independent.
2. ChartDB
This tool is a bit more specific but still extremely useful. ChartDB allows you to create beautiful schema diagrams for SQL databases. As I’m currently doing SQL in school, this tool is incredibly helpful for quickly sketching out a database. It’s also fully open source and you could also self-host it. I actually had the chance to talk to one of the founders a few weeks ago and he told me that their planning to create a cloud service around it at some point, but the core functionality is, and always will be, fee.
3. I❤️PDF
Do you love PDF? I actually don’t since many things are complicated without expensive software. Just try to add page numbers to a PDF without something like Adobe Acrobat. I❤️PDF solves such problems by providing tools to do nearly anything to a PDF. Whether it’s merging, separating, compressing or resizing pages, I❤️PDF as an option for that. The web version is totally free to use for personal use. If you’re looking for an. Open source alternative, I can recommend Stirling PDF. It’s basically the same thing but open source.
4. Photopea
We all know Photoshop and probably don’t like the pricing, right? That’s where Photopea comes in. It is basically Photoshop but in the browser. It runs very well, even with a large project. Every keyboard shortcut or option works exactly like Photoshop. On the free plan, there are some limitations regarding a few AI features but other than that, it’s totally free and local first.
5. Canva
While Photopea is great, in a lot of cases, especially for school, I need a simpler solution to create designs quickly. Canva is a great option here. While you need an account and some features aren’t available on the free plan, it’s still a solid tool for creating layouts, presentations, logos or handouts.
6. Figma
Figma is an online design tool that is primarily ment to design user interfaces. However, you can do a lot more with it. I primarily use it to create logos and icons. Just as an example, I’ve created my own icon library for the Elgato Stream deck to fit my style using Figma. While their pricing is definitely geared towards teams, it’s totally free for individuals if you don’t collaborate much with other people.
7. Deletr
This one is definitely cheating because it’s my own project but let me explain: Deletr is (or at some point will be) a huge database of account deletion links for online services. If you’re reading this story, chances are that your digital footprint is quite large. Part of the reasons why this is are companies making it unnecessarily hard to delete an account. That’s where Deletr comes in. As a community project, it aims to collect all the different lies to help navigating the mess of „Do you really delete your account and all your data?“. Feel free to check it out and leave feedback on GitHub. Oh and did I mention it is fully open source?
Anyways, that my list of 7 really cool and helpful online tools to make some of the annoying things easier without downloading jet another program. If you know any other great websites, please leave a comment down below, it also helps other people to find this list.
