About localdobe

localdobe is a small collection of PDF tools — merge, split, compress, edit, watermark, protect, unlock, and signature validation — that all run locally in your browser. No file you work with ever touches a server.

Why this exists

Most "free" online PDF tools aren't really free: they upload your document to a server, hold it hostage behind a paywall, stamp a watermark on your output, or cap how many pages you can process without an account. That's a bad trade for something as simple as merging two PDFs. Modern browsers can do this work themselves, so localdobe just does the work on your machine instead of asking you to trust ours.

The tech

The tools are built on a mix of open-source libraries running as WebAssembly and JavaScript in your browser tab: pdf-lib handles document assembly like merging and page manipulation, pdfcpu (compiled to WebAssembly) powers compression, encryption, and watermarking, and pdf.js renders pages so you can preview and edit them. None of it requires a plugin, an account, or a network round-trip for your file data.

Being honest about it

We'd rather you understand how this works than just trust a badge that says "private." Read the privacy page for the specifics on what does and doesn't leave your device, or check the blog for deeper dives into individual tools.