Free tools for the boring jobs
Small things that eat an afternoon: working out what changed in a contract, merging the same three spreadsheets every month, getting a Word document into a website. These are free, need no account, and most of them never send your files anywhere.
AI Feasibility Advisor
Is AI right for your problem?
Describe a business problem and get an honest assessment of whether AI is the right tool, which approach fits, roughly what it would take, and what would make it hard — including when the answer is 'don't use AI'.
Use it when: You keep hearing you should 'use AI' and want a straight answer.
OpenPDF Toolkit
Merge, split and reorder PDFs
Combine this month's invoices into one file, pull a few pages out of a long report, delete the blank page the scanner added, or rotate the sideways one. Drag pages into the order you want.
Use it when: Combining or tidying up PDFs before sending them on.
OpenGST Invoice Generator
Invoices where the tax is right
Pick the two states and the tax works itself out — CGST and SGST within your state, IGST across state lines. Mixed rates get their own bands, the total rounds to the rupee, and the amount is written out in lakh and crore. Your details are remembered so you never retype them.
Use it when: Billing a client without a subscription or a spreadsheet full of formulas.
OpenQR Code Generator
UPI payments, Wi-Fi and WhatsApp
A UPI code for the counter so nobody types your number, a Wi-Fi code guests can scan instead of reading a password off the wall, or a flyer code that opens WhatsApp with the enquiry already written. Print the card when you're done.
Use it when: Getting paid, sharing Wi-Fi or collecting enquiries without typing.
OpenImage Compressor
Shrink photos, convert HEIC to JPG
The upload form says 2 MB and your phone shoots 6. A customer can't open the HEIC file your iPhone made. Drop the photos in, pick what they're for, and download them ready to send.
Use it when: Getting phone photos small enough to email, upload or put on a site.
OpenDocument Compare
See exactly what changed
Someone returns a contract saying 'just a few small edits'. Drop both versions in and get a clean redline showing every word added and removed, ready to save or print.
Use it when: Checking what actually changed in a contract or policy revision.
OpenData Cleaner
Dedupe and tidy a messy list
The same customer three times, phone numbers in four formats, names shouting in capitals, trailing spaces that break your mail merge. It reports what's wrong before touching anything, then highlights every cell it changed.
Use it when: Tidying a customer or order list before importing it somewhere.
OpenMerge Spreadsheets
Combine Excel files without formulas
Stack monthly reports from different branches into one list, or match a customer file against an orders file on a shared column. Column names that don't line up are matched for you.
Use it when: Combining reports or lists that arrive in separate files every month.
OpenMarkdown Studio
Word to Markdown, with live preview
Turn a Word document into clean Markdown, edit it with live preview, and export to PDF, HTML or Word. Also converts pasted rich text automatically.
Use it when: Getting Word content into a website, wiki or docs system.
OpenBrand Clearance Lab
Check if a brand name is really available
Research whether a name is usable — company conflicts, trademarks, domains, social handles and app stores — with a 100-point score and a clear verdict.
Use it when: Naming a new business, product or brand.
OpenWhy free? Because they were quick to build, and they show how I work better than a slide deck does. If one of them saves you time and you have a bigger problem worth solving, you know where to find me.