Frequently Asked Questions

No. Core tools like Merge, Split, Compress, Rotate, Protect, and Unlock run entirely client-side using Web Workers and WebAssembly. Your files are loaded into an isolated browser memory sandbox and processed locally on your hardware. They are never sent over the internet, written to an external drive, or stored on any server.

Our advanced converters (PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint) use a secure, ephemeral server-side engine. Files are transmitted over an encrypted TLS connection, processed in an isolated memory environment, and permanently deleted the moment your converted file is ready for download. No logs are retained, and no file data is ever written to persistent storage.

Yes. Because core tools process files locally inside your web browser sandbox with zero network transmission, they meet the data sovereignty requirements of GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 frameworks. The ephemeral server conversions are engineered with zero-knowledge data retention, ensuring no document data persists after processing completes.

Absolutely not. We enforce a strict zero-training policy. Your documents, text content, metadata, and any generated outputs are never used for AI training, machine learning datasets, or any form of analytical profiling. This applies to both client-side tools and our ephemeral server-side conversion pipeline.

You can audit the network activity directly. While using any core client-side tool, open your browser's Developer Tools (press F12), navigate to the Network tab, and drop your PDF file into the tool. You will see zero outbound HTTP POST or Fetch requests carrying file payload data. The only network requests are the initial static asset loads (scripts, WASM engine). This gives you full, verifiable proof of our local-only processing model.

WebAssembly (WASM) is a low-level binary runtime compiled from high-performance languages like C++ or Rust that executes inside a web browser tab at near-native hardware speed. Utilitly.com leverages a WASM engine to perform intensive document tasks — such as parsing PDF vector maps, merging page trees, and encrypting byte streams — entirely within your local browser environment, with no external network dependency after the initial engine load.

Yes. Once you have loaded a client-side tool page (Merge, Split, Rotate, Compress, Protect, Unlock, Text Editor), the WebAssembly engine is cached by your browser. You can then disconnect your internet and continue processing PDF files in a fully offline environment. Format conversion tools require an active connection as they utilize our secure server infrastructure.

Client-side tools have no enforced server-side file size limits — they are only constrained by your local browser's available RAM. For most modern computers, this means handling documents up to several hundred MB comfortably. Server-side conversion tools (PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint) support files up to 100MB, with Pro users receiving priority queue allocation for larger files.

Utilitly.com is fully supported on all modern evergreen browsers: Google Chrome (v90+), Mozilla Firefox (v89+), Microsoft Edge (v90+), and Apple Safari (v15+). WebAssembly and Web Workers are standard features in all of these browsers. Internet Explorer is not supported.

The Free tier provides access to all core client-side PDF utilities (Merge, Split, Rotate, Reorder Pages, Compress PDF) with no file size restrictions. The Basic tier ($5/month) adds PDF To Format, Add Page Numbers, Annotate PDF, Protect PDF, and Unlock PDF. The Pro tier ($15/month) unlocks the True Text Editor for in-browser content editing, the AI Author engine for converting raw text into polished PDF reports, and priority processing for large file queues.

The Free tier itself acts as a permanent trial — you get unlimited access to all core utilities with no time limit or credit card required. When you are ready to unlock premium tools, you can upgrade to Basic or Pro at any time from your account page. There is no lock-in; you can cancel anytime.

You can cancel your subscription at any time from your Account page. Navigate to Account → Billing and click "Manage Billing." This opens the Stripe customer portal where you can cancel, downgrade, or update your plan instantly. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period, and you are never charged again after cancellation.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through our secure Stripe payment processor. Your card details are never stored or handled by Utilitly.com directly — all billing is managed entirely through Stripe's PCI-DSS Level 1 certified infrastructure.

We collect only the minimum data necessary to operate your account: your email address and name (via Clerk authentication), and your subscription tier status (via Stripe). We do not collect behavioral analytics on how you interact with files, and we never collect or store any document data. We never use your data to train AI.

Yes. You can request full account deletion at any time by contacting our support team. Upon deletion, your account credentials, tier metadata, and billing records are permanently removed from our systems. Since we do not store document data, there is nothing file-related to delete.

Yes. Account authentication is handled exclusively by Clerk, an enterprise-grade identity platform. Utilitly.com never stores, handles, or has access to your password at any point. Clerk provides industry-standard security including bcrypt hashing, rate limiting, and optional two-factor authentication.