FreeConvert lives up to its name in the most literal sense — conversions are free, but they're supported by advertising. The trade-off is a cluttered UI, interstitials, and a daily conversion limit that kicks in on the free tier.
ChangeThisFile takes the opposite approach: no ads anywhere, no daily limits on the browser tool, and a hybrid architecture where most image and data conversions run locally in your browser with no upload at all.
Quick verdict
For a clean, ad-free experience: ChangeThisFile. No ads, no interstitials, no pop-overs.
For privacy: ChangeThisFile. 161 browser-based routes never upload your file to any server.
For API access: ChangeThisFile. Free tier with 1,000 conversions/month, no card required. FreeConvert offers a developer API on paid plans.
For format breadth: Both tools cover mainstream formats well. FreeConvert has some additional format-specific settings (compression quality, resolution, etc.) on their web UI.
Pricing comparison
| Plan | ChangeThisFile | FreeConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Free browser tool | Unlimited, no ads, no signup | Limited/day, ad-supported |
| Free API | 1,000/mo, no card | No |
| Entry paid | $29/mo — 10,000 conversions | Paid plan removes ads, increases limits (check their site for current pricing) |
| Scale | $499/mo — 200,000 conversions | Higher tiers available |
| API included | Yes, on all tiers including free | Paid plans only |
Feature comparison
| Feature | ChangeThisFile | FreeConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Ads on free tier | None | Yes — significant ad presence |
| Daily conversion limit | None (browser tool) | Yes on free tier |
| Client-side conversions | Yes — 161 routes | No |
| Free API tier | Yes — 1,000/mo, no card | No |
| No signup for browser tool | Yes | Yes (limited) |
| Conversion settings (quality, resolution) | Basic (target format) | More options on some formats |
| Batch conversion | No | Yes (on some plans) |
Format coverage
FreeConvert covers mainstream image, video, audio, document, and ebook formats. Their UI exposes format-specific settings — image quality sliders, video resolution choices, audio bitrate — which gives more control for one-off conversions where you want to tune output.
ChangeThisFile covers 634 specific routes across 82 formats with consistent behavior. Client-side image conversions (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, GIF, BMP, ICO, SVG, TIFF) are handled by the browser's Canvas API, which is fast and zero-upload. Server-side routes use FFmpeg, LibreOffice, Calibre, and 7-Zip.
For most everyday conversions, both tools work well. FreeConvert's per-format settings controls are a genuine advantage for users who want manual quality control without code.
Privacy and data handling
FreeConvert processes everything server-side. All files upload to their servers for conversion. They state files are deleted after a period (check their current policy for details).
ChangeThisFile's 161 client-side routes never transmit your data. For image, data, font, and markup conversions — the formats most people are converting day-to-day — your files stay entirely on your machine. No upload, no server, no policy to trust.
For sensitive workflows (employee documents, financial data, private photos), this architectural difference matters more than any policy comparison.
API and developer experience
FreeConvert has a developer API, but it requires a paid subscription. Their API documentation covers format-specific options similar to their web UI.
ChangeThisFile's API is available free (no card) with 1,000 conversions/month:
curl -X POST https://changethisfile.com/v1/convert \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ctf_sk_your_key" \
-F "file=@image.png" \
-F "source=png" \
-F "target=jpg" \
--output image.jpg
The API is synchronous — no job IDs, no polling. Get a key at changethisfile.com/v1/keys/free and make your first API call in under 2 minutes.
When to choose which
| Use case | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Ad-free experience | ChangeThisFile |
| Privacy-sensitive files | ChangeThisFile (client-side routes) |
| Free API integration | ChangeThisFile |
| Unlimited daily browser conversions | ChangeThisFile |
| Per-format quality/resolution controls via UI | FreeConvert |
| Batch conversion (multiple files at once) | FreeConvert (paid plan) |
If you've landed on FreeConvert because you need a converter that's actually free and don't want to pay, ChangeThisFile is worth trying first — no ads, no daily limit, and a free API tier if you're building something. FreeConvert's paid plan is reasonable if you need batch conversion or want their format-specific settings controls. Try ChangeThisFile free →