Why browser-based is having a moment
Browsers gained the APIs — File access, WebAssembly, workers — to do real document work without a server. That makes private, instant tools possible for the first time.
The tasks that shine locally
Merging, splitting, rotating, reordering, deleting and extracting are pure structural edits that browsers handle instantly. Image-to-PDF and PDF-to-image conversions work well too.
What to look for
A good toolkit is keyboard-driven, honest about what runs locally, and free for the basics. Bonus points for a command palette and no forced sign-up.
Where servers still win
Heavy OCR over hundreds of pages or true PDF encryption can still be lighter on a server — though both are increasingly viable in-browser as models and crypto libraries shrink.
