File Converter Privacy: Upload or On-Device
Privacy here means one thing: does the file leave the device, and what does the operator say happens next.
Read on 2026-10-29 from the pages named in Sources. We did not upload a test file, time a conversion, or audit a deletion job.
Two architectures, not two logos
A local converter runs the decoder in the browser, usually as WebAssembly. The file bytes do not need a conversion server. An upload converter sends the file to an operator, runs the job there, and offers a download. HTTPS protects the transfer. It does not change who held the file.
You can check a local claim without trusting the slogan. Load the page, disconnect the network, and convert a format whose engine is already cached. If the job still finishes, that job did not need the server. The first visit may still download the engine. That check is a method, not a result we recorded: we did not run it.
What VERT's own pages say, including where they differ
The vert.sh homepage, read on 2026-10-29, says all file processing is done on your device. The privacy page, which says it was last updated on 2026-10-06, is narrower: conversions except videos, if required, happen locally, and most conversions use WebAssembly builds of ImageMagick, Pandoc, and FFmpeg, or Mediabunny in the browser. The FAQ says all non-video files are converted on the device, and that video files are uploaded.
The about page calls the video server an RTX 4000 Ada. It says an unconverted video stays for an hour, and a converted video stays for an hour or until it is fully downloaded, then is deleted. The privacy page adds that a video is kept longer only with explicit permission, for troubleshooting. On a failed server video job it may collect the job id, the anonymized file name, the formats, the FFmpeg error text, and the video itself only with permission.
The same privacy page says analytics are a self-hosted Plausible instance, donations go through Stripe, settings live in browser local storage, and the note applies to the official instance. A third-party copy can handle data differently. The FAQ also says a build can set PUB_DISABLE_ALL_EXTERNAL_REQUESTS to true so the UI does not call out for video conversion or analytics.
What the upload services say about deletion
CloudConvert's privacy page says uploaded files are deleted with the delete button and automatically after 24 hours at the latest. It says personal data from a deleted account is removed within 72 hours, and log data after 180 days. The security page says Lunaweb GmbH has an ISO 27001 certified information-security system, names TÜV Süd for that certificate, says transfers are SSL encrypted, and says files are kept only for processing, not as permanent storage. We did not inspect their servers.
Convertio's privacy page says the company does not read or copy your files, that input files and temporary files are deleted after conversion, and that output files are deleted when you click the X or after 24 hours. It says files are kept in the European Union, and that the service collects IP address, file types, duration, and a success flag. That is their policy text. It is not an audit.
An extractor the README says never opens a socket
HatchZip is already a directory row, added on 2026-10-24. The README, read on 2026-10-29, says the program does not connect to the network, has no networking code and no networking library, and collects nothing and sends nothing. It names deny.toml as the file CI uses to fail if an HTTP, TLS, or socket crate enters the dependency tree. We did not audit that file, and we did not run the binary.
The same README says downloads come from the GitHub releases and from hatchzip.dev, and that other sites using the name, such as hatchzip.com, are not affiliated with the project. The directory URL is the repository. A page that asks you to upload an archive is a different product. How archives differ from image, audio, document, and video work is the format matrix. Installing the program is covered in self-host a file converter, next to the notes on vertd's port.
Where to go next
The decision guide is how to choose an online file converter. Hosting the video worker yourself is self-host a file converter. The directory entry is VERT. Model scores are a different label system: how FrontierDot labels benchmarks. Another project whose README describes a browser tool that keeps files on the device is in the AnyPS5 timeline. All notes are on the Front blog index.
Keep reading on Front
Every post, newest first, is on the Front blog index.
- How to choose an online file converter: where the file goes, before which logo you pick.
- Self-host a file converter: the video daemon on a machine you administer.
- What the VERT README says: the repository sentences, including the video asterisk.
- AnyPS5 timeline: the PS5-to-PC porting tool, dated from its own repository.
FAQ
Does a converter that says local still upload video?
On VERT, the FAQ and the about page say some video is uploaded, while the homepage says all processing stays on the device. Read both. Non-video is the part those pages agree stays local.
Does a 24-hour deletion promise mean the file was deleted?
It means the privacy page says that. CloudConvert and Convertio both write 24 hours for at least the output or the automatic case. We did not watch a file disappear.
Are analytics the same thing as uploading the file?
No. VERT's privacy page describes anonymous analytics and, separately, the file bytes. An analytics request can exist even when the file stays on the device. The build flag in the FAQ is how they say you can turn external requests off.
Does HatchZip upload the archive?
The README says it does not connect to the network and sends nothing. That sentence is about this program. We did not capture packets, and the sentence does not describe CloudConvert or Convertio.