LocalFirstTools vs DevToys

DevToys is a free, open-source desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux with 30 default offline tools, a CLI and an extension SDK. LocalFirstTools is a website of 28 tools that run in any modern browser with no install. Use DevToys for a native app and clipboard smart detection; use LocalFirstTools when a URL on any device is the point.

Last updated 2026-10-13, factual comparison, no affiliate links.

The short verdict: DevToys is the better product if you want a native, extensible app with clipboard smart detection and a CLI for CI. LocalFirstTools is the better product if you want the same class of tools as a URL, on a phone or a locked-down laptop, with a published in-browser no-upload check. One is software you install; the other is a page you open.

Choose LocalFirstTools if…

You cannot or do not want to install an app
You need the tools on a phone, a borrowed machine or a browser-only environment
You want a public page plus a written DevTools check you can show someone else

Choose DevToys if…

You live in a desktop OS and want clipboard smart detection and compact overlay
You need a CLI in CI, or community extensions from NuGet
You want to read and extend the code

Side by side

	LocalFirstTools	DevToys
Runs where	Any modern browser, no install	Windows, macOS and Linux native apps
Default tools	28	30 default, plus community extensions
CLI / CI	No CLI	Separate DevToys CLI
License	Proprietary; source is private	Open source, extensible SDK
Offline	Yes, after the page has loaded	Yes; it is a local app
Account / ads	None	None

Strengths and trade-offs

LocalFirstTools

Zero install: a URL that works in a browser, including on a phone
Published no-upload procedure and per-build hashes
UUID v7, structural JSON diff, large CSV viewer

No native OS integration, jump list or compact overlay
No CLI for CI
Not open source and not extensible by third parties

DevToys

Native apps on Windows, macOS and Linux
Smart detection from the clipboard, extensions, CLI
Open source; 30 default tools covering converters, formatters, testers and graphics

Requires an install (or a portable build); not a page you can send as a link to a tool
The website is marketing, so sharing a DevToys URL does not open the tool for someone without the app

Install versus a URL

DevToys describes itself as a Swiss Army knife for developers: a free, open-source, privacy-focused app on Windows, macOS and Linux, with 30 default offline tools, smart detection from the clipboard, a compact overlay, and a separate CLI. That is an excellent product for someone who lives on a desktop OS and is willing to install software. LocalFirstTools will not pretend to beat native integration.

This site is the other shape: 28 tools as ordinary HTTPS pages. Paste a JWT on a phone. Format JSON on a machine that forbids installs. Send a colleague /jwt-decoder and they are in the tool. After load, you can disconnect and keep working. That is the whole bet.

Overlap

Both cover JSON and YAML, Base64, JWT, hashes, UUID, SQL and XML formatting, regex and JSONPath. DevToys also ships graphics tools (colour-blind simulator, image conversion) and GZip; LocalFirstTools does not. LocalFirstTools leans harder into data documents: a CSV viewer, structural JSON compare, and RFC 9562 UUID v7.

How to choose

If you already run DevToys, keep using it for the jobs it detects from the clipboard. Add this site for machines where you cannot install it, and for the few pages DevToys does not have. If you have never installed a toolkit, start here; switch to DevToys when the native app would save you time.

Try the local-only way

Pretty-print, beautify, minify and validate JSON in your browser, 100% client-side. Nothing is uploaded, verify it in your network tab.

Open the JSON Formatter What is UUID v7?What is a JWT? Structure, claims and how to decode one safely

Frequently asked questions

Is DevToys a website?

No. DevToys is a desktop application for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a separate CLI. The website (devtoys.app) is the product page, not the toolkit. LocalFirstTools is the opposite: a website you open in any modern browser, with no install.

Which is more private?

Both keep work off other people's servers when used as designed. DevToys is offline by being a native app. LocalFirstTools is local by running as JavaScript in the tab after the page loads, which you can check in DevTools. Install versus inspectable web page: different proofs, same idea.

Is DevToys open source?

Yes. DevToys is free and open source, with 30 default tools, community extensions and an SDK (devtoys.app and github.com/DevToys-app/DevToys). LocalFirstTools is proprietary; the source repository is private and is not offered as an open-source project.