About stoolme
stoolme is an independent project that builds small, useful browser tools and gives them away for free. This page explains who we are, how the site is run, and the principles we work to.
What stoolme is
stoolme is a growing catalog of free utilities — word counters, JSON formatters, QR generators, color tools, calculators, and more. Every tool runs entirely in your browser using plain JavaScript: nothing you type or paste is sent to a server.
The project began in 2024 as a personal scratch pad. After answering "is there a clean version of this online?" enough times for friends and coworkers, we started publishing tools one at a time. The catalog grows by roughly one new tool every two weeks, prioritized by reader requests.
Our principles
- Tools first. The widget at the top of the page is the product. The guide below it exists to help, not to pad the page for search engines.
- Run in the browser. If a tool can be written client-side, it must be. This protects user privacy and keeps the site fast.
- No dark patterns. No fake urgency, no "pro" upsells, no email walls. If a feature is missing, the page says so.
- Documented behavior. Every tool explains what it does, where it fails, and where it differs from look-alike tools.
- Light pages. Most tool pages weigh under 50 KB and work on a slow phone connection.
Who runs the site
stoolme is built and maintained by a tiny independent team led by Daniel A., a software engineer based in Berlin with twelve years of experience building developer tools at companies you've probably used. Editorial and quality-assurance work is shared with two long-time collaborators. We are not a large company; there is no marketing department, no growth hacking, no investors.
Because we are small, we move slowly but deliberately. New tools are reviewed by at least one other person before publishing, and we keep a public changelog of what's been added or changed.
How the site is funded
stoolme is supported by a small number of unobtrusive display ads served via Google AdSense and by reader donations. Ads are placed in a way that doesn't interrupt your use of a tool — typically at the bottom of long-form guides or between sections, never inside an input or near a button.
If you'd like to support the project without ads, we accept one-off donations via the email on the contact page. We do not currently offer a paid tier; the tools are free for everyone, today and indefinitely.
What we will never do
- Sell, share, or rent user data. (We don't collect personal data to begin with — see the privacy policy.)
- Send your text, images, or other inputs to a server for processing.
- Add a "premium" tier and gate existing free features behind it.
- Run interstitial, auto-playing video, or sticky pop-up ads.
- Use AI-generated filler content to game search rankings.
How tools get added
The roadmap is driven by reader requests received via the contact page. We tally suggestions weekly. A tool gets built when it satisfies three criteria:
- It can be implemented well in plain client-side JavaScript.
- It has a clear, narrow scope (one job, done well).
- At least three independent people have asked for something similar.
Before publishing, every tool goes through a checklist: keyboard navigation, mobile layout, copy-to-clipboard support, edge-case inputs, and a written guide of at least 500 words explaining the underlying concept.
Accessibility
We aim for WCAG 2.2 AA on every page. That means meaningful headings, visible focus states, sufficient color contrast, and form labels that are read aloud correctly by screen readers. If you encounter an accessibility problem, please file a report via the contact page. We treat accessibility bugs the same as functional bugs.
Editorial standards
The guides published with each tool are written by people, not by language models. We may use AI tools to draft outlines or check grammar, but every published sentence is reviewed by a human editor. When a guide describes a standard (such as RFC 4122 for UUIDs, or RFC 3986 for URI encoding), we link to the underlying specification so you can verify the claim.
Where a tool produces results that vary by jurisdiction or context — for example, the loan calculator or the BMI calculator — we say so plainly and link to authoritative sources for the underlying figures.
Get in touch
We read every message that comes through the contact page. Tool requests, bug reports, accessibility issues, and corrections all go to the same address; we reply within a few working days. If you'd prefer not to write, you can also reach us by email at [email protected].