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TeraConvert vs Convertio
Convertio uploads your files to its servers to convert them. TeraConvert converts them on your Mac, so they never leave your device.
Last updated:
What it costs over a year
Pay once, or pay every month.
$83.88/year
Lite plan, 1,000 credits per month
$6.99/month billed annually, or $11.99 month-to-month
TeraConvert$29 once
TeraConvert Pro, lifetime license
No subscription. Every future update included.
Convertio bills monthly or annually across four tiers (Lite, Basic, Pro, and Custom); Lite is the cheapest. Annual billing brings Lite to $6.99 a month, which is $83.88 a year. TeraConvert Pro is a single $29 with no credits and no monthly counting.
What's the same
Where TeraConvert and Convertio agree.
A comparison is easy to skew. So before the differences, here is what both tools genuinely do the same, so the rest of the page is a fair fight.
- Both convert a wide range of formats across images, video, audio, and documents.
- Both are free to start, with no account needed for basic conversions.
- Both keep the basic flow simple: pick a file, pick a format, convert.
The core difference
Convertio sends your files out. TeraConvert keeps them in.
Convertio is a server-side service: it says your files upload to its servers in the European Union, get converted there, and are then deleted, input files instantly and output files within 24 hours. TeraConvert is built the other way around. There is no server and no upload. The desktop app runs every conversion on your Mac with native engines, so your files are never sent anywhere in the first place.
Straight from Convertio's privacy policy.
Convertio
- Your file uploads to their servers
- It is converted in the cloud, then sent back as a download
- It leaves your device to be processed
TeraConvert
- Converts on your Mac with native engines
- No server, so nothing is uploaded
- Nothing can be kept, leaked, or subpoenaed
Side by side
TeraConvert vs Convertio
| Feature | TeraConvert | Convertio |
|---|---|---|
| Files leave your device | No Converted on your Mac | Yes Servers in the European Union |
| Converts offline | Yes | No Needs a connection |
| Conversions supported | 800+ | 300+ 25,600+ conversion pairs advertised |
| Batch conversion | Yes | Yes 50+ concurrent, by plan |
| OCR | Yes Local, via Tesseract | Yes 10 pages a day on free |
| File size cap | None | 100 MB free Per their Terms of Service |
| Files kept on a server | No There is no server | Up to 24h Inputs deleted instantly, outputs within 24 hours |
| Developer API | No Desktop app, not a service | Yes 25 conversions a day on free |
| Runs on any OS | Yes Web app anywhere, Mac desktop | Yes Any browser |
| Account required | No Free tier needs no account | No For basic conversions |
| Price | $29 one-time | From $6.99/mo $83.88/yr billed annually |
Convertio figures are from its own published pages, verified July 19, 2026. See sources at the foot of the page.
Not on a Mac?
The full 800+ format app is macOS only for now, but TeraConvert's free web app runs 200+ conversions right in your browser on any operating system, with the same promise: your files are converted on your device and never uploaded.
Why people switch
What you get by moving to TeraConvert.
Your files never leave the Mac
Convertio uploads your file to a server in the European Union, converts it there, and deletes it later. TeraConvert skips the upload entirely. The conversion happens on your machine, so there is no copy sitting on someone else's server to trust, leak, or subpoena, no matter which country it sits in.
One price, not a subscription
Convertio's cheapest recurring plan, Lite, is $6.99 a month billed annually, which works out to $83.88 a year, and the free tier stops at 10 conversion minutes a day. TeraConvert Pro is $29 once, with unlimited conversions and no monthly counting.
No daily minute limit, no ads
The free Convertio plan caps you at 10 conversion minutes per 24 hours and shows ads; paid plans advertise ad-free pages. TeraConvert runs at native speed on your own hardware, with no minute meter, no ads, and no daily ceiling to hit.
800+ conversions locally, including the awkward ones
TeraConvert runs 800+ conversions on the desktop app and 200+ in any browser, all without an upload. The local engines handle the formats online tools often push behind a paywall or a sign-in: HEIC from an iPhone, camera RAW files, EPUB ebooks, and larger video and audio files.
The honest bit
When Convertio is the better choice.
TeraConvert is not for everyone. If any of these describe you, Convertio is genuinely the better tool and it would be dishonest to say otherwise.
- You want the widest advertised format list. Convertio markets more than 300 formats and over 25,600 conversion pairs, including some niche ones. TeraConvert covers 800+ conversions, but some of the obscure pairs Convertio lists may not be in that set.
- You need a conversion API. Convertio offers a REST API with a free allowance of 25 conversions a day. TeraConvert is a desktop app, not a service, so it has no API at all.
- You want the full app on Windows or Linux today. Convertio runs in any browser. TeraConvert's free web app runs 200+ conversions in any browser, but the complete 800+ desktop app is Mac-only for now.
Switching is easy
Moving over takes about a minute.
There is nothing to migrate. No account to move, no files to re-upload, no settings to port. You just start converting.
- 1
Download the app
It is free and installs like any other Mac app. No account needed to start converting.
- 2
Drag your file in
Drop the file you were about to upload somewhere else. Nothing leaves your Mac.
- 3
Convert on your device
It converts locally and saves wherever you want. That is the whole move, no export or import.
Questions about Convertio and TeraConvert.
Is Convertio safe?
Convertio uploads your files to its servers in the European Union, and its privacy policy says it deletes input files instantly after conversion and output files within 24 hours. That is more transparent than many online converters. But the files still leave your device to be processed. TeraConvert converts on your Mac, so there is nothing to upload and nothing kept on a server.
Is Convertio free?
There is a free tier: 10 conversion minutes a day, up to 100 MB per file under their Terms, OCR limited to 10 pages a day, and ads on the page. Past that it is a subscription, starting at Lite for $6.99 a month billed annually. TeraConvert is free to download with 200+ conversions, and Pro unlocks 800+ for a one-time $29.
What is the best Convertio alternative for privacy?
If privacy is your reason for switching, a local converter is the answer, because the only way a file cannot be exposed on a server is to never send it to one. TeraConvert runs entirely on your Mac. There is no upload, no account needed for the free tier, and no server that could keep a copy, in the EU or anywhere else.
Does TeraConvert have OCR and an API like Convertio?
TeraConvert has OCR: it runs Tesseract locally on your Mac, so scanned pages turn into text without uploading them. It does not have an API. TeraConvert is a desktop app, not a service, so if you need to convert files inside a pipeline or a backend, Convertio's API is the better tool. TeraConvert is for converting your own files on your own machine.
Convertio's site says 1 GB, so why do you list 100 MB?
Convertio's homepage drop zone advertises a 1 GB maximum file size on the free tier, but its Terms of Service, which is the binding document, states a maximum of 100 MB single file size for free usage. We list the 100 MB Terms figure because that is the enforceable one. Paid plans raise the cap. TeraConvert Pro has no size cap at all, because the file never leaves your machine.
Convert files without uploading them.
TeraConvert is free to download and works on your Mac. Pro unlocks 800+ formats, batch conversion, and no size caps for a one-time $29.
Sources
- Convertio homepage — https://convertio.co/ (read 2026-07-19)
- Convertio terms — https://convertio.co/terms/ (read 2026-07-19)
- Convertio privacy policy — https://convertio.co/privacy/ (read 2026-07-19)
- Convertio pricing — https://convertio.co/pricing/ (read 2026-07-19)
Convertio is a trademark of its respective owner. TeraConvert is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Convertio. Comparisons reflect each product as published on the dates above and may change; if something is out of date, please let us know.