Compare
TeraConvert vs FreeConvert
FreeConvert 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.
$155.88/year
Subscription, 1,500 conversion minutes per month
From $12.99/month on the Basic plan
TeraConvert$29 once
TeraConvert Pro, lifetime license
No subscription. Every future update included.
That $155.88 is the Basic monthly rate times twelve. FreeConvert's pricing page does not show a separate annual-billing discount, so this is the rate as published in July 2026. The free plan gives 20 conversion minutes a day and 1 GB per file. TeraConvert Pro is a single $29 with no minutes and no limit.
What's the same
Where TeraConvert and FreeConvert 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
One uploads to a server. One stays on your machine.
FreeConvert is clear about how it works: it stores your files on Amazon S3 in Ireland, converts them there, and deletes them after 8 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 FreeConvert's privacy policy.
FreeConvert
- 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 FreeConvert
| Feature | TeraConvert | FreeConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Files leave your device | No Converted on your Mac | Yes Stored on Amazon S3 in Ireland |
| Converts offline | Yes | No Needs a connection |
| Conversions supported | 800+ | 1,500+ Published count |
| Batch conversion | Yes | Yes 100 at once on paid |
| File size cap | None | 1 GB free Up to 20 GB on paid |
| Files kept on a server | No There is no server | Up to 8h Auto-deleted after 8 hours |
| Developer API | No Desktop app, not a service | Yes Web + API on paid plans |
| Runs on any OS | Yes Web app anywhere, Mac desktop | Yes Any browser |
| Account required | No Free tier needs no account | No For website use |
| Ads | None | Yes On the free plan |
| Price | $29 one-time | From $12.99/mo $155.88/yr billed monthly |
FreeConvert 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
FreeConvert uploads your file to Amazon S3 in Ireland, converts it there, and deletes it after 8 hours. 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 ads, ever
FreeConvert's free plan shows ads, and paying is partly how you get rid of them. TeraConvert has no ads on any tier. The free app is clean, and Pro just unlocks more formats and batch conversion.
One price, not a monthly meter
FreeConvert bills conversion minutes on a subscription: the cheapest plan is $12.99 a month, which works out to $155.88 a year. TeraConvert Pro is $29 once, forever, with unlimited conversions and no minutes to count.
800+ formats, all local
TeraConvert runs 800+ conversions on your own hardware, including the awkward ones browsers struggle with: HEIC from an iPhone, camera RAW files, EPUB ebooks, and office documents with better layout fidelity. No queue, no daily minute allowance, no upload.
The honest bit
When FreeConvert is the better choice.
TeraConvert is not for everyone. If any of these describe you, FreeConvert is genuinely the better tool and it would be dishonest to say otherwise.
- You have a very large file. FreeConvert handles 1 GB on the free plan and advertises up to 20 GB on its paid tiers, which is generous for a browser tool and can matter for a single big video or archive.
- You want the widest published format range and an API. FreeConvert lists more than 1,500 conversions and offers Web plus API access on every paid plan, so it covers pipelines and backends that a desktop app cannot.
- You need it on Windows or Linux today. FreeConvert runs in any browser, and its higher tiers add GPU-accelerated video encoding and batch merge of up to 100 files. TeraConvert's free web app runs 200+ conversions in any browser, but the full 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 FreeConvert and TeraConvert.
Is FreeConvert safe?
FreeConvert uploads your files to Amazon S3 in Ireland, and its privacy policy says it deletes them after 8 hours and does not access or view them without your consent. 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 FreeConvert really free?
There is a free tier: 20 conversion minutes a day, 5 minutes per file, up to 1 GB per file, with ads. Past that it is a subscription, starting at $12.99 a month for more minutes and no ads. TeraConvert is free to download with 200+ conversions and no ads, and Pro unlocks 800+ for a one-time $29.
What is the best FreeConvert 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.
Does FreeConvert have ads?
Yes, on the free plan. FreeConvert's own pricing lists no ads as a paid-plan perk, and its homepage pitches converting large files without a queue or ads. TeraConvert has no ads on any tier.
How much does TeraConvert cost compared to FreeConvert?
TeraConvert Pro is $29 once, forever, with every future update included. FreeConvert's cheapest plan is $12.99 a month, which works out to $155.88 a year, and it is metered by conversion minutes rather than unlimited. Over a single year the difference is large.
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
- FreeConvert pricing — https://www.freeconvert.com/pricing (read 2026-07-19)
- FreeConvert homepage — https://www.freeconvert.com/ (read 2026-07-19)
- FreeConvert privacy policy — https://www.freeconvert.com/privacy (read 2026-07-19)
FreeConvert is a trademark of its respective owner. TeraConvert is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FreeConvert. Comparisons reflect each product as published on the dates above and may change; if something is out of date, please let us know.