Side by side
| Capability | PurifyAI | Upload-based sites |
|---|---|---|
| Where processing happens | In your browser tab. No upload endpoint exists. | On the provider's servers, after your file is transmitted. |
| Client media under NDA | Nothing is disclosed to a third-party processor. | Typically requires a DPA and client approval. |
| Quality after metadata removal | Lossless. The container is rewritten; pixels are copied through. | Usually re-encoded, costing a generation of quality. |
| ICC colour profile | Preserved deliberately, including in JPEG APP2. | Commonly discarded during re-encode. |
| Visibility into what was removed | Lists every segment with size and preview before removal. | Usually a black box — you get a file back. |
| Works offline | Once the page is loaded, no network is needed. | Requires a live connection for every operation. |
| File size limits | Bounded by your own device memory, not a plan tier. | Often capped, with larger files behind a paywall. |
| Heavy video re-encoding | Not possible at usable speed in a browser. | Server-side transcoding handles this well. |
| AI object removal / generative fill | Not offered — this is a metadata and masking tool. | Some services offer model-based inpainting. |
Which one you actually want
Reach for PurifyAI when
- You are handling client work and cannot upload it to a third party.
- You need the output to be pixel-identical to the input.
- You want to see exactly what metadata a file carries before deciding.
- You are processing many files and do not want per-file upload latency.
- You need a signed DPA that covers account data only, not media.
Use upload-based sites when
- You need a full video re-encode with a watermark removed across every frame.
- You want generative object removal that reconstructs complex backgrounds.
- You are working on a device that cannot run the processing locally.
- The media is not sensitive and convenience matters more than provenance.
We would rather point you at the right tool than win a comparison table. If your job is genuinely a video transcode, a browser is the wrong place to do it, and no amount of framing changes that.
Common questions
How do I verify PurifyAI really does not upload my file?
Open your browser developer tools, go to the Network tab, tick "Preserve log", then scan a file. You will see the page assets load and nothing else. There is no request carrying your media, because there is no endpoint to send it to.
Is local processing slower?
For metadata scrubbing it is considerably faster, because there is no upload, no queue and no download. A typical image finishes in well under a second. Local processing is only slower for genuinely compute-heavy work like video transcoding.
Do upload-based services delete my files?
Most say they do, usually within some retention window. That is a policy commitment rather than a technical guarantee, and it does not change the fact that the file was transmitted and processed on infrastructure you do not control. Whether that matters depends entirely on what the file is.
Try it on your own file
Free, no account, and you can watch the network tab stay empty.