ConvertX

What is ConvertX?

ConvertX is a self-hosted, open source file converter that runs in your web browser. It converts images, video, audio, documents, ebooks, vector graphics, and even 3D assets between more than a thousand formats, using proven open source engines like FFmpeg, ImageMagick, and Calibre — all on your own server, so files never leave your machine.

What is ConvertX best for?

People who convert files regularly and don’t want to upload private documents, media, or work files to a cloud service. It fits home-lab and self-hosting setups where one small container replaces a handful of online converters, and teams who want file conversion sitting behind their own login instead of a third-party site.

What can ConvertX do?

• Convert across 1000+ formats spanning images, video, audio, documents, ebooks, vector, and 3D files
• Bundle 16+ conversion engines (FFmpeg, ImageMagick, GraphicsMagick, libvips, Calibre, Pandoc, LibreOffice, Inkscape, Assimp, and more) behind one interface
• Batch-convert multiple files in a single job
• Protect access with user accounts and JWT authentication, and disable open registration
• Auto-delete converted files after a set number of hours for privacy
• Tune concurrency and pass custom FFmpeg arguments — including hardware acceleration — through environment variables
• Deploy as a single Docker container on port 3000 with a volume for persistent storage

Where does ConvertX fall short?

• You can’t set conversion quality per file from the web interface. Presets such as FFmpeg quality flags are configured once at deploy time through environment variables, so ad-hoc “make just this one smaller” tweaks aren’t available in the UI.
• The format picker is a single long, unsorted list with no shortcuts for common targets, and audio and video options can look identical — so choosing the right output format takes some hunting.
• Heavy jobs run entirely on your own hardware. A large video conversion on a CPU-only box (a multi-gigabyte file on a NAS, for example) can be slow, and GPU acceleration means hand-configuring FFmpeg arguments rather than flipping a one-click toggle.

Is ConvertX free?

Yes — ConvertX is completely free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. There is no paid tier, no per-conversion credits, and no file-size cap beyond what your own hardware allows. Your only cost is the server you run it on.

What does ConvertX replace?

ConvertX is a self-hosted alternative to cloud conversion services like CloudConvert, Zamzar, and Convertio. Those services charge per conversion, per minute, or through monthly credits and require uploading your files to their servers. ConvertX does the same job on hardware you control, with no usage limits and no data leaving your network.

FAQ

Is ConvertX open source? Yes. ConvertX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and the full source is on GitHub. The AGPL means that if you offer a modified version as a network service, you must share your changes.

Can I self-host ConvertX for free? Yes. It’s built to be self-hosted and free to run — deploy the Docker image, mount a volume, and you only pay for the server. There’s no license fee or conversion quota.

Is ConvertX a good CloudConvert alternative? For privacy-conscious and high-volume use, yes — no upload limits, no per-conversion billing, and files stay on your server. CloudConvert still tends to win on interface polish and per-file quality controls.

What do I need to run ConvertX? A machine that can run Docker. It ships as a container listening on port 3000; add a persistent volume for storage and set a JWT secret. Heavier media conversions benefit from more CPU, or from configured hardware acceleration.