From 0 to 400 users in 2 months — building a free tools platform for Pakistan"

I built 38 free tools in 2 months. Here is what I learned:

The problem: I kept switching between 5-6 websites for basic tasks — a word counter here, a PDF compressor there, a CGPA calculator that did not even use Pakistan's HEC grading scale.

So I built ToolForge — one place for all of them.

What is inside:

-> Pakistani calculators: CGPA (HEC scale), EMI (bank rates), Zakat (2026 nisab)

-> Developer tools: online compiler, AI code explainer, UUID/QR/Base64 generators

-> PDF tools: compress, merge, split, rotate, unlock, watermark, lock

-> AI tools: grammar checker, text summarizer, background remover

The hardest part was not the code. It was getting Google to index 65+ pages in 6 weeks.

Currently at 400 monthly users. Goal is 1 lakh by end of year.

Live at freetoolforge.org — everything is free forever.

What free online tool do you use most that drives you crazy?