The internet is full of genuinely useful free tools that most people never discover. As an IT professional you already know the obvious ones — but these ten sites are the hidden gems that will save you time, solve real problems and make you look like a wizard in front of your colleagues. Bookmark all of them.
1. privacy.sexy — Harden Windows Privacy with One Click
privacy.sexy generates ready-to-run PowerShell and batch scripts to lock down Windows privacy settings. Choose from hundreds of individual tweaks — disable telemetry, remove bloatware, harden Group Policy settings — and it generates a clean script you can run immediately or save for deployment across your estate.
Best for: Sysadmins deploying hardened Windows builds, IT security teams, anyone who wants to strip Windows telemetry quickly.
Cost: Completely free and open source.
2. Diffchecker — Compare Any Two Files Side by Side
Diffchecker instantly compares two documents, code files, spreadsheets or images and highlights every difference. Paste in two versions of a PowerShell script, a Group Policy export or a config file and it shows you exactly what changed — line by line, colour coded.
Best for: Reviewing config changes, comparing script versions, spotting differences in exported settings files.
Cost: Free for basic use. Paid plan adds PDF and Excel comparison.
3. Archive.today — Save Any Webpage Forever
Archive.today takes a permanent snapshot of any webpage. Paste in a URL and it captures the page exactly as it appears right now — even if the original is later deleted, changed or taken offline. Unlike a screenshot, you can interact with the saved page.
Best for: Preserving vendor documentation that gets removed, capturing error messages, archiving pages for IT auditing purposes.
Cost: Completely free.
4. downforeveryoneorjustme.com — Is It Down or Is It You?
downforeveryoneorjustme.com tells you in seconds whether a website is genuinely down for everyone or just failing for you. Type in any URL and it tests it from multiple external locations. Saves you hours of unnecessary troubleshooting when the problem is actually on the vendor’s end.
Best for: First line troubleshooting when a service is unreachable, confirming outages before escalating to vendors.
Cost: Completely free.
5. Snapdrop — AirDrop for Every Device
Snapdrop lets you transfer files between any devices on the same network directly in the browser — no app, no account, no cables. It works between Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Think of it as AirDrop that works everywhere.
Best for: Quickly moving files between a Windows PC and a phone, transferring files during on-site visits without needing USB drives or cloud accounts.
Cost: Completely free and open source.
6. Privnote — Self-Destructing Encrypted Notes
Privnote lets you create a note that automatically self-destructs after it has been read once. You get a unique link to share — the moment the recipient opens it, the note is gone forever. You can add password protection and receive a notification when the note has been read.
Best for: Sharing temporary passwords, one-time credentials or sensitive information that shouldn’t persist in email or chat history.
Cost: Completely free.
7. CamelCamelCamel — Amazon Price History Tracker
CamelCamelCamel tracks the full price history of any Amazon product and alerts you when prices drop. Paste in any Amazon URL and see a graph of every price change since the product was listed. Set up price alerts via email so you never overpay for hardware or equipment again.
Best for: IT procurement, buying hardware at the right time, spotting whether a “sale” is genuinely a good deal.
Cost: Completely free.
8. RAWGraphs — Advanced Data Visualisation from CSV
RAWGraphs turns CSV data into advanced charts that Excel simply cannot produce — alluvial diagrams, treemaps, bump charts, contour plots and more. Paste your data in, choose a chart type, map your columns to visual axes and export SVG or PNG. No account required, everything runs in the browser.
Best for: Creating advanced visualisations for SCCM or Active Directory reports, presenting complex data to management without needing Tableau or Power BI.
Cost: Completely free and open source.
9. WhatTheFont — Identify Any Font Instantly
WhatTheFont identifies any font from an image upload. Take a screenshot of a font you like, upload it and WhatTheFont identifies it within seconds. Useful when you’re trying to match fonts in documentation or branding materials.
Best for: Matching fonts in corporate documentation, identifying fonts used in vendor materials, design consistency across IT assets.
Cost: Free with basic use.
10. Explainshell — Understand Any Shell Command
Explainshell breaks down any shell or PowerShell command and explains exactly what every part does. Paste in a complex command you’ve found online and it gives you a clear explanation of each flag, argument and option. Essential for understanding scripts before running them on production systems.
Best for: Understanding unfamiliar commands before running them, training junior IT staff, reviewing scripts found online.
Cost: Completely free and open source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all these websites safe to use?
Yes — all ten sites listed here are well-established, reputable tools used by IT professionals worldwide. For tools like Privnote and Snapdrop that handle data, everything is processed locally or encrypted in transit. None of these sites require you to create an account or share personal information.
Do any of these tools require a paid subscription?
No — all ten tools have completely free tiers that cover everything described in this guide. Some like Diffchecker offer optional paid plans for additional features, but the free version is more than sufficient for most IT use cases.
Can I use privacy.sexy scripts in an enterprise environment?
Yes — privacy.sexy is specifically designed for enterprise deployment. The scripts it generates are standard PowerShell and batch files that can be packaged and deployed via SCCM, Intune or Group Policy. Always test on a non-production machine first before deploying widely.
Is Snapdrop secure for transferring files?
Snapdrop uses WebRTC for direct peer-to-peer transfers between devices on the same network. Files are transferred directly between devices and never pass through a server. It is suitable for internal use but avoid using it on public networks for sensitive files.
Can I use Privnote to share passwords securely?
Privnote is a good option for sharing one-time credentials as the note self-destructs after being read. For ongoing password management in an enterprise environment, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password instead.
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