Why Choose PixBlur Over Other Image Redaction Tools

1. A Free Editor That Never Uploads Your Images

Here's what most "free" online tools don't tell you: your images get uploaded to their servers. For a privacy tool, that's a problem.

PixBlur's manual editor runs 100% in your browser. Your images never leave your device. No uploads. No server processing. No account required. Open the editor, drop in an image, redact what you need, and export. That's it.

This isn't just a privacy feature — it's also faster. No waiting for uploads or server processing. Everything happens instantly on your machine.

Try the free editor now →

2. Tools That Work the Way You Expect

Photoshop's blur tool requires multiple passes to get decent coverage. Most online tools give you a single brush with no options. PixBlur gives you a complete toolkit that's still simple to use:

• Shape tools: Rectangle and circle for quick coverage of faces, text blocks, or any rectangular area
• Freehand drawing: Trace irregular shapes with adjustable stroke width (2px, 4px, or 8px)
• Emoji masks: Cover faces with emojis instead of blurring — sometimes privacy can be playful
• Image overlays: Drop in your own images as masks for watermarks or custom coverage

Each mask can use blur, pixelate, or solid color. Click to place, drag to resize, done. Undo and redo work exactly as you'd expect (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z), with 10 steps of history.

3. Choose Your Security Level

Not all redaction methods are equally secure. Blur and pixelation can sometimes be reversed using AI de-blurring tools — especially for text. Solid color masks are impossible to undo.

PixBlur gives you all three options so you can choose based on your situation:

• Solid color: Complete coverage. Impossible to reverse. Best for sensitive documents, IDs, or financial info.
• Pixelate: Strong obscuring. Good for faces or license plates where complete erasure looks unnatural.
• Gaussian blur: Soft, natural look. Good for backgrounds or when you want to de-emphasize without harsh edges.

Pro tip: For text containing passwords, addresses, or financial details, always use solid color. It's the only method that's truly irreversible.

4. AI Redaction You Can Actually Review

Many AI tools work like a black box: upload your image, get a result, hope for the best. If the AI misses something or covers the wrong area, you're stuck re-uploading and trying again.

PixBlur's AI — powered by Google Gemini — achieves >98% accuracy for both face and sensitive text redaction. It doesn't just recognize text; it understands context to identify what's actually sensitive: names, phone numbers, addresses, IDs, financial info, and more. The AI supports 100+ languages, so it works regardless of what language your documents are in.

But here's what makes PixBlur different: you can review and adjust every mask the AI creates. If something isn't quite right, you can:

• Move or resize any mask that's slightly off
• Delete masks that shouldn't be there
• Add new masks the AI missed
• Change the masking style (blur → solid, etc.)

The AI handles the tedious work of finding sensitive content. You stay in control of what actually gets redacted.

5. Pay Once, No Subscription

Enterprise redaction tools charge $200-$950 per month. For occasional use, that's absurd. PixBlur uses a simple credit system:

• Manual editing: Always free, no limits
• AI redaction: 1 credit per image
• Credits never expire: Buy credits starting at $1.50, use them whenever you need
• Refunds anytime: Unused credits can be refunded — no time limit
• New accounts: Start with 5 free credits to try AI redaction

If you only need to redact images once a month, you pay for that one image. If you need to process 200 images, the Large package ($16 for 200 credits) brings the cost down to $0.08 per image.

6. Batch Processing Without APIs

Need to redact dozens or hundreds of images? Most solutions require you to integrate an API, write code, and build your own review interface. PixBlur offers batch processing for everyone:

• Select a folder: Choose images from your computer
• Process in batches: 10 images at a time to prevent browser overload
• Review each result: Preview, edit masks if needed
• Download as ZIP: Each batch exports as a separate ZIP file

No command line. No API keys. No coding. Just a visual workflow that handles volume without sacrificing the ability to review results.

Try batch processing →

7. Full Resolution + Automatic EXIF Removal

Some tools compress your images or limit export resolution unless you pay extra. PixBlur exports at your original resolution — always.

And here's something many people forget: your images contain hidden data that can reveal your location. EXIF metadata embedded in JPEG files often includes GPS coordinates, camera model, and timestamps.

PixBlur automatically strips all EXIF metadata from exported images. You don't need to remember to do it — it happens by default.

8. Privacy by Design

PixBlur handles your images differently depending on which mode you use:

• Manual editing: Images never leave your browser. Zero server contact.
• AI redaction: Images are sent for processing, then immediately discarded. We don't store your originals, don't log image data, and don't use your images for AI training.

If you use an account for AI features, you can export all your data or delete your account entirely from the dashboard.

Get Started

Start with the free manual editor — no account needed. When you want AI to handle the redaction work, sign up and get 5 free credits to try it out. You keep full control over every mask before exporting.