Docx to PDF in the Browser Using Pandoc and Typst (WASM)
Get picks like this daily. Today's launch numbers, the top launches, AI and tech news, and a daily opportunity pick, straight to your inbox.
Want to reach these readers? Sponsor an issue.
Hi HN,I wanted a way to convert .docx to .pdf without uploading my files to a random server or installing a 2GB LaTeX distribution.I built a simple tool that runs Pandoc and Typst entirely in the browser via WebAssembly.How it works:- Pandoc (WASM) parses the .docx file.- It outputs Typst markup.- Typst (WASM) compiles that markup into a PDF.Status: It's still a work in progress. It handles basic formatting, tables, and images well enough for daily use, though complex Word layouts might still be a bit wonky.Why this?- Privacy: Everything stays in your browser.- Speed: No server round-trips.- Lightweight: No need to install Pandoc or Typst locally.Check it out: https://toolkuai.com/word-to-pdfFeedback is welcome, especially on how to better map Word styles to Typst.
HN · launched Feb 9, 2026 · 6 upvotes (top 72%) · 2 views
Niche: browser-based file converters · 213 launches, 34 in the last 7 days ▲ +79% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Dev tools
- Developer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 213 launches in browser-based file converters →
Could you build this?
Yes The project connects existing pre-compiled WebAssembly builds of Pandoc and Typst inside the browser to transpile DOCX to Typst markup and render it as PDF. Vibe coding can easily assemble the client-side JavaScript glue and UI around these WASM binaries.
Discussion
1 comment analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: Doc2PDF.vbs script
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 827 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #797 of 828 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 100 days after the earliest competitor.
- MDXport · hn · 2025-12-17 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.72
- Rudoc · hn · 2026-07-25 · 17 upvotes · similarity 0.64
- Word to LaTeX (Offline) · ph · 2026-10-23 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.63
- Altto · ph · 2026-09-17 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.59
- DOCX to PDF · ph · 2026-11-11 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.57
- How far can you push file conversion into the browser? · hn · 2026-02-19 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.55
- Docx-to-Markdown · hn · 2026-09-16 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.54
- PDFTransfer · ph · 2026-10-06 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.53
The niche, labels, vibe code rating and competitor comparison on this page are analysis by Nicheloom. If you use them, please credit nicheloom.com. How you may use our data.