How this comparison was done
Every claim below comes from the tool's own pages and its published JavaScript, checked on 14 November 2026. No file uploads were performed to sniff network traffic, so where a site's text and its code disagree, both are quoted. If a limit is not published, it is written as "not stated" rather than guessed.
The table
| Tool | Where it runs | Account | Limit | Nested | Batch | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSVJSON | Browser, stated plainly | None | Not stated | Not stated | No | Free |
| TableConvert | Browser, stated plainly | None for the web tool | 10 MB | Not stated | No | Free (API paid) |
| ConvertCSV | Browser for paste and file; URL is read by their server | None | Not stated | Yes, via / in headers | No | Free (desktop from $1299) |
| JSON Formatter | Converts in browser, but uploads the file to /service/uploadFile | Not needed to convert | Not stated | No | No | Free |
| CodeBeautify | Conversion client-side; file upload passes through their server | Not clearly stated | 1 MB | No | No | Free |
| This site | Browser only, including drag-and-drop | None | Your machine's memory | Yes, dot-notation | Yes, + ZIP | 5 free, then $5 once |
Where the competitors are better than us
Being straight about this is cheaper than being caught out by a reader who tries both.
- CSVJSON takes input we do not. It accepts TSV, Markdown tables, multiple tables copied out of ChatGPT, and
psql/MySQL box output. If you are pasting data out of a chat window or a terminal, it is the better tool and it is free. - TableConvert gives you more output shapes. JSON object arrays, 2D arrays, column arrays, key-value pairs and a separate JSONLines route. Ours produces one structure with optional nesting.
- ConvertCSV has a desktop version. Its online converter is free, and the paid desktop/CLI builds ($1299 or $4999 a year, enterprise licences) exist for people who need batch on their own machines without a browser.
- Two of them are genuinely and permanently free. CSVJSON and TableConvert carry no counter. We allow five conversions and then ask for $5 once — that is a real difference, not a rounding error.
Where this site is different
- The file does not leave the tab, in any input mode. This is narrower than it sounds, and it is the point: JSON Formatter converts in the browser but posts uploaded files to
/service/uploadFile, and CodeBeautify states that on file upload "data traverse between server and client". So "browser-based" on their pages mostly describes pasting text. Ours covers drag-and-drop too. - Nested output with dot-notation. Write
address.cityin the column mapping and get{"address":{"city":…}}. ConvertCSV does this through/in headers; the others do not offer it. - Batch and ZIP. Drop several files, get one JSON each or a merged array. None of the five offer this on their free pages.
- .xlsx directly. No "Save as CSV" detour — the workbook is read in the browser with a sheet picker.
Which one to pick
- Pasting text from a chat or a terminal: CSVJSON. It handles formats we do not, and it is free.
- Need many output shapes or JSONLines: TableConvert.
- Client data that must not leave your machine, especially as .xlsx: this site. It is the only case where the difference is structural rather than a feature list.
- One small CSV, once: any of them. Use whichever page is already open.
Try ours
The converter is on the home page and on the CSV to JSON page. If your data is a GST return, the GSTR-1 page covers the excel-specific pitfalls — leading zeros in HSN, section splits, dates.