CloudConvert Not Working: Causes and an Alternative With No Minute Limits
If CloudConvert stops converting partway through your day, or asks you to create an account or buy credits, it's not a one-off glitch — that's how its free plan is designed to work. Here's why it happens, and an alternative without that quota: PullVid's converter, which processes the file in your own browser.
1. Daily conversion-minutes quota
CloudConvert's free plan doesn't cap the number of files, it caps minutes of conversion per day (around 25 free minutes). A couple of long videos, or several large files back to back, can burn through that quota before you're done, and from then on conversion stops until the next day.
2. It asks for an account or credits to continue
As soon as you run out of free minutes, the only way to keep converting is to create an account and buy paid credits. For a one-off, simple conversion — turning a phone video into MP3, say — signing up and paying is a lot more than most people are looking for.
3. Conversion fails or gets stuck in a queue
Since the file gets uploaded to cloud servers to be processed there, during busy periods your conversion can end up queued behind other users, or simply fail on heavy files if the upload cuts off partway through.
4. The file passes through their server
CloudConvert's whole model is built on uploading your file to the cloud, converting it there, and sending it back. That means upload time, dependence on their server, and, for some users, the discomfort of a personal file passing through a third party before it comes back to you.
The alternative: no minutes quota, no upload at all
Our converter runs ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly directly in your browser: there are no minutes to count and no account to create, because there's no server involved. The file stays on your device from start to finish. The only real limit is your own browser's memory and processing power — not a daily quota designed to sell you credits.
- Convert MP4 to MP3: extract the audio without uploading the video.
- Convert MKV to MP4: instant remux or automatic re-encoding depending on the codec.
- Convert MOV to MP4: for videos recorded on an iPhone.
Check the rest of our available conversions in the converter hub. And if what you're after first is shrinking a heavy video into a lighter container, see how to convert an MKV to MP4.
Frequently asked questions
Why does CloudConvert stop working partway through the day?
Because the free plan caps daily conversion minutes (around 25 minutes), not the number of files. Once that quota runs out, you have to wait until the next day or create a paid account.
Can I use CloudConvert free without an account?
Yes, up to the daily minutes quota. Once you go over that limit, it asks for sign-up and paid credits to keep converting.
Is there an alternative with no minute limit?
Yes: a converter that processes the file in your own browser, like ours, doesn't depend on a shared server, so there's no minutes quota to track and no account to create.
Is it safe to upload my files to CloudConvert?
It's an established service, but like any converter that uploads your file to a server, it means a third party temporarily processes your file. If you'd rather it never leave your device, use a converter that runs in the browser.
Does the browser-based alternative work just as well with long videos?
Yes, though long videos that need re-encoding (say, from HEVC to H.264) take longer the longer they run and the less powerful your device is. For those cases, a computer is faster than a phone.
Use our free tool — no sign-up required.
Convert video and audio online for free
Daniel Carter
Technical writer · PullVid team
Daniel writes about video downloading, formats, and web tools at PullVid.
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