Kivu Tools: free office tools that run in the phone browser

Part of Kivu Super App (kivu.site). On the home screen the icon is called Tools; the screen is called Tools & Office.

Kivu Tools is a set of free work tools inside Kivu Super App, an app made in Kigali, Rwanda. It is for people who need to write a letter, fill a table, scan a paper, sign a PDF or make a QR code and have only a phone. There are three groups: Productivity (Word, Tables, Slides, Scanner), AI & Creative (Voice, BG Remove, Video Editor, Music Studio, Kivu AI) and Utilities (QR Code, Converter, E-Sign, Merge PDF, Offline).

The tools work inside the browser: your documents, photos and recordings are processed on the phone and are not sent to Kivu servers, with one exception — a signed document that you choose to send to Kivu Chat. These are simple tools for everyday papers, not a full copy of a desktop office suite. Kivu AI is not open yet: the app shows "coming soon".

Key facts

Where it works	Open kivu.site in a phone browser, sign in and tap the Tools icon on the home screen.
Price	Free. There are no paid options and no adverts in the tools.
Word	A text editor with fonts, colours, lists, tables, pictures and links. Opens DOCX, HTML and TXT files. Saves as PDF or DOCX.
Tables	A spreadsheet. Opens XLSX, XLS, CSV and TSV files. Saves as an Excel file or CSV.
Slides	A presentation editor. Opens PPTX and text files. Saves as PPTX or PDF.
Scanner	Takes photos of paper pages with the camera, up to 30 pages in one document. Saves as PDF or JPG. "Recognise text" turns a page into text in 9 languages: English, French, Swahili, Russian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Arabic and Chinese.
Merge PDF	Joins several PDF files and photos into one PDF, or takes chosen pages out of a PDF
E-Sign	Puts a signature (drawn with a finger or typed), a picture of a stamp and a date on a PDF or a photo of a paper, then saves a PDF
QR Code	Makes a QR code for a link, text, Wi-Fi, a contact, a phone number, SMS, email, payment details or a place, with colours and a logo. Saves as PNG or SVG.
Converter	Changes file types: pictures to PDF, WEBP, JPG or PNG; PDF to JPG, PNG, DOCX or TXT; tables to XLSX or CSV; documents to PDF, DOCX or TXT; audio to MP3 or WAV; the sound of a video to MP3
BG Remove	Removes the background of a photo automatically, with hand tools to correct the result. The first use downloads about 50–65 MB once; after that it works without internet.
Voice	Records speech (up to 10 minutes) and turns speech or an audio file into text on the phone. Languages in the list: English, Swahili, French, Kinyarwanda, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, German.
Video Editor	Joins video clips and pictures, adds text, filters and transitions, and saves an MP4 video in 480p, 720p or 1080p
Music Studio	An audio editor: record or open a sound file, cut a part, change speed and loudness, save as MP3 or WAV
Offline	Offers a separate Android app, Kivu Offline, for sending files between nearby phones without internet
Kivu AI	Not open yet. The app shows "coming soon".
Where your documents are kept	On the phone, in "My Documents" on the Tools screen (the latest 50). They are not stored on Kivu servers.

How to use it, step by step

If you need to write a document, a table or slides

Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and tap the Tools icon.
Tap Word, Tables or Slides. The tool loads the first time with internet.
Write, or open a file from the phone (for example a DOCX or XLSX file).
The document saves itself on the phone and appears in "My Documents" at the top of the Tools screen.
To send it to someone, save it as a file (PDF, DOCX, Excel or PPTX) and share that file.
To delete a document, press and hold its card in "My Documents" and tap the red cross.

If you need to scan and sign a paper

Open Tools and tap Scanner. Allow the camera.
Take a photo of each page (up to 30). Correct the edges if needed.
Tap "Save PDF". If you need the text, tap "Recognise text" and choose the language of the paper.
To sign, open E-Sign, choose the PDF or take a photo of the paper.
Draw the signature with a finger or type your name. You can also add a picture of a stamp and the date.
Put the signature in the right place on the page and tap "Save PDF".
To join several papers into one file, open Merge PDF and add the PDF files or photos.

If you need a QR code, a smaller file or a clean photo

QR Code: choose what the code holds (a link, Wi-Fi, a contact and so on), fill it in, choose colours or a logo, and save as PNG or SVG.
Converter: choose a file, choose the new file type, convert and save. This is useful for making a picture lighter before you send it.
BG Remove: choose a photo and wait. The first time the tool downloads about 50–65 MB, so use Wi-Fi if you can. Correct the edges with the hand tools and save the picture.

If you need text from speech

Open Tools and tap Voice. Allow the microphone.
Record your speech (up to 10 minutes), or open an audio file.
The text appears in the notes. The first time the speech tool is downloaded to the phone.
Read the text and correct the mistakes, then copy it or save it as a text file.

What it costs

All tools are free. There are no paid plans, no watermarks to pay off and no limit on how many documents you make.

There are no boosts or adverts in Tools. Kivu AI is not open yet.

Each tool is downloaded when you first open it, and that uses mobile data. Most tools are small; BG Remove needs about 50–65 MB once, and the Video Editor and Voice also download extra parts the first time.
After the first download many tools open again without internet.
Your files stay on the phone, so working with them uses no mobile data.

What is good about it

Many everyday office tasks in one place and on a phone: a letter, a table, slides, a scan, a signature, a QR code.
Nothing to install from an app store: the tools open in the browser.
Your documents, photos and recordings are processed on the phone and are not uploaded to Kivu.
The usual file types open and save: DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PDF, JPG, PNG, MP3.
The scanner reads text in 9 languages, including Swahili and French.
Each tool loads only when you open it, so the app itself stays under 400 KB.
No watermarks and no adverts.
The same free account opens the other sections of Kivu, such as Library, Market and Kivu Chat.

Limits, and what protects you

What to know	What protects you
The tools are simpler than desktop office programs. A complex file made on a computer (many fonts, formulas, charts, animations) can open with changes or lose part of its look.	Keep the original file. For everyday papers — a letter, a CV, a price list, a short presentation — the tools are enough. Check the saved file before you send it.
Documents are kept only in the browser storage of this phone. Kivu has no copy. If you clear the browser data, lose the phone or change it, the documents are gone.	Save every important document as a file (PDF, DOCX, Excel, PPTX) and keep it in the phone memory or send it to yourself.
"My Documents" keeps the latest 50 documents. When there are more, the oldest ones are removed automatically.	Save old documents as files before you make many new ones.
A signature made in E-Sign is a picture placed on the PDF. It is not a certified digital signature. Some banks and state offices may not accept it.	Before you sign an important paper this way, ask the other side whether they accept it.
Text recognition in the Scanner does not know Kinyarwanda, and it makes mistakes on handwriting and bad photos.	Take the photo in good light and read the text before you use it. The scan itself (PDF or JPG) keeps the page as it is.
Speech-to-text in Voice makes mistakes, more often in Kinyarwanda and Swahili than in English, and with noise around. Live dictation uses the speech service of your browser, and the browser may send the sound to its maker to recognise it.	Always read and correct the text. For private speech, record first and then turn the audio file into text: that is done on the phone.
Heavy tools (BG Remove, Video Editor, speech-to-text) are slow on cheap phones and need a large first download. Long videos can fail on a weak phone.	BG Remove tells you the size before its big download. Use Wi-Fi, keep videos short and choose 480p or 720p.
A QR code of the type "payment" only shows the payee's details as text. It does not send money and is not a MoMo payment code.	Use it as a sign with your details. The payer still pays in their own mobile money menu and checks the name.
"Offline" is a separate Android app installed from a file, not from an app store. It does not work on iPhone.	You can use all the other tools without it. Install it only if you need to pass files between nearby phones without internet.
Kivu AI is not open yet, and the buttons of the tools are mostly in English.	The app says "coming soon" when you open Kivu AI. The other tools work now.
You need a free account, and internet for the first opening of each tool.	Signing in is free, and the same account opens all sections of Kivu.

What to know

What protects you

The tools are simpler than desktop office programs. A complex file made on a computer (many fonts, formulas, charts, animations) can open with changes or lose part of its look.

Keep the original file. For everyday papers — a letter, a CV, a price list, a short presentation — the tools are enough. Check the saved file before you send it.

Documents are kept only in the browser storage of this phone. Kivu has no copy. If you clear the browser data, lose the phone or change it, the documents are gone.

Save every important document as a file (PDF, DOCX, Excel, PPTX) and keep it in the phone memory or send it to yourself.

"My Documents" keeps the latest 50 documents. When there are more, the oldest ones are removed automatically.

Save old documents as files before you make many new ones.

A signature made in E-Sign is a picture placed on the PDF. It is not a certified digital signature. Some banks and state offices may not accept it.

Before you sign an important paper this way, ask the other side whether they accept it.

Text recognition in the Scanner does not know Kinyarwanda, and it makes mistakes on handwriting and bad photos.

Take the photo in good light and read the text before you use it. The scan itself (PDF or JPG) keeps the page as it is.

Speech-to-text in Voice makes mistakes, more often in Kinyarwanda and Swahili than in English, and with noise around. Live dictation uses the speech service of your browser, and the browser may send the sound to its maker to recognise it.

Always read and correct the text. For private speech, record first and then turn the audio file into text: that is done on the phone.

Heavy tools (BG Remove, Video Editor, speech-to-text) are slow on cheap phones and need a large first download. Long videos can fail on a weak phone.

BG Remove tells you the size before its big download. Use Wi-Fi, keep videos short and choose 480p or 720p.

A QR code of the type "payment" only shows the payee's details as text. It does not send money and is not a MoMo payment code.

Use it as a sign with your details. The payer still pays in their own mobile money menu and checks the name.

"Offline" is a separate Android app installed from a file, not from an app store. It does not work on iPhone.

You can use all the other tools without it. Install it only if you need to pass files between nearby phones without internet.

Kivu AI is not open yet, and the buttons of the tools are mostly in English.

The app says "coming soon" when you open Kivu AI. The other tools work now.

You need a free account, and internet for the first opening of each tool.

Signing in is free, and the same account opens all sections of Kivu.

What Kivu Tools does not do

It does not store your documents on its servers and cannot give them back if the phone is lost.
It does not sync documents between phones.
It does not let several people edit one document at the same time.
It does not give a certified digital signature.
It does not promise that a complex Word, Excel or PowerPoint file will look the same as on a computer.
It does not read your documents, photos or recordings: they stay on the phone.
It does not offer an AI assistant yet.

How Kivu earns from this section

Kivu earns nothing from Tools. They are free, with no adverts and no paid plans.

The tools cost Kivu almost nothing to run, because the work is done by the phone and not by Kivu servers. They are there so that people open Kivu every day. Later, if users need them, Kivu plans subscriptions for businesses and advertising across the app.

Questions and answers

Is there a free Word or Excel for a phone that works in the browser?

Yes. Kivu Tools in Kivu Super App has Word, Tables and Slides that open in the phone browser at kivu.site. They open and save the usual files (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PDF). They are simpler than desktop programs, but enough for a letter, a CV, a price list or a short presentation.

How can I scan a document to PDF with my phone for free?

Open Kivu Tools, tap Scanner, take photos of the pages (up to 30) and tap "Save PDF". The scanner can also recognise the text of a page in 9 languages, including English, French and Swahili.

How can I sign a PDF on my phone?

Open E-Sign in Kivu Tools, choose the PDF or take a photo of the paper, draw your signature with a finger or type your name, put it on the page and tap "Save PDF". This is a picture of a signature, not a certified digital signature, so ask the other side whether they accept it.

Are my documents safe in Kivu Tools? Does Kivu see them?

Your documents, photos and recordings are processed on your phone and are not uploaded to Kivu servers. The one exception is a signed document that you yourself send to Kivu Chat from E-Sign: it is uploaded and sent as a file. Because documents live only on the phone, save important ones as files: Kivu has no copy.

Do Kivu Tools work without internet?

Partly. You need internet to sign in and to open a tool for the first time. After that many tools open again without internet, and your files are processed on the phone.

How do I merge several PDF files or photos into one PDF?

Open Merge PDF in Kivu Tools, add the PDF files or photos and save one PDF. The same tool can take chosen pages out of a PDF.

Can I remove the background from a photo for free?

Yes, with BG Remove in Kivu Tools. The first time it downloads about 50–65 MB, so use Wi-Fi if you can; after that it works without internet. You can correct the edges by hand and save the picture.

Can Kivu turn speech into text in Kinyarwanda?

Kinyarwanda is in the list of the Voice tool, but the result has many mistakes, more than in English. Use it as a draft and correct the text yourself. Text recognition from photos in the Scanner does not support Kinyarwanda.

Does Kivu have an AI assistant?

Not yet. The Kivu AI tile is on the Tools screen, but it shows "coming soon". The other tools work now.

How much do Kivu Tools cost?

Nothing. All tools are free, with no paid plans, no watermarks and no adverts. You only spend mobile data when a tool is downloaded for the first time.

Related sections of Kivu

Library: More than 40,000 free books that read without internet.
Chat: Messages, calls and files between Kivu users.
Jobs: Vacancies and CVs in Rwanda.
Market: Free classified ads in about 30 categories.