Base64 is an encoding method, not encryption. It can be directly decoded and provides no security protection. Base64 is mainly used to convert binary data into text format for transmission in text protocols. Anyone can easily decode it.

MD5 is a one-way hash function and cannot be reversed. It's impossible to recover original data from the hash. MD5 compresses data of any length into a fixed 128-bit digest, designed to be irreversible. Only rainbow tables or brute force can attempt collision attacks.

AES is one of the most secure symmetric encryption algorithms, widely used by governments and financial institutions. AES-256 is used by the US government to encrypt top secret documents and has never been broken. It's the preferred algorithm for protecting sensitive data.

SHA-256 is more secure. MD5 has known collision vulnerabilities and is not recommended for security-critical scenarios. SHA-256 outputs 256 bits with a more complex algorithm, still considered secure, and widely used in digital signatures and blockchain.

No, all encryption and decryption operations are performed locally in your browser. This tool uses pure frontend technology with the CryptoJS library to process data on your device. Sensitive information never leaves your browser.

Yes, 100% free with no ads, no registration, no watermark, and no usage limits. All processing happens locally in your browser — your data is never uploaded to any server.