How to timestamp a document for freeYour first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no card

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

Open the TimeBinder app, sign in with email or Google, and add your document. Your browser makes its SHA-256 fingerprint, the file stays on your device, and your first Pooled TimeBind is free with no credit card. The Free plan also gives 1 Token a month, enough for 1 Pooled TimeBind.

Free routes also exist elsewhere, with trade-offs described below. A timestamp shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show who made it.

Steps: timestamp a document free with TimeBinder

Finish the document. A timestamp covers one exact file, so settle the version first and keep an untouched copy.
Open the app and sign in. Use email or Google. No card is needed for the first free TimeBind.
Add the document. One TimeBind holds up to 10 files of any type. Choose Pooled for the free one.
Download the Proof of Time Certificate. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, often sooner.
Keep the file and certificate together. Checking a TimeBind later is always free.

More detail in how to timestamp a file on Windows or Mac, step by step.

Free ways to timestamp a document

All of these show timing for the exact bytes of a file. Compare them in free blockchain timestamp options compared.

Free timestamping options: how each works and the trade-offs
Option	How it works	Trade-offs
TimeBinder Free plan	Web app. Browser makes the fingerprint; Bitcoin anchoring; PDF certificate with QR code. First Pooled TimeBind free, then 1 Token a month on the Free plan.	One Pooled TimeBind a month on Free. Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder.
OpenTimestamps	Free and open source. You stamp a hash and keep a proof file.	More technical: proof files and command-line tools or a separate verifier. See TimeBinder vs OpenTimestamps.
Free RFC 3161 services	A time-stamping authority returns a signed token for your hash.	You keep and verify the token yourself, and rely on the authority. See TimeBinder vs FreeTSA.
Emailing it to yourself	A message and attachment in your mailbox.	Depends on your own mailbox records. Weak evidence of the file itself.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not

It shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time, and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint.
It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it.
It does not replace legal advice, a notary where one is required, or a court’s own view of the evidence.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free?

Your first Pooled TimeBind is free with no credit card. The Free plan gives 1 Token a month, enough for 1 Pooled TimeBind. After that, TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. Checking a TimeBind is always free.

Does my document leave my device?

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes the SHA-256 fingerprint, and TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

How long does a free timestamp take?

A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. An ASAP TimeBind is broadcast straight away, which does not mean instant confirmation.

Can I timestamp more than one document at once?

Yes. One TimeBind covers up to 10 files of any type or size.

What does a timestamp not show?

It does not show who wrote or made the document, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used. It shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches.

How do I check it later?

Open the TimeBind in the app, or use the QR code on the certificate, and choose the file to re-check. Your browser re-hashes it and compares. A different file gives a different result.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Timestamp your first document free

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.