Best Image Compressors for Mac

The short answer. Start with ImageOptim if your goal is “smaller file, same picture”. It optimises without re-encoding the pixels, which means no generation loss, and it strips the metadata — including GPS coordinates — as a side effect. JPEGmini is the one to reach for when you need JPEGs dramatically smaller and can accept re-encoding. PixPack and Zipic are the batch options: PixPack keeps the work on-device and can convert formats on the way out; Zipic adds presets and automation.

This guide covers 4 image compressors for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-05.

Quick comparison

Disclosure. PixPack is a product published by Nuanyue. This page is a product listing, not an independent review.

What actually decides this

• Lossless optimisation versus lossy re-encoding. The most important distinction in the category and the one least visible in the marketing. Lossless optimisation rewrites the file more efficiently without discarding picture data; lossy re-encoding throws information away to save more space. Only one of those is safe to run on a file you cannot replace.
• What happens to metadata. Compression commonly strips EXIF, which is both the point and a risk. It removes GPS coordinates you may not have meant to publish, and it also removes the colour profile and copyright notice you may have meant to keep.
• Whether the work stays on your machine. An on-device tool is the right default for anything confidential. An upload-based service means your image, and whatever is embedded in it, leaves your computer before you see the result.
• Whether you can inspect before you commit. A tool that overwrites in place with no preview and no backup turns a routine batch into an irreversible one. Look for a comparison view or a way to write output elsewhere.
• Batch and automation. If you compress one image at a time, a single-file tool is enough. If you process a folder on a schedule, the deciding feature is whether the tool can be driven without you.

Our picks

• ImageOptim — It is open source, optimises without re-encoding the image, and removes EXIF information, which makes it the safe default for files you cannot regenerate. Choose it when you want smaller files with no visible change and no generation loss.
• JPEGmini — It re-encodes photos within the JPEG standard rather than outside it, so the output stays a normal JPEG that any viewer or browser opens. Choose it when you need JPEGs much smaller and can accept re-encoding.
• PixPack — It compresses a single image or a whole folder tree on-device, converts output formats and exports the results without uploading anything. Choose it when you are processing a folder and want the work to stay on your Mac.
• Zipic — It is built around batch compression with presets, which suits a repeatable publishing pipeline more than a manual clean-up. Choose it when you want presets and automation rather than one-off compression.

The apps

ImageOptim

ImageOptim is an image compression tool for macOS. Compress images and remove EXIF information. It is released under GPL-2.0-or-later.

Strengths. According to the developer, combines several open-source optimisers and keeps the smallest result for each file. Free and open source under the GPL v2 or later, with no paid tier. According to the developer, removes EXIF metadata such as GPS position and camera serial number by default, with an option to keep it.

Trade-offs. Requires macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer; 1.8.8 is the last version that supports macOS 10.14. Metadata removal is all-or-nothing: there is no option to strip only some kinds of metadata. The developer’s changelog lists no release dates, so the recorded date comes from the download file’s timestamp.

Not for. Windows or Linux users — ImageOptim is macOS only. Macs running macOS 10.14 or earlier — the current 1.9.3 requires macOS 10.15 Catalina. People who want to edit images — ImageOptim compresses them rather than editing them.

What it does. Lossless compression of PNG, JPEG, GIF and SVG by combining several open-source optimisers. Removes EXIF metadata, embedded thumbnails, comments and colour profiles. Optional lossy minification for JPEG, PNG, GIF and SVG. Drag-and-drop, with files optimised in place and originals moved to the Trash.

ImageOptim is listed with current version 1.9.3.

Full profile and verified facts for ImageOptim →

JPEGmini

JPEGmini is an image compression tool for macOS. Patented JPEG recompressor from Beamr that shrinks photos by re-encoding them within the standard, with optional H.264 and H.265 video compression on the paid tier. It is freemium.

Strengths. According to the developer, works inside the standard JPEG format, so output files open in any browser, photo app or device without a conversion step. According to the developer, compression is decided per photo rather than by one global quality setting, which is what the quality detector exists to do. The paid licence is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and covers three Macs on the Pro tier.

Trade-offs. The free tier stops at 50 images a day and covers one device, which is not enough for a working photographer. Only JPEG and HEIC are supported; other image formats need a different tool. A licence includes only one year of free updates, so the purchase is not permanent access to new versions. The free tier is capped at 50 images per day on one device and only compresses video during the seven-day trial. Only JPEG and HEIC are handled. PNG, WebP, GIF and SVG are outside the app’s scope.

Not for. Anyone who needs PNG, WebP or SVG optimisation — JPEGmini works on JPEG and HEIC, and other formats need a different tool. Users who want open source or a one-off free tool, since the useful tiers are paid and the free tier is capped at 50 images a day. People on macOS 13.4 or earlier, as version 4.5.1 sets its floor at macOS 13.5.

What it does. Re-encodes JPEG photographs to reduce file size while staying inside the baseline JPEG standard. Quality detector decides the maximum compression for each photo individually rather than applying one setting to a batch. Converts HEIC files to JPEG as part of the optimisation pass. Batch processes a folder of images without per-file intervention.

JPEGmini is listed with current version 4.5.1.

Full profile and verified facts for JPEGmini →

PixPack

PixPack is an image compression tool for macOS. PixPack is a native macOS image compressor for batch work. It compresses a single image or an entire folder tree on-device, converts output formats and exports results without uploading anything. It is one-time purchase.

Strengths. According to the developer, compresses a single image, a selection or an entire folder tree in one batch, applying one set of settings to every file. According to the developer, runs entirely on the Mac using macOS image frameworks — no uploads, no account and no data collection. Ships as a universal build for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with menu bar access, Quick Look previews and Siri Shortcuts.

Trade-offs. According to the developer, macOS only, and it requires macOS 14.0 or later — there is no Windows or Linux version. Paid at $9.99 with no free tier or trial, where free tools such as ImageOptim and the built-in Preview already cover simple single-image compression. Handles compression and format conversion, not photo editing.

Not for. Windows or Linux users — PixPack is macOS only. Users who need a full photo editor rather than a compressor.

What it does. Batch compression of a single image, a selection or a whole folder tree in one pass. Five output formats — JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP and GIF — from seven readable inputs. Live before-and-after preview with slider and side-by-side comparison. Resize with locked aspect ratio, rotation and filename templates.

PixPack is listed with current version 1.4.3.

Full profile and verified facts for PixPack →

Zipic

Zipic is an image compression tool for macOS. Batch image compression tool with presets and automation. It is released under Proprietary. It is freemium.

Strengths. Compression runs entirely on the device with no network transmission, so images are never uploaded. Wide automation surface: folder monitoring, clipboard auto-compress, a command-line tool, Apple Shortcuts, Raycast and a URL Scheme. According to the developer, by May 2026 the developer had replaced five external compression engines with in-house ones — zipic-jpeg, pngoptim, SVGift, pdfoptim and gifoptim — removing a roughly 30 MB Ghostscript download and its AGPL terms for PDF.

Trade-offs. The free tier is capped at 25 compressions per day, and SVG, APNG and PDF compression plus the automation features are Pro-only. According to the developer, windows support is a public beta rather than a finished release, so cross-platform use means running beta software. Pricing is not stated by the developer in the sources Nuanyue tracks.

Not for. Windows or Linux users — Zipic is macOS only. Anyone looking for video compression rather than image compression.

What it does. Batch compression and format conversion across JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, GIF, SVG, PDF and APNG. Six quality levels, Q1 to Q6, from Best Quality to Smallest File. Custom presets with one-click switching, plus ready-made defaults. Fully local processing — images are never uploaded.

Zipic is listed with current version 1.10.2.

Full profile and verified facts for Zipic →

How to choose

• No licence fee, source available. ImageOptim — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
• One-time purchase. PixPack — you pay once.
• Freemium. JPEGmini and Zipic — free to use, with paid tiers for additional features.

Open source: ImageOptim (1 of 4).

Common mistakes

• Compressing a JPEG that is already compressed and expecting a large saving. The second pass has far less redundancy to remove than the first.
• Letting the tool strip metadata you needed. Removing GPS is usually a feature; removing the embedded colour profile can shift how the image renders elsewhere.
• Overwriting originals with no copy. Lossy compression is irreversible, and the version you cannot get back is the one you want three weeks later.
• Assuming smaller always looks the same. Lossy compression has a threshold, and where it sits depends on the image, not on the slider.

How this guide was put together

Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.

A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.

The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.

Verified 2026-10-05.