What is Zipic?
Zipic is a macOS image compression and conversion tool built around batch processing and local, on-device work. It covers a wide set of formats — JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, GIF, SVG, PDF and APNG — and lets you reuse saved presets instead of re-choosing settings each time. The developer, 5KM Tech, states that nothing is uploaded: compression runs on the machine with no network transmission. It is closed-source and sold as a one-time Pro purchase, with a free tier capped at 25 compressions per day. Automation is the reason to pay: folder monitoring, clipboard auto-compress, a command-line tool, Apple Shortcuts, a Raycast extension and a URL Scheme are all part of Pro. It is a Mac-first tool that now also has a Windows public beta.
Verified product facts
- Type
- image compression toolEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- 5KM TechDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- Proprietary
- Current version
- 1.10.2Developer-stated
- Official website
- zipic.app/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Zipic does at a glance.
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
Automation
Through folder monitoring, clipboard auto-compress and Notch Drop
Command-line tool, Apple Shortcuts, Raycast extension and URL Scheme
What you can use Zipic for
- Preparing image assets for the web
- Reducing screenshot file sizes before sharing
- Compressing an image library in bulk
Who is Zipic for?
- Mac users who compress images in bulk rather than one at a time
- Designers preparing image assets for delivery
- Developers optimising web assets
Who is Zipic not for?
- Windows or Linux users — Zipic is macOS only
- Anyone looking for video compression rather than image compression
Limitations
- Pricing is not stated by the developer in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What Zipic does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
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.
- 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.Developer-stated
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.
- Windows support is a public beta rather than a finished release, so cross-platform use means running beta software.Developer-stated
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the .dmg from zipic.app, or install with Homebrew using `brew install --cask zipic`; macOS 13 or later is required.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Opens with a short onboarding that offers a one-click 7-day Pro trial; after that the free tier allows 25 compressions per day.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Adds Finder quick actions, a menu bar item, Apple Shortcuts, a Raycast extension and a URL Scheme, and can watch a folder to compress new files automatically.
What it does
Zipic is a macOS app for compressing and converting images in bulk. It runs entirely on the device, works from the main window, the menu bar, Finder or the command line, and covers JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, GIF, SVG, PDF and APNG. It is closed-source, published by 5KM Tech, and sold as a one-time Pro purchase with a free tier capped at 25 compressions per day.
Formats and quality levels
Quality is exposed as six steps, Q1 to Q6, shown in the interface with a
short name such as Q3 · Balanced. The developer’s guidance is to start
around Q2–Q3 and push toward Q5–Q6 only when file size matters more than
fidelity. The same number is the level value used by the URL Scheme and the
command-line tool, so a setting chosen by hand maps directly to a script.
Three formats sit behind Pro: SVG compression, APNG compression and PDF compression. Everything else, including batch conversion between JPEG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF, PNG and JPEG XL, is available on the free tier within its daily cap.
Automation and integration
The reason to buy Pro is repeatability. Zipic can watch a folder and
compress new files as they arrive, compress from the clipboard, and accept
drops onto the MacBook notch. For scripting there is a zipic command-line
tool plus a URL Scheme, and the app also ships Apple Shortcuts support and a
Raycast extension. The Homebrew cask is the one-command install path:
brew install --cask zipic.
Engines and colour accuracy
Through 2026 the developer replaced the external tools behind several formats with its own engines — zipic-jpeg, pngoptim, SVGift, pdfoptim and gifoptim — which removed a roughly 30 MB Ghostscript download and its AGPL terms for PDF handling. WebP and AVIF still use libwebp and libavif, the reference implementations for those formats. Colour handling was reworked in the same period: Display P3 wide-gamut images keep their gamut, HDR photos retain their dynamic range, and output can preserve the original ICC profile.
Apple Silicon
Recorded as unknown. The developer describes Zipic as a native Mac app with native performance, but neither the product site nor the documentation states the build’s CPU architecture, and Nuanyue leaves the field unestablished rather than inferring it.
Questions about Zipic
Is Zipic free?
There is a free tier capped at 25 compressions per day with the basic formats. Pro removes the limit; the developer describes it as a one-time purchase with lifetime updates, licensed for 1, 2 or 10 devices. The exact price is set on the site's pricing section.
Which macOS version does Zipic require?
macOS 13 or later from version 1.8 onward. Earlier builds supported macOS 12, and the current download is listed as macOS 13+.
Does Zipic upload my images?
No. The developer states that compression is done locally with no network transmission, which is the main reason to prefer it over an online compressor for sensitive material.
Does Zipic run on Windows?
Yes, as a public beta on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and later. The macOS app remains the primary release, and the Windows build ships the same feature set apart from ICO in place of ICNS.Developer-stated
What is the latest Zipic version?
1.10.2 on macOS, with a 1.10.3 beta announced. The developer does not publish a release date for 1.10.2 on the pages Nuanyue tracks, so no date is recorded here.
Alternatives to Zipic
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Acorn
Mac image editor with non-destructive filters, sold outright.
Both are design-category Mac image tools, but Acorn is a general image editor while Zipic is a dedicated compressor.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
ImageOptim
Compress images and remove EXIF information.
Both compress images on macOS; the two are compared head to head on Nuanyue.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
TinyPNG4Mac
Open-source tool to compress images.
Both compress images on macOS, but TinyPNG4Mac is open source and uploads through the TinyPNG service while Zipic runs entirely locally.
JPEGmini
Patented JPEG recompressor for Mac, free for 50 images a day.
Both reduce image file size on the Mac, but JPEGmini targets JPEG and HEIC while Zipic covers a much wider set of formats.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Zipic — official websiteGrade B
- 5KM Tech — developer websiteGrade B
- Zipic — documentationGrade C
