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Squeezels vs ImageOptim

Two Mac apps that make images smaller on your own machine. Here's how they differ.

Download on theMac App Store

Free download · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Mac with Apple silicon

Squeezels main window: a batch of photos, each row showing its size before and after, and the total saved

The short answer

ImageOptim is free, open source and excellent at squeezing JPEG, PNG, GIF and SVG in their existing formats. Squeezels adds the modern formats (WebP, AVIF, HEIC), converting between them, and resizing, and it lives in your menu bar.

Side by side

FeatureSqueezelsImageOptim
Runs onMac (Apple silicon, macOS 14+)Mac (macOS 11+ per its site)
PriceFree: 30 images a day. Pro: $1.99/mo, $9.99/yr or $14.99 onceFree, donations welcome
Images stay on your computer✓Yes, processed on your Mac✓Yes, processed on your Mac
Compress JPEG & PNG✓Yes (mozjpeg, lossless oxipng)✓Yes, plus SVG and animated GIF
WebP & AVIF✓Yes (libwebp, libavif)✕Not listed on its site
HEIC (iPhone photos)✓Yes✕Not listed on its site
Convert between formats✓Yes, with Pro: anything macOS opens → JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF✕No, optimises files in their existing format
Batch: many files and folders✓Yes, one image per CPU core✓Yes, drag files or folders
Resize✓Yes: 4096, 2560, 1920 or 1280 px✕Not in the Mac app (the paid web API resizes)
Strip EXIF & GPS✓Yes, on by default✓Yes
Drop on the menu bar✓Yes✕No
Open source✕No (encoders are open source)✓Yes (GPL)

Facts about ImageOptim checked in October 2026, from: imageoptim.com/mac, ImageOptim release feed, ImageOptim API. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Choose ImageOptim if…

  • You want something completely free and open source, with no daily limit.
  • You optimise SVGs or animated GIFs; Squeezels doesn't handle those.
  • Your files stay JPEG and PNG and you want every last byte, with its chain of lossless optimisers.

Choose Squeezels if…

  • You work with WebP, AVIF or iPhone HEIC photos.
  • You need to convert, say HEIC to JPEG or PNG to WebP, not just compress.
  • You want images resized for the web in the same pass.
  • You'd rather drop files on the menu bar than open a window.
  • You want an app that's actively updated: ImageOptim's last release, 1.9.3, came out in October 2023.

FAQ

Squeezels vs ImageOptim: questions

Its source code still receives occasional changes on GitHub, but the last released version, 1.9.3, dates from October 2023.

Squeezels app icon

Give your disk a breather.

Download Squeezels free and squeeze your first 30 images today.

Download on theMac App Store

macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Mac with Apple silicon