We are working on an online version of Mass Image Compressor that will be powerful and privacy friendly. This article announces our plan. But, the browser versions always come with real limits. We also want to set your expectations clearly in this post.
Here’s What to Expect
For more than a decade and a half, Mass Image Compressor has lived where serious image work happens: on your desktop. Thousands of you use our Windows and Mac apps to compress entire folders, convert formats in bulk, and shave gigabytes off photo libraries without breaking a sweat.
Today we’re announcing that Mass Image Compressor team has started a project to build a free online image compressor to compress, resize, and convert images right in your browser, no installation, no sign-up.
Why an online version?
Convenience. That’s the whole story.
Sometimes you’re on a work machine where you can’t install software. Sometimes you’re on your phone. Sometimes you just need to squeeze one screenshot under an upload limit and be done in thirty seconds. For those moments, opening a browser tab beats downloading an app.
What it is and what it isn’t
The online tool is not a replacement for the desktop app. It’s a companion.
Browsers are wonderfully convenient, but they come with real limits on the usable memory, file access, and processing power. The desktop apps will always be faster, handle far larger batches, support more formats, and offer features a browser simply can’t match. If image compression is part of your regular workflow, the desktop app remains the right tool.
What to expect
Your images never leave your computer. Everything happens right inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, nothing is sent to us – just like our desktop software. You can even turn off your internet after the page loads and it will still work.
Best for small batches. Up to 20 images at a time works great. So, if you got a whole folder or a few hundred photos, you will still use desktop version of Mass Image Compressor.
Keep image sizes reasonable. Images under 20 MB work smoothly. Very large photos may not work at all. That’s because the browsers assigns limited memory to each tab.
Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WebP and AVIF. Camera RAW files (CR2, NEF, ARW), HEIC, PSD and TIFF will not be supported in in-browser version. At least, that’s how it looks for now.
Results download to your Downloads folder. You will get output in form of download fromt he browser. We can’t save files back into their original folders from a browser.
Don’t close or refresh the tab while it’s working. Progress isn’t saved, so you will need to start over if you accidently hit the refresh button.
Metadata (EXIF). Our desktop app uses highly reliable metadata copy without corrupting the image. Our research on expectations from browser is on-going but honestly, we are inclined to skip this feature, or provide safe and minimal copy if we allow the metadata copy option. At least for the initial few versions.
A quick word on privacy
User privacy is non-negotiable topic for us. We have no plan to sell customer data or push 3rd party advertisement to our customers.
Most online compressors upload your images to a server, process them there, and (hopefully) delete them afterwards. Some other in-browser compressor claim they don’t send images to ‘their’ server, but our experts probed, they certainly send your usage tracking data to google, yahoo and many other ad-networks. Most free tools make money by selling your data. We don’t. Our tools are free for most users without collecting user data. A small number of people buy advanced features on the Mac App Store, or simply purchase the software on Microsoft Store. Most don’t need them but they purchase to keep us in business and that’s how we are still in business from 15+ years.
When should you use which?
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Compress one or a handful of images quickly | Online tool |
| Work on a device where you can’t install apps | Online tool |
| Compress hundreds or thousands of images | Desktop app |
| Work with RAW, HEIC, PSD or TIFF files | Desktop app |
| Save results back to the original folders | Desktop app |
| Handle very large images (20 MB+) | Desktop app |
What’s next
We’re building this now, and we’ll share updates as we get closer to launch. When it’s ready, we will announce it.
In the meantime, if you haven’t tried Mass Image Compressor for Windows or Mac, it’s the fastest way to reclaim disk space and speed up your website today.
Stay tuned.
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