Compresso vs CompressO (open source)
What's the difference?

Key takeaways

If you searched for "compresso" and found two apps — you are not alone. Compresso (compresso.xyz) and CompressO (compresso.codeforreal.com) are unrelated products by different developers. Both compress images and videos offline. Here is a straight comparison so you can pick the right one.

Side-by-side comparison

Which is easier if you are not a video nerd?

Compresso shows three choices: quality, size, and speed. You drag files in (or pick a folder), choose those options, and let it run. There is no CRF, bitrate math, or codec menu in the UI.

CompressO is more powerful if you want to tune things. It exposes codec, quality, dimensions, FPS, audio, and related controls, plus editing tools like trim and video-to-GIF. That is excellent when you know what those knobs do — and a lot to learn when you only wanted a smaller file.

Which is better for compressing many files at once?

Compresso Pro can take up to 200 files in one batch, or compress everything inside a folder up to 50GB. Nested subfolders stay nested in the output folder. Files that are already small enough get skipped automatically.

CompressO has a solid batch queue and can take a folder drop into that queue. You still manage settings and outputs as a queue of jobs rather than getting a mirror of your project folder back with structure intact and already-small files skipped.

Which supports more formats and extras?

CompressO wins on extras: trim/crop/rotate, video-to-GIF, GIF tools, SVG conversion, metadata editing, and a before/after slider. Compresso stays focused on shrinking everyday images and videos to JPG and MP4 with a small set of common inputs.

If you only need a quick one-off JPG in the browser, we also have a free JPG compressor. For heavy folder jobs, the desktop app is the right place.

Do they keep your files private?

Yes for both. Compresso and CompressO run on your computer. Nothing gets uploaded to finish a compress job. That is the main reason people look for a desktop tool instead of an online compressor. For the broader privacy angle, see why uploading media to random websites is a bad default. If you were comparing to a classic free video encoder instead, see Compresso vs HandBrake.

Price: free forever vs pay once

CompressO is $0. As of July 2026 there is no paid plan. Compresso lets you try 5 compressions free (up to 10 files or a 1GB folder each time). After that, pricing is a one-time lifetime license: $19 for 1 device or $39 for 5 devices, with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans also include email support.

Choose CompressO (open source) if…

• You want a completely free tool with no purchase ever.
• You are on Linux — Compresso does not support it yet.
• You want deep manual control over codecs, FPS, bitrate, and dimensions, or extras like trim and video-to-GIF.
• Open-source code you can audit or contribute to matters to you.
• You are comfortable managing a batch queue with per-file settings.

Choose Compresso if…

• You want three clear choices (quality, size, speed) and nothing else to learn.
• You compress lots of files at once: drag in up to 200 videos or photos per batch.
• You need to compress all the images and videos inside a folder while keeping the internal folder structure in the output (up to 50GB on Pro).
• You re-run jobs on growing libraries and want already-small files skipped.
• You shoot on iPhone — HEIC images are supported on Mac.
• You want paid support and a lifetime license instead of figuring settings alone.

Switching between them

Settings and queues do not transfer either way. If you leave CompressO, you give up Linux installs, open-source auditing, and the editing extras. If you leave Compresso, you give up the simple three-preset folder workflow with structure preserved and auto-skip.

Plan on about 10 minutes to try Compresso's free trial on a real folder, or to try CompressO on a sample clip with the settings you usually use. Many people keep both: CompressO for special encodes and Linux, Compresso for bulk cleanup on Mac or Windows.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated July 2026. CompressO details based on its public site (compresso.codeforreal.com) and GitHub (~4,001 stars, v3.0.0). If something is out of date, let us know.