Compresso vs CompressO (open source)
What's the difference?
If you searched for "compresso" and found two apps with almost the same name - you're not alone. Compresso (this site, compresso.xyz) and CompressO(an open-source project at compresso.codeforreal.com) are two completely unrelated apps built by different developers. Both compress images and videos 100% offline. Here's an honest breakdown of how they differ, so you can pick the right one.
The short answer: CompressO is a great free, open-source tool if you're comfortable tweaking codec, CRF, and FPS settings yourself. Compresso is the simplest possible compressor for everyone else: drag in your files (or a whole folder), pick quality, size, or speed in plain English, and get everything back compressed - fast, easy on your battery, with support behind it.
Side-by-side comparison
| Compresso compresso.xyz | CompressO open source | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + one-time purchase ($19–$39 lifetime) | 100% free, open source (AGPL 3.0) |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Yes |
| Made for non-technical users | 3 plain-English presets: quality, size, speed | FFmpeg-style controls: codec, CRF, FPS, bitrate |
| Drag & drop many files at once | Up to 200 files per batch (10 on free) | Batch queue with per-file settings |
| Compress a whole folder in one go | Yes - up to 50GB, nested subfolders included | No |
| Preserves folder structure in output | Yes | No |
| Auto-skips already-compressed files | Yes | No |
| Optimized for speed & battery | Tuned encoder presets, auto CPU threading | Depends on the settings you pick |
| Image formats | JPG, PNG, WebP (+ HEIC on Mac) | JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF |
| Video formats | MP4, AVI, MOV, MPG, MPEG, MKV, WebM | MP4, MOV, AVI and more (FFmpeg) |
| Video trimming & video-to-GIF | No | Yes |
| Open source code | No | Yes |
| Dedicated support | Email support, priority for Pro (within 24h) | Community via GitHub issues |
Choose CompressO (open source) if…
- You want a completely free tool and you're happy dialing in settings per file.
- You're on Linux - Compresso doesn't support it (yet).
- You know FFmpeg and want deep manual control over codecs, FPS, bitrate, and dimensions, or extras like video trimming and video-to-GIF conversion.
- Open-source code you can audit or contribute to matters to you.
Choose Compresso if…
- You're nota video nerd and don't want to be. No codecs, no CRF, no bitrate math - just three presets (quality, size, speed) that pick the right settings for you.
- You compress lots of files at once: drag and drop up to 200 files per batch and let it run.
- You sometimes need whole folders done - wedding shoots, project archives, camera dumps. Compresso handles up to 50GB in one pass, nested subfolders included, and preserves the folder structure in the output.
- You re-run compression on growing libraries: already-compressed files are detected and skipped automatically.
- You shoot on iPhone - HEIC images are supported natively on Mac.
- You care about your laptop: encoder presets are tuned for speed and battery, not maxed-out settings.
- You want real support: email us and Pro users get answers within 24 hours.
- You prefer paying once over never: a lifetime license is $19 (1 device) or $39 (5 devices), with a 7-day money-back guarantee. There's a free tier (5 compressions) to try it first.
Frequently asked questions
Are Compresso and CompressO the same app?
No. Compresso (compresso.xyz) is a paid desktop app for bulk image and video compression on Mac and Windows, made by an independent developer. CompressO (compresso.codeforreal.com) is a free, open-source video and image compression app by a different developer. They are unrelated products that happen to share a similar name.
Which one is on compresso.xyz?
This site, compresso.xyz, is the home of Compresso - the bulk folder compressor for Mac and Windows with a one-time lifetime license. The open-source CompressO lives at compresso.codeforreal.com and on GitHub.
Is Compresso free?
Compresso has a free tier: you can run 5 compressions (up to 10 files or a 1GB folder at a time) to try it on your own files. After that, paid plans start at $5 for a 1-month unlimited trial, or $19 one-time for a lifetime license. CompressO (open source) is completely free.
Do I need to understand codecs or FFmpeg settings to use Compresso?
No - that's the point. Compresso gives you three plain-English presets (quality, size, speed) and picks the right encoder settings for you. There's no CRF, bitrate, or pixel-format jargon anywhere in the app. CompressO exposes those controls, which is great if you know FFmpeg but overwhelming if you don't.
Which app should I choose for compressing entire folders?
Compresso is built for folder workflows: point it at a folder and it compresses everything inside - up to 200 files or 50GB at once on paid plans - while keeping the internal folder structure intact and automatically skipping files that are already compressed.
Does either app upload my files to the cloud?
No. Both Compresso and CompressO compress files entirely offline on your device. Your photos and videos never leave your machine with either app.
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Last updated July 2026. CompressO details based on its public site (compresso.codeforreal.com) If something is out of date, let us know.