Best Free Image Compressor in 2026 — 7 Tools Tested

7 Best Free Image Compressors — Real Test Results

We compressed a 5 MB JPG photo across 7 popular tools. Here's what happened.

Test Results (5 MB JPG Photo)

Tool	Output Size	Reduction	Quality (Visual)	Free Limits
MyPDF	850 KB	83%	Excellent	Unlimited
TinyPNG	900 KB	82%	Excellent	20/day
Squoosh	820 KB	84%	Excellent	Unlimited
Compressor.io	870 KB	83%	Excellent	Limited
iLoveIMG	950 KB	81%	Good	Limited
Optimizilla	880 KB	82%	Good	20/batch
ShortPixel	860 KB	83%	Excellent	100/month

Rankings

1. MyPDF — Best All-Round Image Compressor

MyPDF Compress Image

• Excellent compression (83% reduction)
• Supports JPG, PNG, WebP, and more
• No daily limits
• Batch compression
• Also converts, resizes, and crops
• Part of a 273+ tool suite

Why it's #1: Best balance of compression, quality, features, and no limits.

2. Squoosh (by Google) — Best for Technical Users

• Slightly higher compression (84%)
• Open source, runs in browser
• Advanced codec controls (MozJPEG, AVIF, WebP)
• Single image only — no batch
• No API

3. TinyPNG — Best Known Brand

• Great compression (82%)
• Excellent PNG optimization
• 20 images/day free limit
• API available (paid)
• Simple drag-and-drop

4. ShortPixel — Best for WordPress

• Great quality
• WordPress plugin available
• Only 100 free images/month
• API for developers

5. Compressor.io — Good Single-File Tool

• Good results
• Supports JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG, WebP
• One file at a time
• No batch processing free

6. Optimizilla — Good Batch Compression

• Good quality
• Up to 20 images at once
• Visual quality comparison slider
• JPG and PNG only

7. iLoveIMG — Part of iLovePDF Suite

• Decent compression
• Limited daily use
• Clean interface
• Batch support (limited)

Format-Specific Recommendations

Format	Best Compressor	Why
JPG photos	MyPDF or Squoosh	Best lossy compression
PNG graphics	TinyPNG or MyPDF	Best lossless PNG optimization
WebP	Squoosh	Native WebP support with controls
Batch (any format)	MyPDF	Unlimited batch, any format

When to Use Each Compression Level

Level	Reduction	Best For
Light (90% quality)	30-50%	Print, archival
Medium (80% quality)	50-70%	Web, email, social
Heavy (60% quality)	70-85%	Thumbnails, previews

Beyond Compression

After compressing, you might also need:

• Resize Image — Reduce dimensions (often more effective than compression alone)
• Convert Image — Switch to a more efficient format (PNG → WebP)
• Crop Image — Remove unnecessary areas
• Batch Convert Images — Convert entire folders

Bottom Line

For most users, MyPDF Compress Image is the best choice — excellent compression, no limits, and batch support. For advanced codec control, use Squoosh. For WordPress integration, use ShortPixel.