Compress

When looking for a file compressor, one has to swim through dozens of applications, most likely related to archiving. If you've landed on this page it means you are looking for a tool that would shrink your files without creating archives. Compress is happening to be the type of utility you need, and on top of that, this might be the simplest application you've encountered by now.

As mentioned above, Compress might be the easiest way to get your files shrunk, and that is due to how the UI helps you get the job done. There are no menus, options, toolbars, output fields, or any other elements that would normally comprise an interface. You'll only find two buttons and a small message that instructs you on how to load your file. A simple drag and drop is enough to start the compression process.

Regarding the two buttons, they influence the end result. The default one is Faster Encode, which facilitate a quicker compression and reduce the most size. The other option, Better Quality, allows you to compress a file — usually image or video — without sacrificing too much quality. After an item is compressed, the output location is going to be the same as the original file.

There is no mention of the supported file types, neither within the app nor on the developer's website. However, after several tests, it appears that most image and video files are allowed through. On the flip side, office-related documents or text files weren't processed, but that was to be expected.

As for how much of the size is chopped off, it appears that with Faster Encode, a shrunk item will lose about 60% of its size. Better quality seems to around 40%, which is not a bad reduction regarding the focus on quality. For example, a 5.30 MB image was reduced to 2.30 MB with FE, and 3.20 MB with BQ.

Compress is just that type of app that you'll probably stick with for many years, as its simple interface and efficient process will win you over. The only extra thing you'd have to do is to experiment with what formats are supported for compression.