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Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | CompressNow | Kraken.io | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 83/100 PNG · Output attached | 47/100 Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | CompressNow Image compression 83/100 Seven-aspect task score Free login-free on-device processing discloses format conversion upfront; size reduction is substantial, but PNG export is unavailable and transparency needs care. Tested export PNG · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | Kraken.io Web Interface Image compression 47/100 Seven-aspect task score The interface avoids ad interruptions, but free files are capped at 1MB and many features need Pro; this fixture was rejected, so compression quality was not tested. Tested export Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Compressnow online in-browser image compressor · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Compressnow Free Web2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Free without login; up to 30 MB per image and up to 30 images at a time; individual or ZIP download. 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official page and FAQ state that compression runs in the browser (images are not stored), supporting up to 30 MB per image and up to 30 images at a time for JPG/JPEG/PNG/GIF/WebP (output as JPG or WebP), with no paid tiers. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCompletely free web tool with no accounts or subscription charges. Compressnow official tool page and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | Kraken.io API and Web Interface PRO plans (Free / Micro / Basic / Advanced / Premium / Enterprise); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Account2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 100 MB free testing quota without credit card; Free Web Interface restricts single files to ≤1 MB. Micro Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 5/month — Monthly 500 MB of images/month (USD 5 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO (up to 32 MB/file) and full API access. Micro Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 50/year Annual USD 50/year (2 months free); 500 MB of images/month (USD 5 per additional GB), including Web Interface PRO and API. Basic Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 9/month — Monthly 2 GB of images/month (USD 4 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Basic Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 90/year Annual USD 90/year (2 months free); 2 GB of images/month (USD 4 per additional GB). Advanced Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19/month — Monthly 5 GB of images/month (USD 3 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Advanced Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 190/year Annual USD 190/year (2 months free); 5 GB of images/month (USD 3 per additional GB). Premium Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 39/month — Monthly 15 GB of images/month (USD 2 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Premium Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 390/year Annual USD 390/year (2 months free); 15 GB of images/month (USD 2 per additional GB). Enterprise Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 79/month — Monthly 60 GB of images/month (USD 1 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Enterprise Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 790/year Annual USD 790/year (2 months free); 60 GB of images/month (USD 1 per additional GB). 11 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page lists the Free Account (100 MB testing quota; Free Web Interface capped at 1 MB/file) and five monthly/yearly tiers (yearly includes 2 months free at USD 50 / 90 / 190 / 390 / 790 per year). All paid plans include Web Interface PRO (up to 32 MB/file), API access, WordPress plugin, and Magento extension. Cancellation, sources & verification recordNo long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. Kraken.io official monthly/yearly pricing and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 100% free, up to 30 MB per image and up to 30 images per batch | Free Web Interface strictly capped at ≤1 MB per file; paid PRO unlocks 32 MB per file |
| Cancellation & refunds | Completely free web tool with no accounts or subscription charges. | No long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses upfront at the top of the page that output format is JPG or WebP ('Transparent areas turn white') | Small gray footer note below dropzone ('Free Web Interface has a file size limit of 1MB') + inline error row on upload |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 85.99% · Output size: 579.8 KB | File reduction: 0% · Output size: 4137.9 KB |
| Fixture findings | Local compression reduced this fixture by about 86%; export changes to JPG or WebP, not PNG. | The roughly 4MB fixture exceeded the recorded 1MB free limit; free compression could not complete. |
| Original historical observation | CompressNow is a fast, 100% client-side compressor: your image never leaves your browser, and in 0.9s it shrinks our 4.24 MB benchmark PNG to 579.8 KB (-85.99%, 7.14×) at 42.34 dB PSNR (02_workspace.png). Note that it only outputs JPG or WebP (disclosed upfront), so users with transparent PNGs should select the WebP toggle. | Kraken.io's free Web Interface remains stuck in a decade-old '1 MB max file size' quota (01_landing.png): when fed our 4,137.9 KB (2048×2048) benchmark PNG, the queue immediately rejects it with 'File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.' (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users who want to rapidly shrink bulky PNG screenshots or photos locally in-browser into high-quality JPG or WebP (-86% size) without uploading files to any server | Only usable for tiny web icons/thumbnails already under 1 MB, or enterprise developers with a paid Kraken.io PRO API subscription |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | PNG · Output attached · No watermark in test | Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 full-resolution free export (outputs as JPG or WebP; does not export native PNG) | Free tier capped strictly at 1 MB per file (rejects our 4.24 MB benchmark PNG; requires PRO for 32 MB) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free (only for tiny ≤1 MB files) |
| Batch & API | Supports up to 30 images (≤30 MB each) with one-click DOWNLOAD ZIP | Supports multi-file and ZIP upload (all subject to the 1 MB/file free cap); full REST API on PRO |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Recorded local processing time: 0.9s · End-to-end reference: 0.9s | Network-observed server wait: 0.2s · End-to-end reference: 0.2s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_compress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · anchor_compress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | No login in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No registration or login required (100% local tool) | No login required for ≤1 MB; lifting the 1 MB cap requires a paid Kraken.io PRO subscription |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Clean single-page workspace with a live compression level slider (default 20%) and a single display ad banner, with zero popups or registration walls (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | No fake download ads, but steps 1, 3, and 4 (URL Paster, Image Resizing, Image Conversion) are locked behind 'available in Kraken.io PRO' and any file over 1 MB fails with a PRO upgrade prompt (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | CompressNow | Nekkra UG (Kraken.io) |
| Recorded origin | France / European Independent Developer | Germany |
| Domain history record | 2012–Present (14-year online image compression tool) | 2013–Present (13-year image optimization service) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Classic multi-language online image weight reducer operating for over 10 years (currently V6.0). | Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | On-device processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | 100% local in-browser processing (`blob:https://compressnow.com/...`); FAQ explicitly states 'Compression runs in your browser: your images never leave your device.' | Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Retention statement | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 12 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 31 / 35 100% free for up to 30 MB per image and 30 images at a time; transparently discloses next to the Format toggle: 'Format: JPG | WebP — Works everywhere. Transparent areas turn white.' (01_landing.png). | 21 / 35 Discloses 'Free Web Interface has a file size limit of 1MB' in small gray footer text below the dropzone (01_landing.png); however, capping a 'Free Online Image Optimizer and Compressor' at 1 MB blocks almost every real-world high-res PNG/JPG that actually needs compression, immediately prompting 'File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.' (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 Clean single-page workspace with a live compression level slider (default 20%) and a single display ad banner, with zero popups or registration walls (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 21 / 30 No fake download ads, but steps 1, 3, and 4 (URL Paster, Image Resizing, Image Conversion) are locked behind 'available in Kraken.io PRO' and any file over 1 MB fails with a PRO upgrade prompt (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | 17 / 20 Classic multi-language online image weight reducer operating for over 10 years (currently V6.0). | 16 / 20 Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| Engineering & privacy | 15 / 15 100% local in-browser processing (`blob:https://compressnow.com/...`); FAQ explicitly states 'Compression runs in your browser: your images never leave your device.' | 10 / 15 Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Task quality | 52.2 / 65 Shrinks file size by 85.99% (7.14×) at 42.34 dB PSNR and 0.9992 SSIM, though output format is converted to JPG or WebP (52.2/65) | 20 / 65 Rejects our 4,137.9 KB (4.24 MB) standard 2048×2048 PNG benchmark anchor due to its strict 1 MB free file size cap (20.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 15 / 20 Preserves full 2048×2048 dimensions and supports 30 MB files, but converts PNG inputs to JPG (or WebP) rather than native `.png` (15.0/20) | 7.7 / 20 Free tier is restricted to files ≤1 MB, preventing free export of standard high-resolution PNG/JPG images (7.7/20) |
| Processing speed | 14 / 15 100% local browser Canvas compression with 0 bytes uploaded in ~0.9s (14.0/15) | 10 / 15 Client-side size check rejects >1 MB files in 0.2s with a PRO upgrade notice (10.0/15) |
