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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 | Fotor | Kraken.io | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 74/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image compression | 49/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 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 |
| Image upscaling | 81/100 JPEG · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | 83/100 880×1168 (~1.03MP unwatermarked PNG, 1.13MB) · Historical description; output not attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Fotor Free Image Compressor Image compression 49/100 Seven-aspect task score Default PNG output grew in this run, and login was demanded only at download; marketing prompts and late gating add friction. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG 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 | Web personal free, all Pro/Pro+/Max monthly/annual tiers, credit subscriptions and 10 retail packs; excludes headshots/API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Basic2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Official comparison lists Free forever; removal limits need separate verification Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 10.99/month USD 47.99/year Annual 100 general credits/month; batch background-removal tool included Monthly 100 general credits/month Pro+2026-10-20 ↗ USD 23.99/month USD 69.99/year Annual 300 general credits/month; batch background-removal tool included Monthly 300 general credits/month Max 1k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99/month USD 167.92/year Annual 1,000 general credits/month; batch background-removal tool included Monthly 1,000 general credits/month Credit subscription 2002026-10-20 ↗ USD 13.99/month USD 69.99/year Annual 200 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 200 general credits/month Rules [3] Credit subscription 5002026-10-20 ↗ USD 25.99/month USD 143.99/year Annual 500 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 500 general credits/month Rules [3] Credit subscription 10002026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99/month USD 259.99/year Annual 1000 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 1,000 general credits/month Rules [3] Credit subscription 20002026-10-20 ↗ USD 99.99/month USD 459.99/year Annual 2000 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 2,000 general credits/month Rules [3] Credit subscription 50002026-10-20 ↗ USD 239.99/month USD 1,099.99/year Annual 5000 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 5,000 general credits/month Rules [3] Credit subscription 100002026-10-20 ↗ USD 459.99/month USD 1,999.99/year Annual 10000 credits/month, billed annually Rules [1] Monthly 10,000 general credits/month Rules [3] Max 2k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 99.99/month USD 335.92/year Monthly 2,000 general credits/month Annual 2,000 general credits/month Rules [2] Max 5k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 129.99/month USD 755.92/year Monthly 5,000 general credits/month Annual 5,000 general credits/month Rules [2] Max 10k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 229.99/month USD 1,427.92/year Monthly 10,000 general credits/month Annual 10,000 general credits/month Rules [2] Max 20k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 479.99/month USD 2,687.92/year Monthly 20,000 general credits/month Annual 20,000 general credits/month Rules [2] Max 50k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 1,149.99/month USD 6,719.92/year Monthly 50,000 general credits/month Annual 50,000 general credits/month Rules [2] Retail 1002026-10-20 ↗ USD 19.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 100 general credits Rules [4] Retail 2002026-10-20 ↗ USD 23.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 200 general credits Rules [4] Retail 5002026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 general credits Rules [4] Retail 10002026-10-20 ↗ USD 79.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 20002026-10-20 ↗ USD 119.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 50002026-10-20 ↗ USD 259.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 100002026-10-20 ↗ USD 499.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 10,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 200002026-10-20 ↗ USD 899.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 20,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 300002026-10-20 ↗ USD 1,299.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 30,000 general credits Rules [4] Retail 500002026-10-20 ↗ USD 1,999.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 50,000 general credits Rules [4] 39 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All six Max tiers, monthly credit subscriptions and ten retail packs verified; retail packs require paid membership. Annual amounts preserve the observed promotion. Price cards do not specify renewal quotes, free removal counts, removal conversion or retail expiry; these remain unconfirmed. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel auto-renewal anytime in account settings Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ All subscription tiers and retail credits ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ · Capture 5 ↗ · Capture 6 ↗ · Capture 7 ↗ · Capture 8 ↗ · Capture 9 ↗ · Capture 10 ↗ · Capture 11 ↗ · Capture 12 ↗ · Capture 13 ↗ · Capture 14 ↗ | 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 | Allows dragging up to 50 images into the batch editor, but clicking Download enforces a mandatory login wall | Free Web Interface strictly capped at ≤1 MB per file; paid PRO unlocks 32 MB per file |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel auto-renewal anytime in account settings | No long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Login requirement is only revealed after clicking Apply and then clicking Download | 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: -42.27% · Output size: 5886.7 KB | File reduction: 0% · Output size: 4137.9 KB |
| Fixture findings | Default settings increased this PNG's size; downloading also required login. | The roughly 4MB fixture exceeded the recorded 1MB free limit; free compression could not complete. |
| Original historical observation | Fotor's Image Compressor exposed two major flaws in real-machine testing: first, its default 'Format: Original / Image Quality: Medium' mode has no PNG palette quantizer, causing our 4.0 MB PNG to balloon to 5.7 MB (`↑ 42.3%` in red on Fotor's own card, 02_workspace.png); second, clicking Download immediately hits a mandatory login wall (03_download.png). | 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 | Only usable for signed-in Fotor users compressing JPEGs (or converting PNGs to JPG/WebP); completely unsuitable for native PNG compression | 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 | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · 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 (download blocked without login, and default PNG mode inflates file size by +42.3%) | 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 (requires login) | Watermark-free (only for tiny ≤1 MB files) |
| Batch & API | Batch workspace supports up to 50 images per session | 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 | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 2.4s · End-to-end reference: 2.4s | 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 | Account required in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Mandatory Google / Facebook / Apple / Email login modal triggered when clicking Download | 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 | Enforces a classic post-action login gate after the user has already configured and applied settings, accompanied by persistent top promo banners (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 | Everimaging Ltd. (Fotor) | Nekkra UG (Kraken.io) |
| Recorded origin | Chengdu, China / Global Operations | Germany |
| Domain history record | 2012–Present (14-year photo editing suite) | 2013–Present (13-year image optimization service) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Batch compression module within the globally recognized Fotor photo editing suite operated by Everimaging Ltd. | 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 | Processing location unconfirmed | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Re-encodes images in the browser via Canvas Blob generation, but forces personal account sign-in before allowing file export. | Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 12 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 14 / 35 The landing page advertises 'Compress JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP... with Fotor’s free image compressor' (01_landing.png) without mentioning mandatory registration; after uploading and clicking Apply, clicking the top-right Download button triggers a 'Continue to Download Your Work' login wall that blocks guest export (03_download.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 | 13 / 30 Enforces a classic post-action login gate after the user has already configured and applied settings, accompanied by persistent top promo banners (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 | 15 / 20 Batch compression module within the globally recognized Fotor photo editing suite operated by Everimaging Ltd. | 16 / 20 Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| Engineering & privacy | 10 / 15 Re-encodes images in the browser via Canvas Blob generation, but forces personal account sign-in before allowing file export. | 10 / 15 Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Task quality | 25 / 65 Severe algorithmic flaw on PNGs: under the default 'Format: Original / Image Quality: Medium' setting, Fotor lacks a PNG palette quantizer and simply re-encodes via unquantized browser Canvas `toBlob('image/png')`, INFLATING our 4,137.9 KB anchor PNG up to 5,886.7 KB (displaying a red `4.0MB → 5.7MB ↑ 42.3%` badge on its own UI, see 02_workspace.png) (25.0/65) | 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 | 11 / 20 While 2048×2048 dimensions are preserved, guest downloads are blocked by a mandatory login modal and native PNG file size increases instead of shrinking (11.0/20) | 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 | 12 / 15 Local Canvas re-encoding takes ~2.4s, but workflow is stalled by the batch editor redirect and download login wall (12.0/15) | 10 / 15 Client-side size check rejects >1 MB files in 0.2s with a PRO upgrade notice (10.0/15) |
