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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 | ShortPixel | CompressNow | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 86/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 83/100 PNG · Output attached | Active task |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | ShortPixel Online Image Compressor Image compression 86/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free access offers three compression modes without third-party ads and discloses batch and size limits; this run cut size about 68% using cloud processing. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-18 | 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 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | ShortPixel free web tool, one-time non-expiring credit packs, and annual unlimited plans; USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Web / Free Plan2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Web tool free without login up to 50 images/batch and ≤10 MB/file (login removes 10 MB limit); Free account includes 100 credits/month. One-time 30K2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 30,000 credits (never expire) + 100 AI credits/month + 150 GB CDN traffic across unlimited websites. Rules [1] One-time 50K2026-10-21 ↗ USD 29.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 50,000 credits (never expire) + 100 AI credits/month + 250 GB CDN traffic across unlimited websites. Rules [1] One-time 100K2026-10-21 ↗ USD 49.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 100,000 credits (never expire) + 100 AI credits/month + 500 GB CDN traffic across unlimited websites. Rules [1] One-time 250K2026-10-21 ↗ USD 99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 250,000 credits (never expire) + 100 AI credits/month + 1.25 TB CDN traffic across unlimited websites. Rules [1] Unlimited Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual Unlimited monthly credits, unlimited websites, 100 AI credits/month, 500 GB CDN/month; card displays USD 8.33/month equivalent (2 Months Free). Card displays only the USD 8.33/month equivalent ("Saving $31.98 / year") without printing the annual invoice total. Unlimited AI Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual Unlimited compression and AI credits (including AI background removal and upscaling), 500 GB CDN/month; card displays USD 13.33/month equivalent. Card displays only the USD 13.33/month equivalent ("Saving $31.98 / year") without printing the annual invoice total. 7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The online web compressor is free without login for files ≤10 MB (login removes the 10 MB limit; free plan includes 100 credits/month). The pricing page lists four non-expiring one-time credit packs (30K at USD 19.99, 50K at USD 29.99, 100K at USD 49.99, and 250K at USD 99.00). The Unlimited Yearly cards display only monthly equivalents (USD 8.33/month and USD 13.33/month, "Saving $31.98 / year") without printing the annual invoice total on the card, so the annual totals are kept unverified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordOne-time credit packs never expire; subscriptions can be cancelled anytime in the account dashboard under official Terms. ShortPixel official pricing page (annual plans and one-time credit packs) ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Up to 50 files per batch and 10 MB per file without login; free access to Lossy, Glossy, and Lossless modes | 100% free, up to 30 MB per image and up to 30 images per batch |
| Cancellation & refunds | One-time credit packs never expire; subscriptions can be cancelled anytime in the account dashboard under official Terms. | Completely free web tool with no accounts or subscription charges. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses 'maximum 10Mb. Login to remove the restriction.' upfront below the dropzone | Discloses upfront at the top of the page that output format is JPG or WebP ('Transparent areas turn white') |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 67.54% · Output size: 1343 KB | File reduction: 85.99% · Output size: 579.8 KB |
| Fixture findings | Offers three modes without login; the default reduced this fixture by about 68%, with quality trade-offs to inspect. | Local compression reduced this fixture by about 86%; export changes to JPG or WebP, not PNG. |
| Original historical observation | ShortPixel's online compressor is completely ad-free, discloses its 10 MB guest limit upfront (01_landing.png), and freely unlocks Lossy, Glossy, and Lossless modes. In default Lossy mode, it shrinks our 4,137.9 KB PNG to 1,343.0 KB (-67.54%, 3.08× ratio, 02_workspace.png) at 34.72 dB PSNR and 0.9954 SSIM. | 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. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Webmasters and designers who want an ad-free workspace with free access to Lossy, Glossy (photographer-grade), and Lossless modes | 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 |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | PNG · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 full-resolution PNG free direct export (up to 10 MB and 50 files without login) | 2048×2048 full-resolution free export (outputs as JPG or WebP; does not export native PNG) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports up to 50 files per batch on web, plus WordPress plugins and REST API | Supports up to 30 images (≤30 MB each) with one-click DOWNLOAD ZIP |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 2048 × 2048 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 9.8s · End-to-end reference: 12.2s | Recorded local processing time: 0.9s · End-to-end reference: 0.9s |
| 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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required (free account login removes the 10 MB per-file cap) | No registration or login required (100% local tool) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Clean workspace with zero third-party ad banners, offering Lossy / Glossy / Lossless mode toggles and direct one-click PNG download from the thumbnail card (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 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). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL) | CompressNow |
| Recorded origin | Bucharest, Romania (EU GDPR compliant) | France / European Independent Developer |
| Domain history record | 2014–Present (12-year image optimization specialist) | 2012–Present (14-year online image compression tool) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL, founded in 2014), one of the most widely installed image optimization providers in the WordPress ecosystem. | Classic multi-language online image weight reducer operating for over 10 years (currently V6.0). |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | On-device processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Processes images via ShortPixel's GDPR-compliant European cloud cluster without requiring personal details for guests. | 100% local in-browser processing (`blob:https://compressnow.com/...`); FAQ explicitly states 'Compression runs in your browser: your images never leave your device.' |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 32 / 35 Clearly states right below the dropzone: 'Drop up to 50 files here to optimize. Compress JPG, GIF and PNG online. The files should have maximum 10Mb. Login to remove the restriction.' (01_landing.png). | 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). |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 Clean workspace with zero third-party ad banners, offering Lossy / Glossy / Lossless mode toggles and direct one-click PNG download from the thumbnail card (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 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). |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Operated by ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL, founded in 2014), one of the most widely installed image optimization providers in the WordPress ecosystem. | 17 / 20 Classic multi-language online image weight reducer operating for over 10 years (currently V6.0). |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Processes images via ShortPixel's GDPR-compliant European cloud cluster without requiring personal details for guests. | 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.' |
| Task quality | 54.3 / 65 Reduces file size by 67.54% (3.08×) with 34.72 dB PSNR and 0.9954 SSIM, balancing strong compression with clean visual fidelity (54.3/65) | 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) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Preserves full 2048×2048 resolution and native PNG format while offering free Lossy/Glossy/Lossless mode switching (19.0/20) | 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) |
| Processing speed | 11 / 15 Cloud SmartCompress processing takes ~9.8s (~12.2s end-to-end) (11.0/15) | 14 / 15 100% local browser Canvas compression with 0 bytes uploaded in ~0.9s (14.0/15) |
