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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 | Fotor | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | Not tested in topic | 74/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| Image compression | 86/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 49/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | Not tested in topic | 81/100 JPEG · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | Not tested in topic | 83/100 880×1168 (~1.03MP unwatermarked PNG, 1.13MB) · Historical description; output not attached | Compare in task topic → |
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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 | 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 |
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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 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| 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 | Allows dragging up to 50 images into the batch editor, but clicking Download enforces a mandatory login wall |
| Cancellation & refunds | One-time credit packs never expire; subscriptions can be cancelled anytime in the account dashboard under official Terms. | Cancel auto-renewal anytime in account settings |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses 'maximum 10Mb. Login to remove the restriction.' upfront below the dropzone | Login requirement is only revealed after clicking Apply and then clicking Download |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 67.54% · Output size: 1343 KB | File reduction: -42.27% · Output size: 5886.7 KB |
| Fixture findings | Offers three modes without login; the default reduced this fixture by about 68%, with quality trade-offs to inspect. | Default settings increased this PNG's size; downloading also required login. |
| 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. | 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). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Webmasters and designers who want an ad-free workspace with free access to Lossy, Glossy (photographer-grade), and Lossless modes | Only usable for signed-in Fotor users compressing JPEGs (or converting PNGs to JPG/WebP); completely unsuitable for native PNG compression |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · 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 (download blocked without login, and default PNG mode inflates file size by +42.3%) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free (requires login) |
| Batch & API | Supports up to 50 files per batch on web, plus WordPress plugins and REST API | Batch workspace supports up to 50 images per session |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 2048 × 2048 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 2048 × 2048 · PNG |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 9.8s · End-to-end reference: 12.2s | Network-observed server wait: 2.4s · End-to-end reference: 2.4s |
| 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 login required (free account login removes the 10 MB per-file cap) | Mandatory Google / Facebook / Apple / Email login modal triggered when clicking Download |
| 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). | 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). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL) | Everimaging Ltd. (Fotor) |
| Recorded origin | Bucharest, Romania (EU GDPR compliant) | Chengdu, China / Global Operations |
| Domain history record | 2014–Present (12-year image optimization specialist) | 2012–Present (14-year photo editing suite) |
| 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. | Batch compression module within the globally recognized Fotor photo editing suite operated by Everimaging Ltd. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Processing location unconfirmed |
| 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. | Re-encodes images in the browser via Canvas Blob generation, but forces personal account sign-in before allowing file export. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| 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). | 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). |
| 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). | 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). |
| 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. | 15 / 20 Batch compression module within the globally recognized Fotor photo editing suite operated by Everimaging Ltd. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Processes images via ShortPixel's GDPR-compliant European cloud cluster without requiring personal details for guests. | 10 / 15 Re-encodes images in the browser via Canvas Blob generation, but forces personal account sign-in before allowing file export. |
| 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) | 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) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Preserves full 2048×2048 resolution and native PNG format while offering free Lossy/Glossy/Lossless mode switching (19.0/20) | 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) |
| Processing speed | 11 / 15 Cloud SmartCompress processing takes ~9.8s (~12.2s end-to-end) (11.0/15) | 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) |
