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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 | Kraken.io | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 86/100 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 |
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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 | 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 |
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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 ↗ | 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 | Up to 50 files per batch and 10 MB per file without login; free access to Lossy, Glossy, and Lossless modes | Free Web Interface strictly capped at ≤1 MB per file; paid PRO unlocks 32 MB per file |
| Cancellation & refunds | One-time credit packs never expire; subscriptions can be cancelled anytime in the account dashboard under official Terms. | No long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses 'maximum 10Mb. Login to remove the restriction.' upfront below the dropzone | 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: 67.54% · Output size: 1343 KB | File reduction: 0% · Output size: 4137.9 KB |
| Fixture findings | Offers three modes without login; the default reduced this fixture by about 68%, with quality trade-offs to inspect. | The roughly 4MB fixture exceeded the recorded 1MB free limit; free compression could not complete. |
| 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. | 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 | Webmasters and designers who want an ad-free workspace with free access to Lossy, Glossy (photographer-grade), and Lossless modes | 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 full-resolution PNG free direct export (up to 10 MB and 50 files without login) | 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 50 files per batch on web, plus WordPress plugins and REST API | 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: 9.8s · End-to-end reference: 12.2s | 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 login required (free account login removes the 10 MB per-file cap) | 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 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). | 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 | ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL) | Nekkra UG (Kraken.io) |
| Recorded origin | Bucharest, Romania (EU GDPR compliant) | Germany |
| Domain history record | 2014–Present (12-year image optimization specialist) | 2013–Present (13-year image optimization service) |
| 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. | 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 | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud 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. | 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 | 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). | 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 | 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). | 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 | 18 / 20 Operated by ShortPixel (ID Scout SRL, founded in 2014), one of the most widely installed image optimization providers in the WordPress ecosystem. | 16 / 20 Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Processes images via ShortPixel's GDPR-compliant European cloud cluster without requiring personal details for guests. | 10 / 15 Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| 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) | 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 | 19 / 20 Preserves full 2048×2048 resolution and native PNG format while offering free Lossy/Glossy/Lossless mode switching (19.0/20) | 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 | 11 / 15 Cloud SmartCompress processing takes ~9.8s (~12.2s end-to-end) (11.0/15) | 10 / 15 Client-side size check rejects >1 MB files in 0.2s with a PRO upgrade notice (10.0/15) |
