Compresto 1.31 — Mac version

Compresto needs macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer, and it runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon machines. If you are holding onto an older Mac, you are out of luck — Ventura is the floor.

Offline compression for video, images, and transparent files

• Shrinking video and images without an internet connection — it works entirely offline
• Keeping transparent video intact during compression
• Setting up a watched folder so new files compress automatically
• Speedy access via the Raycast extension, if you use it

First launch downloads FFmpeg; file associations are now manual

• It leans on FFmpeg under the bonnet, so the first run may pull in components
• Version 1.30.1 stopped grabbing default-app status for movies, PNG, and JPEG — you will need to set file associations yourself if that matters to you

Handles both images and video, unlike HandBrake

If you have used HandBrake, you know it is brilliant for video — but it does not touch images. Compresto handles both in one window, and the watched-folder trick means you can drop a batch of PNGs and MOVs into the same place and walk away. HandBrake gives you finer control over codecs and filters, though, so pick your tool by the job.

Clop is the closest cousin on macOS. It also watches folders and compresses images and video. The difference is Clop leans on your internet connection for some optimisations. Compresto stays fully offline, which matters if you are working on sensitive footage or sitting in a café with patchy Wi‑Fi. Clop feels a touch more polished, but Compresto gives you the compresto mac app experience without a network dependency.

Then there is ImageOptim — superb for stills, useless for video. If your work is purely photography, ImageOptim is lighter. If you regularly bounce between photo and video exports, the compresto mac app keeps you in one place.

Set your quality slider before the first compression

Open the preferences before you compress anything. Three things make a real difference:

1. Pick a quality level that fits your output. The default lands around the middle. For social-media clips, drop it a notch; for archival copies you might revisit later, bump it up. Test one file and check the result before you process a whole folder.
2. Set up at least one watched folder. Point it at your desktop or a dedicated “To shrink” folder. After that, compression is just saving or dragging a file there. It feels like automation without any scripting.
3. Check the output format. Compresto can export video as MP4 or WebM. WebM keeps transparent video intact and plays nicely with browsers, but some editors prefer MP4. Match it to where the file goes next.

If you use Raycast, install the extension early. It lets you send a file straight to Compresto with a quick compresto command, which beats opening the app manually every time.

If you regularly need to send smaller files without relying on a dodgy website, Compresto does the job quietly from your desktop.

Version 1.31 clears a stall with non‑Latin filenames and tidies up a few behind‑the‑scenes bits.

• macOS 13 or newer
• Runs on Apple Silicon and Intel 64-bit Macs