An ImageOptim alternative for when you need more than optimization
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Keep ImageOptim if you only optimize JPEG, PNG, GIF and SVG; it is free and very good. If you also need WebP, AVIF or HEIC, resizing, size targets or metadata control in one place, FileDial covers those on your Mac for $20 once after a 1-day trial. Squoosh is a free browser option for single images.
Why people look for an ImageOptim alternative
- Format coverage: ImageOptim's site lists JPEG, PNG, SVG and animated GIF. It does not list HEIC, WebP or AVIF, which is what iPhones and modern websites use.
- It optimizes, it does not convert or resize. A 4000 px iPhone photo stays 4000 px, so the file is still bigger than a web page needs.
- No size targets. You can switch on lossy minification, but you cannot ask for 'under 1 MB' for an upload form.
- Images only. People who also compress PDFs and videos end up with several apps.
About ImageOptim: A free, open source Mac app that optimizes JPEG, PNG, SVG and animated GIF files and strips private metadata, using tools such as MozJPEG, pngquant, Zopfli and SVGO. Platforms: Mac, macOS 11 or later (an older version for macOS 10.10 is linked); a separate paid web API. Price: Free, GPL v2 or later. Where files are processed: Processed in the app on your Mac with bundled optimizers. The separate ImageOptim API is a web service.
Every ImageOptim tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| ImageOptim | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG optimization (MozJPEG, Jpegtran) | Compress › Compress | Smaller copy that looks the same, beside the original |
| PNG optimization (pngquant, Zopfli, OxiPNG) | Compress › Compress | Same tool on PNGs; mixed selections work |
| SVG optimization (SVGO) | Compress › Optimize SVG | Comments, metadata, editor data and empty groups removed; numbers rounded to 2 decimals |
| Animated GIF optimization (Gifsicle) | Compress › Optimize GIF to size… | Fewer colours, frames or pixels until it fits the size you set |
| Lossy minification | Compress › Compress to size… | You set the size; also Compress under 1 MB and others |
| Strip EXIF metadata | Privacy › Remove all metadata | Copy without metadata, pixels untouched |
| Remove GPS position | Privacy › Remove location | Copy without GPS, pixels untouched |
| Remove camera serial number | Privacy › Remove camera info | Copy without camera details, pixels untouched |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Free and open source: ImageOptim costs nothing and its code is public under the GPL. FileDial is a paid, closed source app.
- Lossless optimization: ImageOptim's default keeps image quality exactly. FileDial's Compress › Compress promises a copy that looks the same, which is not the same claim as lossless.
- Older Macs: ImageOptim runs on macOS 11 and Intel Macs. FileDial needs macOS 14 on Apple silicon.
Details about ImageOptim come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best ImageOptim alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. It adds what ImageOptim leaves out: Convert › Convert to WebP, Convert › Convert to AVIF and Convert › Convert to HEIC, resizing with Resize › Resize to 2048 px, and size targets like Compress › Compress under 500 KB. Recipes can chain steps, for example Convert to JPG then Remove location, and a watched folder runs a recipe on anything dropped into it.
- WebP, AVIF and HEIC conversion
- Resize and size targets in the same app
- Recipes and watched folders for repeat jobs
- Not free after the 1-day trial
- Needs macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer)
- Mac only, no web, Windows or phone version
- Not lossless by promise; ImageOptim is
2. Squoosh
Squoosh fills ImageOptim's format gap at no cost. It runs in your browser, its site says images never leave your device, and it shows a side-by-side preview as you change quality. It handles one image at a time.
- Free, local processing
- Modern encoders including AVIF
- Includes a resize option
- One image at a time
- Google Analytics records before and after sizes
3. Preview (built into macOS)
A common free workflow is Preview first, ImageOptim second: Preview's Tools › Adjust Size shrinks dimensions and File › Export turns HEIC into JPEG, then ImageOptim squeezes the result.
- Free and installed
- Exports HEIC, JPEG, PNG and TIFF
- Resizes several images at once
- Two apps for one job
- No WebP or AVIF in the standard export menu
Why people look past ImageOptim
ImageOptim has been the default Mac answer to 'make my images smaller' for years, and for good reason: drag files in, get the same pictures in fewer bytes, nothing uploaded, nothing to pay. It also strips GPS and camera serial numbers by default, which many people do not realize.
What has changed is the files. iPhones shoot HEIC, websites serve WebP and AVIF, and upload forms ask for an exact limit. ImageOptim's own page lists JPEG, PNG, SVG and GIF, so those jobs need another tool.
The free route: Preview plus ImageOptim plus Squoosh
You can cover nearly everything at no cost with three tools. Preview resizes and turns HEIC into JPEG, ImageOptim optimizes the JPEGs and PNGs, and Squoosh makes WebP or AVIF one image at a time. That is a perfectly good setup if you do this occasionally. The cost is switching apps and doing modern formats file by file.
The one-app route in FileDial
For a folder of iPhone photos going onto a website, the whole chain is two passes.
- Select the HEIC photos in Finder and hold the right Option key.
- Release on Resize › Resize to 2048 px to bring them down to web size.
- Select the resized copies and release on Convert › Convert to WebP, or Compress › Compress under 500 KB if the site needs JPGs under a limit.
- Save it as a recipe if you do this weekly, so it becomes one step next time.
When to stay with ImageOptim
Stay if your files are already JPEG and PNG at the right size, if you want guaranteed lossless output, if you are on an Intel Mac or macOS older than 14, or if open source matters to you. FileDial earns its $20 when format conversion, resizing and size targets are part of the job, or when you want the same dial for PDFs and video.
Questions
Does ImageOptim support WebP or HEIC?
ImageOptim's Mac page lists JPEG, PNG, SVG and animated GIF and does not list WebP, AVIF or HEIC. To work with those formats on a Mac, Preview exports HEIC and JPEG for free, Squoosh makes WebP and AVIF one image at a time, and FileDial converts batches to WebP, AVIF or HEIC.
Can ImageOptim resize images?
The ImageOptim Mac app optimizes files without changing their dimensions. Resizing on demand is a feature of the separate ImageOptim API web service. On your Mac, Preview's Tools › Adjust Size resizes several images at once for free, and FileDial has presets such as Resize › Resize to 1080 px.
Is ImageOptim still maintained?
Its Mac page listed version 1.9.3 and said it is compatible with Sonoma when we checked on 9 November 2026, and the GitHub repository is public. Check the GitHub page for recent activity if that matters to you. Being open source means it can keep working even when updates slow down.
Does ImageOptim upload my images?
The ImageOptim Mac app processes images on your Mac with bundled optimizers such as MozJPEG and pngquant, so nothing is uploaded. The separate ImageOptim API is a web service for servers, which is a different product. FileDial also runs every tool on the Mac with Wi-Fi off.
Is FileDial lossless like ImageOptim?
We do not claim that. FileDial's Compress › Compress makes a smaller copy that looks the same, and the privacy tools such as Privacy › Remove all metadata leave pixels untouched. If you need byte-level lossless recompression of JPEG and PNG, ImageOptim's default mode is the better tool.
What is the best free ImageOptim alternative?
It depends on the gap. For WebP and AVIF, Squoosh is free and runs in your browser. For resizing and HEIC to JPEG, Preview is free and already on your Mac. Neither does batches of modern formats in one step, which is where a paid tool like FileDial comes in.