A Squoosh alternative for Mac when you need whole folders done
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Squoosh is free, private and excellent for tuning a single image. When you need the same result on a whole folder, FileDial runs compress, WebP, AVIF and resize on every selected file at once, on your Mac, for $20 once after a 1-day trial. For free batch compression of JPEG and PNG, ImageOptim is the best fit.
Why people look for a Squoosh alternative
- The web app works on one image at a time. That is the right design for careful tuning and the wrong one for 150 product photos.
- The command line version is gone for practical purposes: the @squoosh/cli package README says it is no longer actively maintained, so scripted batch jobs need another tool.
- Every setting is manual. There is no 'under 500 KB' target, so hitting an upload limit means trial and error.
- It only does images. If you also shrink PDFs or videos, you need other tools anyway.
About Squoosh: An open source image compression web app from Google Chrome Labs that lets you compare codecs and settings side by side in the browser. Platforms: Any modern web browser; can be installed as a progressive web app. Price: Free, Apache-2.0 licensed. Where files are processed: Processed locally in your browser; the site says images never leave your device. Its README says Google Analytics collects basic visit data and the before and after image sizes.
Every Squoosh tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| Squoosh | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MozJPEG encoder | Convert › Convert to JPG | New copy beside the original |
| Browser PNG encoder | Convert › Convert to PNG | New copy beside the original |
| OxiPNG and Reduce palette | Compress › Compress | Smaller copy that looks the same |
| WebP encoder | Convert › Convert to WebP | Animated GIFs stay animated; metadata isn't kept |
| AVIF encoder | Convert › Convert to AVIF | New copy beside the original |
| Quality slider | Compress › Compress by percentage… | Choose how much smaller, applied to the whole selection |
| Resize | Resize › Resize… | Presets too: Resize to 1080 px, Resize to 2048 px, Resize to 50% |
| Rotate | Adjust › Rotate right | Rotate left is a separate tool |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Side-by-side tuning: Squoosh shows original and result together with a draggable divider while you change settings. FileDial shows size before and after on the result card, not a live visual comparison.
- Encoders: Squoosh offers JPEG XL, QOI and WebP v2 encoders and fine codec controls. FileDial has no JPEG XL, QOI or WebP v2 output.
- Free and open source on any OS: Squoosh runs in any modern browser at no cost.
Details about Squoosh come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best Squoosh alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. Select a folder's worth of images in Finder, hold the right Option key and release on Compress › Compress, Convert › Convert to WebP or Convert › Convert to AVIF. Size targets such as Compress › Compress under 1 MB remove the guesswork Squoosh leaves to you. A batch of 300 photos converted in 5 seconds on a MacBook.
- Batches of any size in one step
- Size targets for upload limits
- Also handles PDFs, video and audio
- 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
- No live side-by-side quality preview
2. ImageOptim
ImageOptim is a free Mac app that takes whole folders and runs MozJPEG, pngquant, Zopfli, SVGO and other optimizers on them. It is lossless by default, which is safer than guessing a quality number for 100 files.
- Free and open source
- Folders in one drop
- Lossless by default
- No WebP or AVIF output
- No resizing
3. Preview (built into macOS)
Select several images in one Preview window's sidebar and use Tools › Adjust Size or File › Export. You get JPEG quality control and resizing for many files at once, though not modern web formats.
- Free and installed
- Resize several images together
- No WebP or AVIF in the standard export menu
- Fiddly for large folders
4. Squoosh (keep it for hero images)
Switching does not mean dropping Squoosh. Use it to find the right format for a landing page image, then let a batch tool handle the rest of the folder.
- Best visual comparison of the group
- Local processing
- One image at a time
- CLI no longer maintained
Squoosh is good. Here is where it stops
Squoosh does what it promises: it compresses locally in your browser, offers modern codecs and shows you exactly what you are trading. For a single image, nothing on this page beats it for control, and it is free.
The limit is volume. Squoosh's design is one image, many settings. Most real jobs are the reverse: one setting, many images. Before the CLI was left unmaintained, that was the workaround. Now a desktop batch tool is the practical route.
From Squoosh settings to a FileDial batch
Use Squoosh to decide on the format, then do the folder in FileDial.
- In Squoosh, try WebP and AVIF on one representative image and note which looks right.
- In Finder, select all images in the folder.
- Hold the right Option key and release on Convert › Convert to WebP or Convert › Convert to AVIF.
- If files must also be smaller than a limit, run Compress › Compress to size… on the results. Every step saves new files beside the originals, with Undo.
Privacy is a tie, so decide on workflow
Unlike most image sites, Squoosh does not upload your picture, so switching away from it is not a privacy upgrade the way leaving an upload-based compressor is. Both Squoosh and FileDial process files on your own machine. Squoosh's README notes that Google Analytics records visits and the before and after sizes; FileDial sends optional anonymous counts of which tool ran, never file names or contents, with an off switch in Settings › Privacy.
That leaves workflow. Squoosh lives in a browser tab and asks you to open each file. FileDial lives in Finder: select files, hold the right Option key, release on a tool, and the results appear beside the originals. If your images arrive in folders, from a camera, a designer or a client, the Finder route saves the most time.
Is FileDial worth $20 if Squoosh is free?
Not if you handle a few images a week; Squoosh plus ImageOptim covers that for nothing. It is worth it if you batch often, need hard size targets, or want one app that also does Compress › Compress PDF and video compression. Both tools keep files on your device, so privacy is not the deciding factor here; volume and range are.
Questions
Can Squoosh batch process images?
The Squoosh web app processes one image at a time. Google Chrome Labs used to publish a command line tool for batches, but the @squoosh/cli package README now says it is no longer actively maintained. For batches on a Mac, ImageOptim is free for compression, and FileDial batch converts to WebP or AVIF and resizes.
Does Squoosh work offline?
Squoosh processes images in your browser, and its site says images never leave your device. It can be installed as a progressive web app. Its README notes that Google Analytics collects visit data and before and after image sizes, so it is not completely silent, but your images themselves are not sent.
Is there a Squoosh app for Mac?
There is no native Mac app from Google. You can install the Squoosh progressive web app from a supported browser, which gives it its own window. If you want a native Mac app that does similar jobs in bulk, ImageOptim and FileDial both run locally.
Does FileDial support JPEG XL like Squoosh?
No. FileDial converts to JPG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF, GIF, TIFF and several other formats, but it has no JPEG XL tool. If you need JPEG XL output, Squoosh is one of the few free tools that offers it, and you can keep using it for those files alongside a batch tool.
Is Squoosh safe for private images?
Squoosh compresses in your browser, and its site says images never leave your device, so it is a safer choice than tools that upload. Its README is open about using Google Analytics for visit data and before and after image sizes. FileDial also keeps files on the Mac; its optional anonymous usage counts can be turned off in Settings › Privacy.