Reduce Sizes
Compress PDF files on Mac with target size control, side-by-side preview, batch processing, and saved presets. No uploads, no subscriptions.
All data processing happens locally on your device. No uploads, no tracking, no accounts required.
PDFs are compressed on your Mac. No documents are uploaded to external servers, cloud services, or third-party websites.
Start compressing immediately. No sign-up, login, or subscription needed to use any feature.
The app contains no usage tracking, ad networks, or telemetry. Your documents and usage patterns remain private.
Choose exactly where compressed files are saved. Nothing is cached, logged, or retained outside the folder you select.
Drag one or more PDF files into the app
Choose a compression preset, set a target size, or fine-tune DPI and quality manually
Compare original and compressed versions side by side with zoom controls
Export optimized PDFs with your preferred naming and metadata settings
Works with all major email clients, cloud services, and data sources.
Compress PDFs before attaching to emails so documents stay under typical 10-25 MB attachment limits.
Reduce legal PDFs to meet strict file size requirements of court portals like PACER, CM/ECF, and state-level filing systems.
Optimize course PDFs for upload to Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and Google Classroom where large files cause slow load times.
Compress reports and proposals before uploading to client-facing portals, SharePoint sites, or CRM attachment fields with size caps.
Reduce the storage footprint of large PDF collections before syncing to iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Typical use
A popular native Mac app known for drag-and-drop compression with customizable profiles. Available on the App Store and through Setapp at around $10 one-time.
Great Apps advantage
PDF Compressor adds Target Size Mode that automatically hits your exact file size cap, plus a live side-by-side preview with zoom so you can verify quality before committing.
Typical use
A widely used browser-based PDF toolkit offering free compression with a clean interface. Requires uploading files to Smallpdf servers.
Great Apps advantage
PDF Compressor runs entirely on your Mac with no file uploads, no file-count limits, and no watermarks. It also supports batch processing and saved presets for repeatable workflows.
Typical use
A free online suite covering compression, merging, splitting, and conversion. Popular for one-off tasks but requires uploading documents to their servers.
Great Apps advantage
PDF Compressor keeps sensitive documents local, gives you precise DPI and quality controls, and supports batch export with custom naming, which is better for recurring professional workflows.
“Target Size Mode eliminated the back-and-forth we used to go through with court e-filing portals. We set the limit, compress, and submit.”
“I compress lecture PDFs every semester before uploading to Canvas. The batch workflow handles 30+ files in one pass with consistent quality.”
“Our client proposals used to bounce on email. Now we run them through a saved preset and they go out at half the size with no visible quality loss.”
Results depend on the PDF content. Image-heavy documents often shrink by 50-80%, while text-heavy files see smaller but meaningful reductions. The side-by-side preview lets you verify quality before saving.
Target Size Mode lets you specify an exact file size cap in MB. The app automatically adjusts compression settings to get as close to your target as possible while maximizing quality.
You control the trade-off. The app lets you adjust image quality, DPI, and color space so you can find the right balance. The live preview shows exactly what the output will look like.
No. All compression happens locally on your Mac. Your documents never leave your device, and the app works fully offline.
Yes. The batch workflow lets you import a list of PDFs, reorder them, and export all compressed files in one operation using the same settings or a saved preset.
Those tools require uploading your documents to their servers. PDF Compressor processes everything locally on your Mac, offers Target Size Mode, saved presets, and a side-by-side preview that online tools do not provide.
Re-Encode rebuilds the internal PDF structure to remove unused objects, redundant fonts, and editing artifacts. It is especially effective for vector-heavy documents and files that have been edited multiple times.
Yes. Scanned PDFs contain embedded images, which are exactly what the compressor targets. You can adjust DPI and image quality to significantly reduce scanned document sizes.
