Mac Video Compressor That Hits the Exact File Size You Need

What SquishyFile for Mac does

SquishyFile for Mac is a desktop video compressor I'm building for one job: you tell it how big the file can be, and it makes the video fit. Type 25MB for a Gmail attachment, 10MB for a chat app, or any number you like, and the app works out the bitrate for each video so the result lands just under that size.

The free compressor on this site already does this in the browser, one file at a time. The Mac app takes the same idea and adds the things a browser tab can't do well: whole folders at once, a right-click option in Finder, and the hardware video encoder built into every Apple Silicon Mac.

Planned features at launch

• Exact size target. Pick a preset (8MB, 10MB, 25MB, 50MB, 100MB) or type your own limit. Each video gets its own bitrate, so a 20-second clip and a 4-minute clip both end up under the same limit.
• Batch compression. Drag in a folder of 50 screen recordings and walk away. The queue shows the size of every file before and after.
• Finder Quick Action. Right-click any video in Finder and choose Compress to 25MB, Compress to 10MB, or Custom size.
• Hardware encoding. The app uses Apple's VideoToolbox encoder for H.264 and HEVC, which runs on the media engine inside M-series chips instead of the CPU.
• Quality mode. When the size doesn't matter, choose a quality level instead and let the file land wherever it lands.
• GIF tools. Turn a clip into a GIF or shrink an existing GIF, with the same size target.

Every file stays on your Mac. The app does all the work locally and never uploads your videos anywhere.

Why a Mac app when macOS can already compress video

macOS can shrink a video two ways out of the box, and I use both. QuickTime Player has File, then Export As, with 480p, 720p, 1080p and 4K options. Finder has a Quick Action called Encode Selected Video Files. Both work, but both only let you pick a resolution. Neither one lets you say "make this 25MB", so you export, check the size, and try again when it's still too big.

HandBrake does let you control the bitrate, and it's free and excellent. It also expects you to know what a bitrate is and to do the math yourself for every clip of a different length. The Mac app does that math for you.

Price and license

I plan to sell the app for $29 as a one-time purchase for one Mac, with updates included. There won't be a subscription. A free trial will let you compress a few files so you can check the results on your own videos before you pay.

If you click Interested at the top of this page, I count it toward deciding how much time goes into this app and which features ship first. I post launch news on X.

FAQ