The ImageOptim alternative that also converts formats

ImageOptim is free, local, and good at what it does. It just can't convert a HEIC to a JPG, touch a video, or compress a PDF. Picmal does all of that on your Mac for $29 once.

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TL;DR Picmal vs ImageOptim

ImageOptim is free, open source, runs entirely on your Mac, and squeezes PNG and JPEG about as hard as anything out there. Its limits are that it only compresses, only images, and development has been quiet for years. Picmal ($29, pay once) converts formats too, covers video, audio, and PDFs, and is actively maintained.

Pick Picmal if: You need to convert formats, not just compress. Or you've got video, audio, and PDFs to deal with and would rather not collect four apps.
Pick ImageOptim if: You compress PNGs and JPEGs for the web, you want the smallest possible file, and free and open source matters to you. It's a good tool, keep it.

Picmal vs ImageOptim at a glance

Both are Mac apps that keep your files on your Mac. ImageOptim compresses images. Picmal converts and compresses images, video, audio, and PDFs.

Feature	Picmal	ImageOptim
Price	$29 one-time	Free, open source
Privacy	100% offline	100% offline
Image compression	Yes	Yes, its speciality
Image conversion	Yes. HEIC, JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, and more	No
Video	Convert & compress	No
Audio	Convert & compress	No
PDF	Compress, merge, split, images to PDF	No
Resize	Yes	No
Metadata removal	Yes	Yes
Batch processing	Yes	Yes
Folder monitoring	Yes	No
Shortcuts integration	Yes	No
Raycast extension	Yes	No
Finder right-click	Yes	Yes
Actively updated	Yes	Rarely
macOS	15+	13+

Which one is right for you?

Here's where each one makes more sense.

Choose Picmal

Compression alone isn't the job

You need to convert formats, HEIC to JPG being the usual one
You want newer formats like AVIF and JXL, not just PNG and JPEG
Video, audio, or PDFs are part of the same pile of work
You'd rather use something that's still being maintained

Stay with ImageOptim

Free, open source, and it does the job

You only ever compress PNG and JPEG for the web
You want the last few percent of file size and nothing else
Free and open source is the point, not a compromise

Everything else Picmal does

One app for images, video, audio, and PDFs. Convert, compress, and edit, all on your Mac. These are the essentials, and there's plenty more in the docs.

Convert between formats

Over 100 formats across images, video, audio, RAW, and PDF. HEIC to JPG, MOV to MP4, FLAC to ALAC. Drop it in, pick the output, done.

Compress and save space

Get under an email limit or a slow upload, without the quality drop you'd actually notice. No browser, no waiting.

Split, combine and organize PDFs

Break a PDF apart, merge a stack into one, drag pages to reorder, or turn a folder of photos into a PDF. Your documents never leave your Mac.

Combine, download and watermark videos

Stitch clips into one video, paste a link to fetch a clip, or stamp a logo over a preview while it converts.

Merge and split audio

Join tracks into one file, or split a long recording by its chapters. Podcasts and audiobooks, sorted.

Crop, cut out and trace images

Trim margins, lift a subject onto a transparent PNG with on-device Vision, trace a logo to real SVG paths, or build a full icon set from one image.

Watch a folder

Point Picmal at a folder and whatever lands in it gets converted, compressed, or built into a PDF on its own. Set it once.

Strip metadata

Take GPS coordinates, camera model and timestamps out of a photo before you send it. Or keep them, and add your own copyright.

Fits your workflow

Finder, Shortcuts, Raycast, a command line tool, and a clipboard that compresses screenshots as you copy them. A conversion is never more than a right-click away.

What people are
saying about Picmal

"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."

Marynes

"Everything works as expected - great app!"

Anthony Nguyen

"Great app! Simple and easy to use."

Beckett R

"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."

7107Labs

"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"

River Sloane

"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."

Gianluca Savini

"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."

Rob H

"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."

limboy

"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."

@imnogeekAJ

"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"

Alessandro Bonini

"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."

Marynes

"Everything works as expected - great app!"

Anthony Nguyen

"Great app! Simple and easy to use."

Beckett R

"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."

7107Labs

"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"

River Sloane

"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."

Gianluca Savini

"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."

Rob H

"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."

limboy

"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."

@imnogeekAJ

"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"

Alessandro Bonini

"I like the interface. I like the batch processing. I like the fact in the I can set default conversions. I like your program a lot."

Charles Willson

"I like the quality of the image processing. It also supports all the important image files. But it still needs some work regarding both the UI and the UX design of it."

Yiannis

"I love how Picmal's made compressing videos a frictionless, easy and straightforward."

George

"It's simple to use and does everything I need it to do. Hell, it does much more than I need and the developer keeps adding features :)"

Adam L

"I love the app! I use it 4-5 days a week for audio and image conversion as I tag and add missing album artwork to my library of 70,000 songs. After that is done, I would like to try it out with my Blu-ray collection on Plex. I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into creating and frequently updating an app such as this. All the best!"

Trevor

"The program is very simple and practical, and its options are clear."

Abadi

"I use Picmal to convert images. It works perfectly. I can just leave the Picmal window open on my desktop. Whenever I want to convert an image, I drag the file onto the window and click “convert”—and seconds later, the converted file is in the appropriate folder with the suffix “converted.” It couldn’t be easier or more hassle-free!"

Marie-Theres

"Thoughtful, polished, and constantly improving. Alberto genuinely listens to feedback, and it shows in Picmal. Easy 5 stars."

Daniel Hewitt

"I feel Picmal is one of the apps that I would categorize as essential. There are many features that distinguish the app from other web converters such as Folder Watching and Clipboard Optimization."

Joel

"Picmal is simple and fast but also integrates complex workloads if needed."

Aj

"I like the interface. I like the batch processing. I like the fact in the I can set default conversions. I like your program a lot."

Charles Willson

"I like the quality of the image processing. It also supports all the important image files. But it still needs some work regarding both the UI and the UX design of it."

Yiannis

"I love how Picmal's made compressing videos a frictionless, easy and straightforward."

George

"It's simple to use and does everything I need it to do. Hell, it does much more than I need and the developer keeps adding features :)"

Adam L

"I love the app! I use it 4-5 days a week for audio and image conversion as I tag and add missing album artwork to my library of 70,000 songs. After that is done, I would like to try it out with my Blu-ray collection on Plex. I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into creating and frequently updating an app such as this. All the best!"

Trevor

"The program is very simple and practical, and its options are clear."

Abadi

"I use Picmal to convert images. It works perfectly. I can just leave the Picmal window open on my desktop. Whenever I want to convert an image, I drag the file onto the window and click “convert”—and seconds later, the converted file is in the appropriate folder with the suffix “converted.” It couldn’t be easier or more hassle-free!"

Marie-Theres

"Thoughtful, polished, and constantly improving. Alberto genuinely listens to feedback, and it shows in Picmal. Easy 5 stars."

Daniel Hewitt

"I feel Picmal is one of the apps that I would categorize as essential. There are many features that distinguish the app from other web converters such as Folder Watching and Clipboard Optimization."

Joel

"Picmal is simple and fast but also integrates complex workloads if needed."

Aj

"Picmal is complete. The quality is good, and it does exactly what I need."

Gianfri

"Easy to use, automation & batch processing. AVIF & Webp support"

Sem

"I convert MP4s to MP3s almost every day. Picmal makes it stupidly simple, and I haven't touched a sketchy online converter since."

Rubens Nook YouTube Creator

"keep up the great work! Very cool tool you've built here."

J Koh

"Working on a presentation and had to convert and resize a lot of images. Picmal did them all in a flash."

Henry Halem

"Simple and powerful is a combination that is hard to get right. Picmal nails it! I find image presets particularly useful. Set it up and then just drag and drop to resize and convert."

Ian

"Me ha sosprendido la compresion que realiza el programa y si apreciar la calidad."

Carlos

"The easy going workflow"

Markus

"I just sent a few samples through to check everything, and I am very pleased with the results. Everything worked correctly and above all it was easy and not unduly complicated."

Andy Cockill

"Picmal is complete. The quality is good, and it does exactly what I need."

Gianfri

"Easy to use, automation & batch processing. AVIF & Webp support"

Sem

"I convert MP4s to MP3s almost every day. Picmal makes it stupidly simple, and I haven't touched a sketchy online converter since."

Rubens Nook YouTube Creator

"keep up the great work! Very cool tool you've built here."

J Koh

"Working on a presentation and had to convert and resize a lot of images. Picmal did them all in a flash."

Henry Halem

"Simple and powerful is a combination that is hard to get right. Picmal nails it! I find image presets particularly useful. Set it up and then just drag and drop to resize and convert."

Ian

"Me ha sosprendido la compresion que realiza el programa y si apreciar la calidad."

Carlos

"The easy going workflow"

Markus

"I just sent a few samples through to check everything, and I am very pleased with the results. Everything worked correctly and above all it was easy and not unduly complicated."

Andy Cockill

Pay once and you're all set

Already own Picmal? Add more Macs

How many Macs?

$29

2 Macs is $10 more

Convert, compress and edit images, video, audio and PDFs
Everything runs on your Mac, nothing gets uploaded
Use it on 1 Mac
Command line tool, Raycast extension and watched folders
Free updates forever, no subscription

Get Picmal for $29 Try free for 7 days

14-day refund after you buy, no questions asked. Needs macOS 15 or later.

More than 10 Macs? Email me.

Prices in USD, tax added at checkout, paid securely via Stripe.

How does the license work?

You pay once and keep it. No renewals, no subscriptions. Your license activates on the number of Macs you bought it for, and you can move it to another Mac whenever you want.

I bought Picmal and now I need more Macs. Can I upgrade?

Yes, and you only pay the difference. Going from 1 Mac to 2 is $10, 2 to 5 is $50, 5 to 10 is $60, and every other jump works the same way. Enter your license key here and the same key covers more Macs. The offer never expires, so starting small is never the wrong call.

What happens if I get a new Mac?

Open Picmal on your old Mac, go to Picmal → Register license to deactivate, then activate on the new one. Takes about ten seconds.

Do you offer student or country discounts?

Yes. I want Picmal to be affordable wherever you are. Students and educators get 40% off: verify your school email on the education page and the code lands in your inbox. If the price is steep for your country, checkout already adjusts it for you. If it still doesn't work, email support@picmal.app and tell me where you are, and I'll send a code.

Hello there 👋

I'm Alberto, the developer behind Picmal.

Picmal started because I was tired of opening a browser every time I needed to convert a few files. I figured there had to be a better way, so I built one.

Over time, that simple image converter has grown into something much bigger, mostly thanks to the people who use it.

Along the way, I've tried to stay true to a few simple ideas: your files should stay on your computer, the app should feel at home on your Mac, and you should only have to pay once.

One of my favorite parts of building Picmal is talking to customers. Many of the features in the app today started as conversations with people who needed something that didn't exist yet.

So if there's a feature you've always wished for, or something you haven't found in other tools, I'd love to hear from you. If it fits Picmal, I'll do my best to build it.

Best,

Alberto

Frequently asked questions

Can't find what you're looking for? Email support@picmal.app

Is Picmal a good ImageOptim alternative?

It depends what you're missing. ImageOptim is free, local, and very good at squeezing PNG and JPEG without visible loss. If that's all you need, keep it. Picmal is worth $29 if you also need to convert formats, handle video, audio, or PDFs, or want the app to still be getting updates.

Can ImageOptim convert between formats?

No. ImageOptim compresses an image and leaves it in the same format. It won't turn a HEIC into a JPG or a PNG into a WebP. That's the single most common reason people go looking for an alternative, and it's what Picmal does.

Is ImageOptim still being updated?

Development has been very quiet for a long time. It still works well on the formats it supports, but it hasn't kept pace with newer ones like AVIF and JXL, or with changes in macOS. Picmal ships updates regularly, listed at picmal.app/changelog.

Does Picmal compress as well as ImageOptim?

For everyday web and storage use, the difference isn't something you'll see. ImageOptim runs several open source optimisers in sequence and can shave out the last few percent on PNG, which matters if you're chasing absolute minimum size. Picmal trades that last few percent for covering video, audio, PDFs, and format conversion in one app.

Do both keep files on my Mac?

Yes. This is one thing they genuinely share. Neither uploads your images anywhere, both work with no internet connection. If you're comparing either of them to a web converter, that's the real difference.

Is ImageOptim free?

Yes, and open source. That's a real advantage and worth saying plainly. Picmal costs $29 once, so it only makes sense if the extra formats, media types, and integrations are worth that to you.

What if Picmal doesn't work for me?

Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. Email support@picmal.app.