The all-in-one Permute alternative for Mac
Both are offline Mac converters. Permute is the cheaper one and adds timeline video editing. Picmal adds compression for images, video, audio, and PDFs, plus PDF tools and folder monitoring. It comes down to what you need.
$29 once, updates included. No account, no subscription, works offline. Need 2, 5 or 10 Macs?
Picmal ($29) and Permute (~$14.99, also on Setapp) are both offline Mac converters, with Permute the cheaper of the two. Picmal compresses images, video, audio, and PDFs, with PDF tools, folder monitoring, and Finder right-click. Permute adds timeline editing (trim, crop, merge) and audio normalization.
- Pick Picmal if
- You convert and compress media on your Mac and want folder monitoring, PDF tools, and a Finder right-click, and you don't need to trim or merge videos.
- Pick Permute if
- You need to trim, crop, or merge videos, normalize audio, batch edit metadata, schedule conversions, or pull text out of images with OCR. Or you already pay for Setapp.
Picmal vs Permute at a glance
Permute is good at video editing. But sometimes you just want one app to convert and compress a file without thinking about it.
| Feature | Picmal | Permute |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 one-time | $14.99 one-time |
| Setapp | No | Yes, included in the subscription |
| Privacy | 100% offline | 100% offline |
| Interface | One window, no hunting through menus | Groups + presets |
| Image formats | 20+ | 15+ |
| Compression | Images, video, audio & PDF, never bigger than the original | Target file size when converting |
| PDF tools | Compress, combine, images to PDF | PDF pages to images |
| Video editing | No | Trim, crop, stitch |
| Metadata | Strip location data before sharing | Batch metadata editor |
| Shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic conversion | Watches a folder, converts what lands in it | Drop zones, drop files onto a preset |
| Finder right-click | Yes, convert without opening the app | No |
| macOS | 15+ | 26+, Apple Silicon only (Permute 4) |
What people are
saying about Picmal
"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)."
"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!"
"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!"
"Working on a presentation and had to convert and resize a lot of images. Picmal did them all in a flash."
"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."
"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."
"Everything works as expected - great app!"
"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."
"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"
"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."
"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."
"I love how Picmal's made compressing videos a frictionless, easy and straightforward."
"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 :)"
"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!"
"The program is very simple and practical, and its options are clear."
"Thoughtful, polished, and constantly improving. Alberto genuinely listens to feedback, and it shows in Picmal. Easy 5 stars."
"Picmal is simple and fast but also integrates complex workloads if needed."
"Picmal is complete. The quality is good, and it does exactly what I need."
"Easy to use, automation & batch processing. AVIF & Webp support"
"keep up the great work! Very cool tool you've built here."
"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."
"Me ha sosprendido la compresion que realiza el programa y si apreciar la calidad."
"The easy going workflow"
"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."
Pay once and you're all set
Already own Picmal? Add more Macs
How many Macs?
2 Macs is $10 more
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Convert, compress and edit images, video, audio and PDFs
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Everything runs on your Mac, nothing gets uploaded
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Use it on 1 Mac
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Command line tool, Raycast extension and watched folders
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Free updates forever, no subscription
14-day refund after you buy, no questions asked. Needs macOS 15 or later.
More than 10 Macs? Email me.
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. Prices are in USD, tax is added at checkout, and you pay through Stripe.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Can't find what you're looking for? Email support@picmal.app
Is Picmal a good Permute alternative?
If you don't need to trim, crop, or merge video, then yes. Picmal converts, compresses, and handles images, video, audio, and PDFs in one window. Permute adds a video editing layer. Picmal skips it.
Does Picmal work offline like Permute?
Yes. Everything runs locally on your Mac. Nothing gets uploaded anywhere.
Can Picmal convert and compress video and audio?
Yes. Picmal converts video (MP4, MOV, MKV, and more) and audio (MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more). It compresses all of them, images, video, audio, and PDFs, and the output is never larger than the input. No timeline editing though. No trimming, cropping, or merging.
Is Picmal actually cheaper than Permute?
No, Permute is cheaper. It's $14.99 for up to three activations, and it's on Setapp if you pay for that. Picmal is $29 for one Mac and $39 for two. What you get for the difference is PDF compression and combining, a watched folder that converts whatever lands in it, and a Finder right-click. Picmal also runs on macOS 15, where Permute 4 needs macOS 26 and an Apple Silicon Mac.
What if Picmal doesn't work for me?
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. Just email support@picmal.app.