The research shortlist
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FS PDF CompressorTop pick
Native, drag-and-drop PDF size reduction
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best functional match: a current native Mac compressor with adjustable profiles and a simple drop workflow. It ranks first for usability, though the project is newer and much smaller than the mature engines.
A focused desktop compressor that processes PDFs locally, supports batches and folders, and offers Preserve, Balanced, and Maximum profiles. Its notarized Apple Silicon DMG is the closest workflow match to PDF Squeezer.
- 01Drag-and-drop support for individual PDFs, batches, and folders
- 02Preserve, Balanced, and Maximum compression profiles
- 03Local processing with safe replacement only when the result is smaller
- 04Signed and notarized macOS DMG for Apple Silicon
- Requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon; Intel Macs are not supported.
- The community and maintenance history are modest compared with Ghostscript or pdfcpu.
Evidence sources (9)
- FS PDF Compressor source repositorySource available ·
- FS PDF Compressor LICENSELicense ·
- FS PDF Compressor releasesRelease ·
- FS PDF Compressor 1.0.11 macOS DMGFree at review time ·
- FS PDF Compressor official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- FS PDF Compressor application iconScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
Ghostscript
Mature PDF rewriting and compression engine
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best mature engine: it directly targets PDF compression, has a long maintenance and ecosystem history, and is easy to install on macOS through established package managers. Its CLI workflow is less approachable than PDF Squeezer.
Full review — capabilities, 3 caveats, evidence
A long-established PostScript and PDF interpreter with pdfwrite presets for shrinking and rewriting PDFs. It is the strongest lower-level option when compression control matters more than GUI convenience.
- 01PDF compression and optimization through pdfwrite presets
- 02Established C engine used across document and publishing workflows
- 03macOS installation documented through Homebrew and MacPorts
- 04AGPL-licensed source with reproducible command-line workflows
- Command-line tool; it does not provide a comparable drag-and-drop Mac interface.
- AGPL use is free when its terms are met; proprietary embedding or redistribution may require Artifex's commercial license.
- Compression presets can trade visual fidelity for smaller files, so output should be inspected.
Evidence sources (11)
- Artifex GhostPDL and Ghostscript source repositorySource available ·
- Ghostscript LICENSELicense ·
- Ghostscript official releasesRelease ·
- Ghostscript AGPL and commercial downloadsFree at review time ·
- Ghostscript official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Ghostscript official product imageScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub commit historySource available ·
- Ghostscript/GhostPDL 10.07.1 releaseRelease ·
- Ghostscript 10.07.1 source archiveFree at review time ·
- macOS installation and build supportDocumented macOS path ·
pdfcpu
Dependency-light PDF optimizer for macOS
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best open tooling alternative: explicit PDF optimization, current releases, broad PDF operations, and official binaries for both Mac architectures. It is reliable for automation but lacks a native GUI.
Full review — capabilities, 2 caveats, evidence
A Go-based CLI and API whose optimize command removes redundant page resources, optimizes fonts and images, and writes highly compressed PDFs. Official documentation provides Intel and Apple Silicon macOS binaries.
- 01Optimize command for redundant resources, fonts, images, and compression
- 02Prebuilt macOS binaries for Apple Silicon and Intel
- 03Homebrew and MacPorts installation options
- 04Additional PDF validation, splitting, merging, encryption, and metadata tools
- CLI/API rather than a native drag-and-drop application.
- Optimization is structural and resource-focused; it does not expose PDF Squeezer-style visual quality presets.
Evidence sources (10)
- pdfcpu source repositorySource available ·
- pdfcpu LICENSE.txtLicense ·
- Latest pdfcpu releaseRelease ·
- pdfcpu CLI downloads and installationFree at review time ·
- pdfcpu official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- pdfcpu official logoScreenshots ·
- pdfcpu project example imageScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
Specifications, side by side
| Attribute | 1 · FS PDF Compressor | 2 · Ghostscript | 3 · pdfcpu |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Apache-2.0 |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| Status | Checked | Checked | Checked |
| Version | v1.0.11 | v10.07.1 | v0.15.0 |
| Stars | 6 | 266 | 8.8k |
| Last push | |||
| Caveats | 2 | 3 | 2 |
About PDF Squeezer
PDF Squeezer — PDF compressor for Mac. Shrink file sizes quickly with simple drag-and-drop.
Setapp listing: Compress PDFs without quality loss
