The research shortlist
Page updated
FS PDF Compressor Top 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.
- 01 Drag-and-drop support for individual PDFs, batches, and folders
- 02 Preserve, Balanced, and Maximum compression profiles
- 03 Local processing with safe replacement only when the result is smaller
- 04 Signed 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 repository Source available ·
- FS PDF Compressor LICENSE License ·
- FS PDF Compressor releases Release ·
- FS PDF Compressor 1.0.11 macOS DMG Free at review time ·
- FS PDF Compressor official homepage Website ↗ ·
- FS PDF Compressor application icon Screenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub license metadata License ·
- Latest GitHub release Release ·
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.
- 01 PDF compression and optimization through pdfwrite presets
- 02 Established C engine used across document and publishing workflows
- 03 macOS installation documented through Homebrew and MacPorts
- 04 AGPL-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 repository Source available ·
- Ghostscript LICENSE License ·
- Ghostscript official releases Release ·
- Ghostscript AGPL and commercial downloads Free at review time ·
- Ghostscript official homepage Website ↗ ·
- Ghostscript official product image Screenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub commit history Source available ·
- Ghostscript/GhostPDL 10.07.1 release Release ·
- Ghostscript 10.07.1 source archive Free at review time ·
- macOS installation and build support Documented 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.
- 01 Optimize command for redundant resources, fonts, images, and compression
- 02 Prebuilt macOS binaries for Apple Silicon and Intel
- 03 Homebrew and MacPorts installation options
- 04 Additional 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 repository Source available ·
- pdfcpu LICENSE.txt License ·
- Latest pdfcpu release Release ·
- pdfcpu CLI downloads and installation Free at review time ·
- pdfcpu official homepage Website ↗ ·
- pdfcpu official logo Screenshots ·
- pdfcpu project example image Screenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub license metadata License ·
- Latest GitHub release Release ·
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
