Comparison · Image Compression · Privacy
Free File Converter vs TinyPNG: Which is right for you?
Quick verdict. If you compress small PNG/JPG/WebP screenshots and like TinyPNG's polished UX (and don't mind a 5MB-per-file cap, an upload step, and a paid plan for batch), TinyPNG is a fine choice — it's a category-defining brand for a reason. Free File Converter is the better fit if you (a) need files larger than 5MB, (b) want compression to happen entirely in your browser with no upload, (c) want to compress in bulk for free, or (d) need formats beyond image compression — PDF, HEIC, SVG, CSV, and 30+ others.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Free File Converter | TinyPNG |
|---|---|---|
| Files uploaded to a server? | No — runs in your browser | Yes — uploaded for compression |
| Free price | Free, no signup, no ads | Free with 5MB/file cap; paid API beyond |
| Per-file size cap | 25MB | 5MB on the free web tool |
| Batch / bulk support | Drop a folder → ZIP back | Up to 20 files at a time on the free tool |
| Supported formats | 40+ — images, PDF, HEIC, SVG, CSV, JSON, YAML, Markdown, SRT/VTT | PNG, JPG, WebP only |
| HEIC support | Native HEIC → JPG / PNG / PDF | Not supported |
| Mobile / phone UX | PWA, installable, drag/share-target on iOS & Android | Mobile-friendly web page; no install |
| Ads in the UI? | None | None |
| Account required? | No | No for free web tool; yes for API |
| Works offline (PWA)? | Yes — after first visit | No |
| Open-source bits | Uses open libraries (heic2any, pdf-lib, etc.); embed widget will be open-sourced | Proprietary compression engine |
| Quality slider / fine control | Quality slider + max-dimension cap | Single automatic preset |
| Compression quality (PNG) | Canvas re-encode + downscale — good for size, not lossless-magic | Best-in-class lossy PNG compression |
| WordPress / API ecosystem | None yet | Established WordPress plugin + API |
| Pricing | Free forever (no compute cost — runs on your CPU) | Free tier; paid API by volume |
When to use TinyPNG
- You need the absolute smallest PNG output and don't mind uploading.
- You already have the WordPress plugin in your workflow.
- You're an engineer with an API budget compressing thousands of assets a month.
- All your files are under 5MB and you only ever compress PNG, JPG, or WebP.
When to use Free File Converter
- The files are personal — screenshots with private info, iPhone HEIC photos, scanned PDFs.
- You hit TinyPNG's 5MB cap on modern phone photos.
- You need to compress in bulk for free, no signup.
- You also need PDF, HEIC, SVG, CSV, or another format TinyPNG doesn't touch.
- You want the converter to work on a plane, on the subway, or with WiFi off.
Privacy comparison
This is where the two tools diverge the most. TinyPNG uploads your files to their servers, runs proprietary compression, and returns the result. Their TOS says files are deleted after a hold period (~48 hours), which is standard for the category. For most stock images, no big deal.
Free File Converter never uploads anything. Compression runs in your browser via canvas re-encoding — you can verify this by opening DevTools → Network and watching the file count stay at zero during conversion. For screenshots that contain private info (Slack DMs, dashboards, source code, financial figures, customer data), or for iPhone photos with embedded GPS coordinates, that's the difference between "we trust their TOS" and "the file never left this device."
That privacy story isn't a marketing claim — it's a structural property of how the tool is built. There is no server endpoint to receive your file because there is no compression backend.
Frequently asked questions
Does Free File Converter compress as well as TinyPNG?
For PNG specifically, TinyPNG's perceptual-quantization engine still wins on raw size at a given visual quality — that's their core IP. Free File Converter uses canvas re-encoding plus optional downscaling, which is excellent for the photo + screenshot use case (where downscaling is the biggest size lever anyway) but isn't trying to beat TinyPNG at indexed-color PNG wizardry. The tradeoff is privacy and zero limits.
Is TinyPNG free for personal use?
Yes — the web tool is free with a 5MB per-file cap and up to 20 files at a time. The paid plans are API-driven for developers compressing in bulk programmatically.
Can I compress HEIC photos with TinyPNG?
No, TinyPNG only accepts PNG, JPG, and WebP. For iPhone HEIC photos, use our HEIC to JPG converter first (or directly use compress JPG on the converted file).
What is TinyPNG's privacy policy in plain language?
Files are uploaded to TinyPNG's servers (operated by Voormedia in the Netherlands), processed, and held for around 48 hours before deletion. They use HTTPS in transit. For sensitive screenshots, this is still a third party receiving your file — local-first tools like ours avoid that step entirely.
Is Free File Converter going to stay free?
Yes. Because compression runs on your device, our marginal cost per conversion is zero. There's no server bill that forces us to introduce a paid tier later. The model is structurally different from ad-supported or freemium upload-based converters.
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Files stay on your device. No login. Installs as a PWA on iPhone, Android, and desktop.
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