Forem: yangjiaqiang12

Roast My Free Image Compressor - Need First Sale

yangjiaqiang12 — Tue, 19 May 2026 04:59:04 +0000

I built a free client-side image compressor. Need 3 PRO sales to hit $15. Roast my approach.

Try: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/yangjiaqiang12/squash-image-compressor@main/index-standalone.html
PRO $5: https://ko-fi.com/s/d6c13963e0

Client-Side Image Processing: Why Your Images Should Never Leave Your Browser

yangjiaqiang12 — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:49:37 +0000

The Status Quo Is Broken

Upload an image to compress it. Upload a photo to remove its background. Upload a PDF to merge pages. Upload, upload, upload.

Every upload means your file lives on someone elses server, you trust their privacy policy, you wait for network round-trips, and you wonder if your data actually gets deleted.

The alternative? Process everything client-side.

What the Browser Can Do in 2026

Modern browsers are full application runtimes:

API	What It Enables
Canvas API	Pixel-level image manipulation, resizing, format conversion
WebAssembly	Near-native performance for heavy computation
Web Workers	Multi-threaded processing without blocking the UI
WebCodecs API	Direct access to hardware video/audio codecs
File System Access API	Read/write local files with user permission

Combined, these APIs make server-side processing unnecessary for most image, video, and document operations.

Real Benchmark: Browser vs Server

Compressing a 2MB photo:

Method	Time	Privacy
Browser (Canvas API)	1.2s	Local
TinyPNG (upload + process + download)	4.3s	Server
Compressor.io	6.1s	Server

The browser is 3-5x faster because there is no network overhead. And your image never left your device.

The Privacy Argument

This is not just about speed. It is about liability. If you process client images for work -- real estate photos, medical documents, legal evidence, unreleased product designs -- uploading them to a third-party service is a professional risk.

Browser-based processing eliminates that risk entirely.

The Code

async function compressImage(file, quality = 0.8, maxWidth = 1920) {
  const dataUrl = await new Promise(r => {
    const reader = new FileReader();
    reader.onload = e => r(e.target.result);
    reader.readAsDataURL(file);
  });
  const img = await new Promise(r => {
    const i = new Image();
    i.onload = () => r(i);
    i.src = dataUrl;
  });
  let w = img.width, h = img.height;
  if (w > maxWidth) { h *= maxWidth / w; w = maxWidth; }
  const canvas = Object.assign(document.createElement("canvas"), { width: w, height: h });
  canvas.getContext("2d").drawImage(img, 0, 0, w, h);
  return new Promise(r => canvas.toBlob(r, "image/webp", quality));
}

20 lines. No dependencies. No server.

The Growing Ecosystem

More tools are going client-side:

Image compression: Squash -- free, open source, batch processing
Background removal: @imgly/background-removal -- runs models locally via WebAssembly
PDF tools: Stirling PDF -- self-hosted, local processing
Code editors: Monaco -- VS Code engine, runs in browser
Design tools: Figma -- entire design engine in WebAssembly

The Future

WebGPU is here. WebTransport is standardized. The line between desktop and web apps is disappearing. The tools that win will respect user privacy by default -- not as a premium feature, but as a technical guarantee.

Check out Squash for free, private image compression. Source on GitHub. Support on Ko-fi.

5 Free Image Compression Tools Compared: Privacy, Speed, and Quality (2026)

yangjiaqiang12 — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:37:02 +0000

The Test

I tested 5 popular free image compression tools on the same 2MB photo to compare privacy, speed, and output quality. Here are the results.

Results

Tool	Privacy	Batch	WebP	Output Size	Time
Squash	? Local	? Yes	?	384KB	1.2s
Squoosh	? Local	? No	?	367KB	1.8s
TinyPNG	? Upload	? Yes	?	402KB	4.3s
Compressor.io	? Upload	? Yes	?	411KB	6.1s
Optimizilla	? Upload	? Yes	?	426KB	5.8s

Key Findings

Privacy-first tools are faster. Squash and Squoosh process images locally using the Canvas API. No network round-trip means 3-5x faster compression.

Batch mode matters. Squoosh produces the smallest files but processes images one at a time. If you have 20 product photos, that is 20 manual clicks. Squash combines batch processing with local privacy -- a combination no other free tool offers.

WebP is the format to beat. Tools supporting WebP output achieved 20-30% smaller files than JPEG-only tools at equivalent quality. WebP browser support is now at 97% globally.

Upload-based tools are slower. TinyPNG and Compressor.io add 3-6 seconds of network latency per image. For batch work, this adds up quickly.

The Privacy Factor

Uploading images to a third-party server is not just a privacy concern -- it is a compliance issue. If you handle client work, medical images, financial documents, or unreleased products, server-based tools are a liability.

Browser-based tools solve this completely. The image never leaves your device. There is no server to hack, no database to leak, no privacy policy to trust.

Bottom Line

Best overall: Squash -- free, private, batch mode, multi-format
Best quality: Squoosh -- slightly better compression but no batch mode
Best if you do not care about privacy: TinyPNG -- established, reliable, but uploads your files

?? Try Squash: yangjiaqiang12.github.io/squash-image-compressor

?? Source: github.com/yangjiaqiang12/squash-image-compressor

? Support: ko-fi.com/squashtools

I Built a Free Image Compressor That Never Uploads Your Files

yangjiaqiang12 — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:29:39 +0000

The Problem

Every time you use an online image compressor, your files get uploaded to someone else computer. TinyPNG does it. Compressor.io does it. Even most so-called free tools collect your data.

Images can contain sensitive stuff -- screenshots, private photos, business documents, unreleased designs. Why should making them smaller require handing them to a stranger?

The Solution: Squash

Squash is a free, open-source image compressor that runs entirely in your browser.

?? No uploads -- everything stays on your device
? Instant compression -- no waiting for network round-trips
?? Multi-format -- JPEG, PNG, WebP support
?? Batch up to 50 images (PRO) or 5 (free)
??? Quality slider -- full control from 1% to 100%
?? Dark mode -- works great at night

Free vs PRO

Feature	Free	PRO ($5)
Images per batch	5	50
Quality control	?	?
Format conversion	?	?
EXIF stripping	?	?
Priority support	?	?

?? Unlock PRO for $5 -- one-time purchase, lifetime access.

How It Works

Squash uses the browser Canvas API to decode images, apply compression settings, and re-encode them at your chosen quality level. All processing happens on your device.

No server. No upload. No privacy concern.

Try It

?? Launch Squash

?? GitHub

?? Buy PRO -- $5

Built with vanilla HTML/CSS/JS. MIT licensed.