Is this video compressor really free?

Yes, with no tier above it. Compression runs on your own hardware, so a file costs us nothing to process -- there is no bandwidth bill and no server time to recover, and therefore nothing to ration. Unlimited files, no account, no watermark, no daily cap, and no "upgrade to unlock stronger compression", because the strongest setting was never being withheld.

Where does my file go?

Nowhere. It is read, compressed and handed back inside this browser tab using your machine's own encoders. There is no server in this product to send it to, which is a different claim from "we delete your files after an hour" -- nothing was uploaded, so there is nothing to delete and no retention policy you have to take on trust.

Is there a file size limit on the video I can compress?

Not one we impose -- there is no upload to cap. The practical ceiling is your own machine's memory, which in a current browser means files far larger than anything you are likely to be compressing. Targets run from 2MB up to 100MB as one-click presets, and you can type any number in between.

Do I have to sign up or install anything?

No. There is no account, no email, no extension and no desktop installer -- the page you are reading is the whole application. It works offline once loaded, because at that point everything it needs is already in the browser.

Is shrinking a video the same as compressing it?

Yes. Shrink, compress and reduce the file size all name one job here: making the file smaller in bytes while it still works as a video. The word that means something else is resize -- changing the resolution, 1080p down to 720p, which is one lever compression pulls rather than a synonym for it. This tool is pointed at the byte count. You give it the number and it gets there by whichever route costs the least quality, which sometimes means stepping down a resolution rung and always means the result is measured rather than assumed.

Does it put a watermark on the video?

No, and it never will. The encode happens on your own hardware, which costs us nothing per file, so there is no paid tier for a watermark to advertise. Video does need WebCodecs -- Chrome, Edge, Safari 16.4 and up, and recent Firefox -- and you are told plainly if your browser cannot do it rather than being handed a broken file.

Video compressor

Compress video to any size

Compression runs on your own hardware encoder through WebCodecs, so the file never leaves your device and there is no upload, no queue and no cap. Pick the limit you are up against -- or a platform preset, which targets the size that actually sends rather than the size the platform advertises -- and the output is measured before you get it, then re-encoded if it came in over.

Takes MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV and AVI

1Where is it going?

Custom

2Add your file

Video, images and PDFs, all compressed on your own machine. No upload, no account, no watermark, no limit on how many files.

Why this one

What this does that an upload-based video compressor cannot

Three differences, each of them a consequence of where the work happens rather than a feature that could be added.

A number, not a percentage

Set the limit you have to clear and the bitrate is computed backwards from it. Tools that offer you 50% have no idea what your file will weigh afterwards, which is why the answer they give is a guess.

Nothing is uploaded, ever

There is no server in this product. The file is read, compressed and handed back inside this browser tab, which is why there is no queue, no account, and no deletion policy to trust -- nothing was ever sent.

Measured, not estimated

The finished file is weighed and compared against your limit before you are given it. If it came in over, the bitrate is corrected by the observed error and it encodes again.

Pick your number

Compress video to an exact size

Each of these is this same tool with the target already set. If the size you need is not here, type it.

2MB 5MB 8MB 10MB 15MB 16MB 18MB 20MB 25MB 50MB 100MB

Platform limits

Sending it somewhere specific?

Each of these targets the size that actually sends, which is not always the size the platform advertises.

Mechanism

How it hits the number

Four steps, one of which nobody else does.

01
The container is read locally
Length, resolution, frame rate and bitrate come out of the file in a fraction of a second. Nothing is decoded and nothing is sent anywhere.
02
The budget is divided by the duration
Subtract what the audio needs, divide the rest by the running time, and step the resolution down if what is left is too low a bitrate to still look like video at that size.
03
Your own hardware encoder runs
The same silicon your phone uses to record video, reached through WebCodecs. This is the part that would otherwise be an upload, a queue and a place your file now lives.
04
The output is weighed, then redone if needed
If it came in over your limit, the bitrate is corrected by the observed error and it encodes again. This is the step almost every other tool skips, and the reason its answer is 'approximately'.

Alternatives

How it compares

Both of these are good products with more tools than this one. The comparison is about where your file goes and whether you can name a target size.

Questions

Compressing video

Is this video compressor really free?: Yes, with no tier above it. Compression runs on your own hardware, so a file costs us nothing to process -- there is no bandwidth bill and no server time to recover, and therefore nothing to ration. Unlimited files, no account, no watermark, no daily cap, and no "upgrade to unlock stronger compression", because the strongest setting was never being withheld.
Where does my file go?: Nowhere. It is read, compressed and handed back inside this browser tab using your machine's own encoders. There is no server in this product to send it to, which is a different claim from "we delete your files after an hour" -- nothing was uploaded, so there is nothing to delete and no retention policy you have to take on trust.
Is there a file size limit on the video I can compress?: Not one we impose -- there is no upload to cap. The practical ceiling is your own machine's memory, which in a current browser means files far larger than anything you are likely to be compressing. Targets run from 2MB up to 100MB as one-click presets, and you can type any number in between.
Do I have to sign up or install anything?: No. There is no account, no email, no extension and no desktop installer -- the page you are reading is the whole application. It works offline once loaded, because at that point everything it needs is already in the browser.
Is shrinking a video the same as compressing it?: Yes. Shrink, compress and reduce the file size all name one job here: making the file smaller in bytes while it still works as a video. The word that means something else is resize -- changing the resolution, 1080p down to 720p, which is one lever compression pulls rather than a synonym for it. This tool is pointed at the byte count. You give it the number and it gets there by whichever route costs the least quality, which sometimes means stepping down a resolution rung and always means the result is measured rather than assumed.
Does it put a watermark on the video?: No, and it never will. The encode happens on your own hardware, which costs us nothing per file, so there is no paid tier for a watermark to advertise. Video does need WebCodecs -- Chrome, Edge, Safari 16.4 and up, and recent Firefox -- and you are told plainly if your browser cannot do it rather than being handed a broken file.

Other files

Holding something else?

The same tool, and the same guarantee. Each family reaches your number a different way, because each has a different dial to turn.

Background

Worth reading

The arithmetic behind the number, and what to do when it will not fit.

All guides Every size, and the tool on its own