Dinky
Dinky makes files smaller.
A macOS app that auto-converts images, videos, audio, and PDFs. Free and open source.
v2.15.0 · macOS 15 Sequoia · Apple silicon ·
Adding Files
Drop it in.
Get it back smaller.
Formats & Presets
The right format
for every file.
Compression presets
Save your favorite settings as a named preset and apply them in one click.
Format conversion
Images: WebP, AVIF, lossless PNG, or HEIC — oxipng for PNG fidelity. Audio: AAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, or MP3 — cross-convert via afconvert; MP3 encode via bundled LAME. Video: H.264/HEVC export; optional FPS cap. PDF: flatten, preserve, target size; optional Vision OCR on scan-like pages before encoding.
Smart quality
Auto-detects photo vs. graphic (UI, illustration, logo, screenshot) and picks quality accordingly. Or force Photo, Graphic, or Mixed per preset.
Just installed it on my Mac and it’s fantastic. Not only is it incredibly efficient and fast, but it also has a beautiful UX that is very much appreciated. You can really tell the level of thought and care that went into it. If it was a paid app, I would have happily paid $5 for it, and I think many others would as well.
Output
Your folder.
Your size limits.
Smart destination
Save next to the original or pick a custom folder — globally or per preset. Then decide what happens to originals: keep them, move to the Trash, or tuck them into a Backup folder, with a separate choice for Watch Folders.
Max width
Resize on the way out with common web presets or a custom value.
Max file size
Binary-searches the quality level to hit an exact KB or MB target.
Batches
Lots of files,
at your pace.
Batch compression
Multiple files compress concurrently with live results as they finish.
Performance
Pick batch speed: Fast is one at a time, Faster runs a few jobs together, and Fastest opens the taps — up to eight at once when your Mac is game.
Manual mode
Drop files without compressing. Right-click any item to pick a format and fire when you're ready.
Preview
See the difference
before you keep it.
Features
Also in Dinky
Compress from a URL
Drop or paste a direct image, video, audio, or PDF link. Dinky downloads it, compresses, and cleans up the temp copy. Up to 500 MB.
Quick Actions
Compress straight from Finder’s right-click menu, no app launch needed.
Automate with Shortcuts
Drop Dinky’s Compress Images action into any Apple Shortcut and pass the smaller files to the next step.
Strip metadata
Scrubs EXIF, GPS, and camera data on the way out. Smaller files, nothing personal left behind.
On your Mac only
No sign-in and no upload step — files stay on disk unless you choose a cloud folder yourself.
Session history
Open History to see what you compressed — paths, formats, and before/after sizes, all in one place.
CLI + local API
Pro users can run dinky compress --json or keep dinky serve running on loopback for scripts and AI agents.
Launch at login
Opt in once and Dinky's ready the moment you log in — handy alongside Watch Folders for set-and-forget compression.
Supports 13 languages
Functional UI follows your Mac into English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Simplified, and Traditional Chinese.
Compare
Dinky in size* only
Most tools pick one specialty. Dinky covers stills, MP4 shrink, PDF compression, and audio cross-converts — optional scan OCR before PDF encoding — free, open source, and tiny.
*We don't want you to give up quality for a smaller footprint — Dinky stays light without cutting corners on how your images, video, audio, and PDFs look.
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Dinky
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Image
ImageOptim
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Video
HandBrake
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Audio
Clop
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PDF
Preview
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Price
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Free | ||||
macOS native
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Batch processing
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Presets
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Watch folder
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Strip metadata
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Outputs optimized format
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Files stay on device
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CLI / local API
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App size
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35 MB |
Menu-bar and clipboard–first, with freemium Pro automation. See how that stacks up against a free MIT drop zone with watch folders included and heavier PDF tooling.
Full comparison → Dinky vs Picmal PicmalPaid Mac suite bundled with a much larger footprint. Compare when open source, zero license cost, and a ~35 MB install matter more than an all-in-one paid bundle — Dinky now covers audio too.
Full comparison → Dinky vs Smol SmolPaid menu-bar app with Smart Clipboard and AI upscaling. Compare when free OSS, audio, watch folders, and a ~35 MB install matter more than automatic clipboard compression.
Full comparison →How Dinky stacks up
Each page is Dinky vs one other app—images, video, audio, or PDFs.
Images
Give your files less to carry.
Free, about 35 MB, and your files never leave your Mac.
Folks who shrunk things with Dinky
Real quotes from GitHub Discussions. Want to share your take? Leave a review.
Your data, in plain English
Dinky isn't from the App Store, and the build isn't notarized today. That's a distribution choice, not a data choice. The source is on GitHub under MIT so you can read what it does.
Compression stays on your Mac. No Dinky cloud, no account. Your files don't upload to us — only you pick a cloud-synced folder if you want outputs elsewhere.
What leaves the machine
- Once a day, Dinky asks GitHub if a newer release exists. That's the only automatic outbound request (see UpdateChecker.swift).
- Crash sharing is off by default. When you turn it on, Apple's MetricKit delivers diagnostics on your Mac. Nothing is sent until you choose Email or a prefilled GitHub issue.
- URL Drop and Clipboard Compress fetch a file only when you paste or drag a direct link — nothing pre-fetches in the background.
FAQ
Good to know
Is it actually free?
Yes. Free to download, free to use, open source on GitHub under MIT. No trial, no watermarks, no "pro" tier.
Does Dinky send my files anywhere?
Nope. Everything runs locally on your Mac — no Dinky servers, no account. Once a day the app checks GitHub for a newer release (that's the only automatic outbound request). URL Drop only hits a URL you give it. Details: Your data, in plain English.
What happens to my originals?
In Settings → Original Files, choose Keep, Move to Trash, or a backup folder. Default is Keep. Watch Folders can use a different setting — handy if you want a watched folder to empty itself into Trash while everything else stays put.
macOS says Dinky can't be opened — what do I do?
That's Gatekeeper — macOS blocks first launch for apps outside the App Store and Apple Developer Program.
Only Mac?
Yes. It’s SwiftUI + macOS frameworks; a Windows or Linux port would be a different app.
What Mac and macOS version does it require?
Apple Silicon (M-series Mac). Intel-based Macs are not supported for the current DMG and Homebrew cask. macOS 15 Sequoia or later. On macOS 26 Tahoe you get the full liquid glass UI; on Sequoia it falls back to the frosted material look.
Is Dinky notarized? Why isn't it on the App Store?
It isn't Apple-notarized or Mac App Store today. That's distribution — the binary ships straight from GitHub as free MIT open source. For what the app actually talks to over the network, read Your data, in plain English. First-launch Gatekeeper pain is separate:
Can I use Dinky from Terminal or AI agents?
Yep — pro users can build the local dinky CLI from this repo and run dinky compress --json or dinky serve on 127.0.0.1. See local CLI docs for examples and schema details.
What input formats does Dinky support?
Images: JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC/HEIF, TIFF, BMP → WebP, AVIF, lossless PNG, or HEIC. Audio: AAC (M4A), ALAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3 — cross‑convert via macOS afconvert, with bundled LAME for MP3 encode. Video: MP4/MOV → MP4 (H.264 or HEVC); optional FPS cap. PDFs: flatten, preserve, target size; scan-like PDFs can get OCR for search first.
What are presets?
Saved settings (format, quality, destination, etc.) — one click from the sidebar. Create them in Settings → Presets.
Can Dinky compress files automatically?
Yes, with Watch Folder. Any supported file saved or moved into a watched folder is picked up and compressed — handy for Figma, Lightroom, or screenshot exports. You can watch a path inside Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or any other cloud folder that syncs to your Mac; Dinky reacts once the file is fully on disk (the sync app has to finish downloading first).
Can Dinky compress something from a URL?
Yes. Drag a direct media link (https://…/photo.jpg, etc.) onto the window, or copy it and hit ⌘⇧V (Clipboard Compress). Direct file URLs only — not web pages.
What if Dinky can’t hit my target file size?
Dinky walks quality down as far as your preset allows to stay under the cap. If the file is still larger than your target at minimum quality, you’ve hit the practical floor for that source at its current pixel dimensions — Dinky returns the smallest output it could produce, not a magically smaller one.
What changed in 2.0?
The 1.x line (from 1.0) was images only. 2.0 added videos and PDFs alongside images. 2.10 added audio compression and an optional video FPS cap. Older 1.x DMGs and ZIPs stay on GitHub Releases for archival use.
Who made this and why?
Derek Castelli is a freelance web designer in Figma and Webflow. He made Dinky after Optimage crashed mid-project.