Dinky
Free macOS app for compressing images, videos and PDFs
AI Summary
Dinky is a free, open-source macOS app that compresses images, videos and PDFs locally, without uploading files. The app offers intelligent quality detection, preset management, automatic folder watching and supports numerous formats such as WebP, AVIF, HEIC, MP4 and PDF.
✓ Pros
- + Completely free and Open Source (MIT license) without Pro version or hidden costs
- + All files remain local on your Mac, no cloud uploads or account required
- + Supports images, videos and PDFs in a single app with Watch Folder automation
✗ Cons
- − Only available for macOS, requires at least macOS 15 Sequoia
- − Gatekeeper warning on first launch requires manual Terminal command
Use Cases
- → Automatic compression of screenshots and Figma exports via Watch Folders
- → Batch optimization of images for web projects with format conversion to WebP or AVIF
- → Reducing screen recording videos for faster uploads and lower storage requirements
- → PDF compression with optional OCR for scanned documents
Who is it for?
For developers, designers and content creators on macOS who regularly want to optimize media files locally and in a privacy-friendly way.
Tags
What is Dinky?
Dinky is a free macOS app that compresses images, videos and PDFs locally. No cloud, no account, no uploading required. All files stay on the machine. The source code is available under the MIT license, and there is no paid Pro version.
The app brings three file types together in one interface that would otherwise require separate tools. Images can be converted to formats such as WebP, AVIF or HEIC, videos reduced to MP4, and PDFs compressed and optionally made searchable via OCR.
Core features
- Watch Folders: Dinky monitors folders automatically. New files are compressed as soon as they arrive, without any manual trigger.
- Intelligent quality detection: The app analyses files before compression and adjusts settings accordingly.
- Preset management: Custom settings profiles can be saved and assigned per folder or task.
- Format conversion for images: Output as WebP, AVIF, HEIC and other formats, directly during compression.
- PDF OCR: Scanned PDFs can be given text recognition at the same time they are compressed.
- Batch processing: Process multiple files at once, for example entire Figma export folders or screenshot collections.
Who is Dinky for?
Developers optimising assets for web projects benefit most from the Watch Folder feature. Figma exports land in a folder and Dinky compresses them automatically. Designers who regularly share screenshots or screen recordings save themselves manual steps. For content creators who want to reduce video file sizes without uploading anything, Dinky is a direct solution.
One limitation: the app requires macOS 15 Sequoia. Anyone still on an older macOS version cannot use Dinky. On first launch, Gatekeeper displays a warning. Bypassing it requires a Terminal command, which is a small hurdle for less experienced users.
Context & alternatives
Dinky belongs to the category of local media optimisation tools for macOS. Comparable single-purpose solutions include ImageOptim for images and HandBrake for video. Both cover only one file type each. Dinky combines all three types in one app and adds folder automation on top.
Web-based services such as Squoosh or Compressor.io offer similar image compression, but route files through external servers. Anyone who needs to avoid that for privacy or compliance reasons has a local alternative in Dinky, without sacrificing functionality.
