Intro: Most AI image compression tools sell you a fantasy. “Reduce file size without losing quality!” But in the real world, where high-res AI-generated visuals meet page speed budgets, most of them fold under pressure. This isn’t a listicle. This is a teardown. We ran a 6144×4096 Upscayl-upscaled Sora image through everything from Squoosh to Nero to Optidash. Some tools survived. Most didn’t.
🔢 The Benchmark Setup
- Source Image: AI-generated using Sora
- Subject: Female face + futuristic circuit board + UI overlays
- Resolution: Upscaled to 6144×4096 using Upscayl
- Format: PNG (20.3MB)
- Control Compression: Resized to 1600×1067, converted to WebP using Squoosh with:
- Lossless ON
- Effort: 8
- Slight Loss: 2
- Final size: 898KB
All tools were tested against this resized 1600×1067 image unless they supported the original.
🔋 Control: Squoosh
| Input Size | Output Size | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.3MB PNG | 898KB WebP | WebP | Baseline control |
No distortion. No artifacts. Local tool. Reliable.
❌ TinyPNG
- Visit TinyPNG
- Upload limit: 5MB (required resize to test)
- Output: 1600×1067 WebP @ 479KB
- Artifacts: Lip smudge, cheek distortion, banding in gradients
“Compression that wins in size, but loses on inspection.”
Visual comparison below confirms the verdict.
Left: Squoosh (898KB WebP)
Right: TinyPNG (479KB WebP)
🔍 Alternative Use: Great for compressing icons, logos, and flat illustrations where minor color banding doesn’t matter.
❌ Pixelcut
- Visit Pixelcut
- Function: Upscaler only
- Free output resolution: 1080×720
- Full res requires login
- Format: PNG only
Disqualified. Not a compressor. Locked resolution. Still bloated.
Visual comparison below confirms the verdict.
Left: Squoosh (1600×1067, WebP)
Right: PixelCut (1080×720, PNG)
🔍 Alternative Use: Quick mockups, thumbnails, and social share previews where quality and size aren’t a concern.
❌ Nero AI Compressor
| Input Size | Output Size | Format | Verdict |
| 20.3MB PNG | 3.0MB PNG | PNG | Ruined |
Massive 85.3% reduction. But the price? Face destroyed with posterization. Skin gradients blockified.
This isn’t compression. It’s color sabotage.
Visual comparison below confirms the verdict.
Left: Squoosh (1600×1067, WebP)
Right: Nero AI (2560×1707, PNG)
❌ Imagify
- Visit Imagify
- Requires account sign-in for use.
- Disqualified on workflow constraint.
No login? No benchmark.
🔍 Alternative Use: Could be useful for scheduled WordPress site-wide optimization — just not for on-the-fly benchmarking.
ImageAI (img.ly)
- Visit img.ly — but know it’s not for compression.
- Not a compression tool. Just an AI image generator/editor.
- No upload compression workflow available.
Disqualified for this benchmark.
🔍 Alternative Use: Useful as an in-browser AI editor, not an optimizer.
❌ Krikey AI
- Visit Krikey — primarily for avatar generation.
- Another misfire. Avatar/video generation only.
- No compression tool, no WebP, no image optimization.
Disqualified for image compression use.
🔍 Alternative Use: 3D avatar creation and virtual scenes for creators, not asset delivery.
❌ ShortPixel (initial test)
- Visit ShortPixel
- 21MB file rejected. 10MB limit for free users.
Too small for real images. Out.
🔍 Alternative Use: Great once resized. Not reliable for high-res AI assets without login.
❌ Optidash
| Input | Output | Format | Verdict |
| 2.98MB PNG | 1.86MB PNG | PNG | Poor |
Artifacts across facial tone, noticeable paint-bucket effect on gradients.
37% reduction, 100% visual damage.
Visual comparison below confirms the verdict.
📸 Jetpack Image Compare Block: Squoosh vs Optidash
🔍 Alternative Use: May work for UI elements, icons, or blocky design samples.
Left: Squoosh (1600×1067, WebP)
Right: OptiDash (2560×1707, PNG)
✅ ShortPixel (resized input)
| Input | Output | Format | Verdict |
| 1600×1067 PNG | 754.6KB WebP | WebP | Excellent |
- Clean gradients
- No distortion
- Comparable to Squoosh in output size and quality
One of the only AI compressors that actually delivered.
Visual comparison below confirms the verdict.
Left: Squoosh (1600×1067, WebP)
Right: ShortPixel (1600×1067, WebP)
📊 Final Verdict Table
| Tool | Pass? | Output Format | File Size | Artifacts | Comment |
| Squoosh | ✅ | WebP | 898KB | None | Gold standard |
| TinyPNG | ❌ | WebP | 479KB | ❌ Lip + cheek blur | Too lossy |
| Nero AI | ❌ | PNG | 3.0MB | ❌ Heavy posterization | Unusable |
| Optidash | ❌ | PNG | 1.86MB | ❌ Visible distortion | Not safe |
| ShortPixel | ✅ | WebP | 754KB | ✅ Clean | Worth using |
| Others | ❌ | N/A | N/A | N/A | Disqualified |
🧵 What to Use and Why It Matters
Squoosh is still the control king. But ShortPixel (resized) came out swinging with real compression, clean results, and no vendor lock-in. Everything else? Either marketing fluff, restricted access, or damaging enough to fail a real visual QA check.
If you’re publishing AI visuals, hero images, or anything gradient-heavy on your blog:
- ✅ Use Squoosh or ShortPixel (after resizing)
- ❌ Avoid cloud-based gimmicks that can’t handle large files or ruin detail
This wasn’t a ranking. It was a reality check.
💻 Can I prompt you for support?
This teardown wasn’t AI-generated fluff. It was tested, broken, compressed, inspected — then rewritten after the tools failed half the time.
If you got value from this and want to fuel more no-BS breakdowns like it:
Every click helps me test AI tools without my GPU begging for mercy.
Jaren Cudilla
Chief Bug Whisperer & Regression Evangelist
Runs the teardown behind QAJourney.net and EngineeredAI.net. Writes to debug the BS in QA and AI workflows — not to inspire, but to simplify.
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