Best PDF Compressor Software for Mac in 2026: 8 Tools Compared

Detailed comparison of 8 PDF compressor tools for Mac including free and premium options.

February 25, 2026

Finding the best PDF compressor software for Mac is harder than it sounds. The App Store is packed with tools that promise dramatic compression but deliver blurry text, broken layouts, or file sizes barely smaller than the original. After testing eight of the most popular options on an M-series Mac, this guide tells you exactly which tool is worth your time — and which ones to skip.

Whether you're shrinking a contract to get it under Gmail's 25 MB attachment limit, clearing storage before a system backup, or optimizing PDFs for a client portal, the right best PDF compressor software for Mac will save you hours every week.

Quick Comparison Table

Tool	Price	Avg. Compression	Batch	Offline	Best For
Compresto	$9.99 one-time	60–80%	Yes	Yes	Best overall Mac app
Preview	Free (built-in)	30–50%	No	Yes	Quick single-file jobs
UPDF	$49.99/yr	50–70%	Yes	Yes	Advanced PDF editing
PDFgear	Free	40–60%	Limited	Yes	Free third-party option
Smallpdf	Free / $12/mo	50–75%	Pro only	No	Browser-based workflow
Adobe Acrobat	$19.99/mo	60–80%	Yes	Yes	Enterprise professionals
NXPowerLite	$99/yr	55–75%	Yes	Yes	Enterprise bulk tasks
Lightweight PDF	Free	25–45%	No	Yes	Minimal, no-frills Mac app

1. Compresto — Best Overall PDF Compressor for Mac

Compresto (formerly CompressX) is a native macOS application built from the ground up for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Where most PDF compressors treat the Mac as an afterthought, Compresto is designed exclusively for macOS — which shows in both speed and reliability.

Why It Stands Out

Compresto uses hardware acceleration to process PDFs through the GPU, which means large files compress in seconds rather than minutes. In testing, a 45 MB scanned document with embedded images dropped to 9.2 MB in under four seconds on an M2 MacBook Pro — without any visible quality loss on screen or in print.

Batch processing is where Compresto really separates itself from the competition. You can drag an entire folder of PDFs onto the app, set a compression level, and walk away. Every file is compressed individually with intelligent quality targeting, so a 200-page image-heavy report and a 10-page text-only contract each get the right treatment.

Beyond PDFs, Compresto also handles video (MP4, MOV) and image (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP) compression in the same app — making it the only tool on this list that replaces three separate workflows with one. If you're already compressing images or videos on your Mac, Compresto eliminates the need for multiple apps.

Key Features

Native macOS app (no browser, no subscription required for core use)
Hardware-accelerated compression via Apple GPU
Batch processing for folders of PDFs
Adjustable quality slider with live file size preview
Also compresses images and videos
One-time purchase model available

Pricing

One-time purchase at $9.99. A free trial is available with no credit card required.

Download Compresto to compress videos, images, and PDFs on your Mac with one click.

2. Preview — Best Free Built-In Option

Every Mac ships with Preview, Apple's default image and PDF viewer, which includes a hidden compression feature most users never discover.

How to Compress PDFs in Preview

Open your PDF in Preview
Go to File > Export as PDF
Click the Quartz Filter dropdown
Select Reduce File Size
Click Save

That's it. No additional software required.

Limitations

Preview's Reduce File Size filter was designed for the PowerPC era and hasn't been meaningfully updated since. The algorithm applies aggressive downsampling to all embedded images — often dropping them to 72 DPI regardless of the original resolution. For text-heavy documents this works fine. For PDFs containing photos, charts, or branded graphics, the results can be noticeably blurry.

Batch processing is not supported. You must compress each file individually, making Preview impractical for anyone dealing with more than a handful of PDFs.

For a single, text-heavy document where you just need to shave a few megabytes, Preview is the fastest path. For anything more demanding, move to one of the dedicated tools below.

3. UPDF — Best for Advanced PDF Features

UPDF is a full-featured PDF editor for Mac that includes compression as one of its many capabilities. If you need to compress PDFs and regularly edit them, annotate them, fill forms, or convert them to Word and Excel, UPDF bundles everything under one roof.

Compression Performance

UPDF's compression engine produced consistent 50–70% reductions in testing across mixed-content PDFs. You get three preset quality levels (high, medium, low) rather than a granular slider, which is sufficient for most workflows.

Limitations

UPDF is a subscription product at $49.99/year, which is a steep ask if all you need is compression. The editing features justify the price for power users, but casual compressors will overpay. Batch compression is available but requires navigating to a less obvious menu compared to Compresto's drag-and-drop simplicity.

4. PDFgear — Best Free Third-Party Option

PDFgear is a free, offline PDF editor and compressor for Mac that punches above its price point. The compression results averaged 40–60% in testing, which is competitive for a free tool.

What Makes It Worth Trying

PDFgear works entirely offline, which matters if you handle confidential documents and are wary of uploading to cloud services. The interface is clean and modern, closer to UPDF than to the dated UIs common in free PDF tools.

Limitations

Batch compression in PDFgear is limited to a small number of files in the free version. Heavy users will hit friction quickly. PDFgear also lacks the system-level integration that native Mac apps like Compresto or Preview provide — there's no Finder extension or Quick Action.

5. Smallpdf — Best Online Option

Smallpdf is one of the most popular browser-based PDF tools in the world, and for good reason. It requires no installation, works on any Mac regardless of operating system version, and produces reliable compression results (50–75% in testing).

When to Use It

Smallpdf is ideal for occasional tasks where installing software feels like overkill. Open a browser, drag your PDF onto the compressor, download the result. The process takes under 60 seconds for most files.

Limitations

File size limits apply to free users (most files up to 5 GB are supported, but processing slows significantly for large files). Privacy is a genuine concern: your PDF is uploaded to Smallpdf's servers for processing. Smallpdf states that files are deleted after one hour, but this is unsuitable for confidential documents — legal contracts, financial records, or anything with personal information.

Free users are also limited to two tasks per day. For frequent compression, the $12/month Pro plan is required, at which point Compresto's one-time purchase becomes significantly more cost-effective.

6. Adobe Acrobat — Best for Professionals

Adobe Acrobat's PDF Optimizer is the industry-standard tool for professional PDF compression. It offers granular control over every compression variable: image downsampling targets, font embedding, transparency flattening, and more.

Compression Performance

Acrobat's advanced compression settings can achieve 60–80% file size reduction while giving you precise control over output quality. The Preflight panel lets you inspect exactly what's contributing to file size before you compress.

Limitations

Cost is the major barrier. Adobe Acrobat Pro costs $19.99/month as a standalone subscription, or is included in the Creative Cloud All Apps plan at $59.99/month. For professionals who live in the Adobe ecosystem, this is a sunk cost. For everyone else, it's hard to justify purely for PDF compression when Compresto achieves similar results at a fraction of the price.

7. NXPowerLite — Best for Enterprise

NXPowerLite Desktop (Mac) is designed for organizations that need to compress thousands of PDFs — and Microsoft Office files — in bulk. It integrates with email clients and file servers, making it a natural fit for IT departments rather than individual users.

Compression Performance

NXPowerLite produced 55–75% reductions in testing, on par with Acrobat. The software is particularly effective with PDFs containing embedded Office content.

Limitations

At $99/year per user, NXPowerLite is enterprise-priced. Individual users and small teams will find better value elsewhere. The interface also feels dated compared to modern macOS design conventions.

8. Lightweight PDF — Best Lightweight Option

Lightweight PDF is a free Mac App Store app that does exactly what its name promises: it strips unnecessary data from PDFs to reduce file size, with minimal configuration required.

What It Does Well

The app is genuinely simple. Open it, drag a PDF, click Compress. That's the entire workflow. For users who want zero learning curve, Lightweight PDF delivers.

Limitations

Compression results are the weakest on this list, averaging 25–45% reduction. The app has no batch processing, no quality control settings, and hasn't received significant updates in years. It's a last resort when you need something free and offline and don't need strong results.

How to Choose the Right PDF Compressor for Mac

Use this decision tree to find the right tool quickly:

You need to compress PDFs occasionally, for free:

Single file, text-heavy → Preview (built-in, zero effort)
Single file, image-heavy → PDFgear (better algorithm, still free)
Don't want to install anything → Smallpdf (browser-based, two free daily tasks)

You need to compress PDFs regularly or in batches:

Mac-only workflow, want the best compression → Compresto
Also need PDF editing and annotation → UPDF
Enterprise with server integration needs → NXPowerLite

You need maximum professional control:

Already in the Adobe ecosystem → Adobe Acrobat Pro

The most important factors to weigh:

Batch processing — If you compress more than a few PDFs per week, the absence of batch support will cost you significant time. Compresto, UPDF, Acrobat, and NXPowerLite all support batch workflows.
Privacy — Cloud tools (Smallpdf, online Acrobat) upload your files to third-party servers. For sensitive documents, always use an offline tool.
Compression quality — Preview's algorithm is aggressive and often produces visually degraded results. Compresto, Acrobat, and NXPowerLite offer the best quality-to-size ratios.
Total cost of ownership — Subscription tools add up. Compresto's one-time purchase model is the most cost-effective for regular users who don't need a full PDF editing suite.

For more on managing large PDF files, see our guide to how to compress PDF file size and best free PDF editor for Mac.

FAQ: Best PDF Compressor Software for Mac

Q: Does compressing a PDF on Mac reduce its quality?

It depends on the tool and settings. Lossless compression (restructuring data without removing content) has no visible quality impact. Lossy compression (downsampling images) can reduce quality, particularly for PDFs with photographs or high-resolution graphics. Tools like Compresto let you choose a compression level so you control the quality-size tradeoff. Preview's built-in filter applies aggressive compression with no quality setting, which is why it sometimes produces blurry results.

Q: What is the best PDF compressor for Mac that works offline?

Compresto, Preview, UPDF, PDFgear, Adobe Acrobat, NXPowerLite, and Lightweight PDF all work offline. The only tools on this list that require an internet connection are Smallpdf and the browser-based version of Adobe Acrobat. For privacy-sensitive documents, always use an offline tool.

Q: Can I compress multiple PDF files at once on Mac?

Yes, with the right tool. Compresto, UPDF, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and NXPowerLite all support batch PDF compression. Preview and Lightweight PDF require you to compress each file individually. If you regularly compress multiple PDFs, batch processing should be a key factor in your tool selection.

Q: How much can you compress a PDF without losing quality?

Text-only PDFs typically compress 40–70% without any perceptible quality loss. PDFs with embedded images can compress 50–80%, but aggressive compression will reduce image sharpness. The best results come from tools that apply intelligent, content-aware compression — targeting images with lossy algorithms while keeping text and vector graphics intact.

Q: Is there a free PDF compressor for Mac that actually works well?

Preview (built-in) is free and works well for text-heavy documents. PDFgear is free and produces better results for image-heavy PDFs. Smallpdf offers two free compressions per day in the browser. For regular use or batch processing, a paid tool like Compresto is worth the one-time investment — the time savings alone justify the cost within a few weeks of regular use.

The Verdict

For most Mac users, Compresto is the best PDF compressor software for Mac in 2026. It combines native macOS performance, hardware-accelerated compression, batch processing, and a straightforward interface — all for a one-time purchase that costs less than two months of Smallpdf Pro.

If you only compress PDFs occasionally and they're text-heavy, Preview's built-in Reduce File Size filter is perfectly adequate and costs nothing. For everything else, Compresto delivers professional results without the subscription tax.

Download Compresto to compress videos, images, and PDFs on your Mac with one click.