Curtail vs Fastly Image Optimizer

Curtail is a free Linux application for compressing PNG, JPEG, WebP, and SVG images. It offers both compression modes and lets users decide whether image metadata is retained. Recursive directory compression supports batch processing across folder contents. When compression would produce a larger file, Curtail restores the original. Actions are provided to open a compressed image and reveal it in its folder. The project is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later and uses open-source components including Oxipng, pngquant, Jpegoptim, libwebp, and Scour. The project recommends installing its Flatpak package from Flathub; unofficial Snap, Ubuntu PPA, and Fedora COPR packages are also listed. Flathub marks the app as potentially unsafe and lists read/write access to the home folder. The GNOME page lists version 1.17.0, released on 2026-10-05, and links to an issue tracker. Curtail is available at no cost, with no trial required.

Fastly Image Optimizer automates image processing and delivery for image-heavy sites and apps. It resizes, adjusts quality, crops or trims, changes orientation, converts formats, and serves images on demand at the edge. Transformations are made in real time from request parameters, avoiding the need to pre-generate and store multiple variants. Processed images are cached for reuse. Supported formats are WebP, AVIF, JPEG, and PNG; developers control resizing, quality, format, and cropping through query parameters and configuration. The service integrates with existing asset pipelines and CMS platforms while teams keep their current image sources. It can be enabled through the Fastly control panel or API, while Compute SDK access is available through a beta program. Pricing includes 100,000 image requests per month at free. Paid rates are billed per 10,000 image requests and vary by monthly volume, from $0.50 a month for 100,000–10 million requests to $0.01 a month beyond 5 billion. Every request sent to Image Optimizer, including through the SDK, counts as billable.