Curtail vs JPEGmini

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.

JPEGmini recompresses images and video to reduce file size while preserving visual quality. The maker says standard JPEG photo sizes can be reduced by up to 80%, depending on resolution. Desktop Pro optimizes JPEG and HEIC images; paid plans also support H.264 and H.265 video compression. Desktop plans include batch processing, while paid Automations plans add watch folders, background processing, and batch presets. Pro + Plugins lists integrations for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Capture One. JPEGmini also offers a Photo Server that runs on company servers and a Cloud service for wedding photographers and filmmakers, which sorts uploaded photos and footage by people into galleries. Cloud capacity varies by tier: Free holds one wedding and 5 GB, Pro holds 55 weddings and 100 GB, and Studio holds 275 weddings and 500 GB. The Cloud FAQ says files are stored in AWS US East and encrypted in transit and at rest; uploaded media is not used to train AI models. Desktop software processes files locally, and users retain ownership of uploaded content. Desktop plans list Linux, macOS, web, and Windows platforms.