What's New
Smallest.zip now compresses JPEG images. The output is a standard JPEG file — it works in every web browser, phone, image viewer, and app. No special decoder needed.
We offer two modes:
- Standard mode — maximum compression, typically ~1 second per image
- Fast mode — nearly the same compression, averaging just 29 milliseconds per image
Results
We tested across 12 images spanning cartoons, nature photos, portraits, satellite imagery, screenshots, landscapes, art, and game captures.
| Image | Type | Original | Standard | Fast | Saved (std) | Saved (fast) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| spongebob.jpg | cartoon | 66 KB | 23 KB | 25 KB | -65.2% | -62.1% |
| jamaica.jpg | nature | 257 KB | 79 KB | 86 KB | -69.3% | -66.5% |
| woman-portrait.jpg | portrait | 224 KB | 65 KB | 68 KB | -71.0% | -69.6% |
| ikonos-antigua.jpg | satellite | 565 KB | 148 KB | 159 KB | -73.8% | -71.9% |
| mac-desktop.jpg | screenshot | 110 KB | 35 KB | 39 KB | -68.2% | -64.5% |
| sunset-huge.jpg | landscape | 148 KB | 43 KB | 46 KB | -70.9% | -68.9% |
| cartoon-boy.jpg | cartoon | 180 KB | 61 KB | 70 KB | -66.1% | -61.1% |
| vista.jpg | landscape | 16 KB | 7 KB | 8 KB | -56.3% | -50.0% |
| painting.jpg | art | 7 KB | 3 KB | 4 KB | -57.1% | -42.9% |
| warcraft screenshot | game | 197 KB | 59 KB | 62 KB | -70.1% | -68.5% |
| cow.jpg | nature | 290 KB | 85 KB | 89 KB | -70.7% | -69.3% |
| sunrise-high-res.jpg | landscape | 130 KB | 42 KB | 45 KB | -67.7% | -65.4% |
| TOTAL | 2,192 KB | 649 KB | 700 KB | -70.4% | -68.1% |
Key Takeaways
Across all 12 images, standard mode achieves 70.4% average reduction and fast mode achieves 68.1% — with fast mode completing in just 29ms per image on average.
The compression works across every image type we tested: nature photos, portraits, satellite imagery, screenshots, digital art, and game captures. The largest files see the biggest absolute savings — the 565KB satellite image drops to 148KB — while even tiny files like the 7KB painting are cut in half.
Critically, the output is standard JPEG. There's no proprietary format, no special viewer, and no decompression step. The compressed image opens everywhere the original did.
Fast Mode Performance
Fast mode is designed for high-volume pipelines. At 29ms per image, you can process over 2,000 images per minute on a single instance. The compression ratio only drops ~2 percentage points compared to standard mode — a negligible tradeoff for a 40-50x speed improvement.
Try It Yourself
Upload your own images at smallest.zip and see the difference. Every account starts with free credits.