GIF Compressor – Shrink Animated GIFs Online
Chat shortcut: /gifcompress
GIF compressor in one run: upload a GIF, choose the level and width, download the result. You see right away how much the file has lost.
No Sign-Up
Free · Input and result are automatically deleted 24 hours after upload.
Why GIFs are so large and where you can save
An animated GIF is a sequence of single images without the tricks of a video: no motion estimation, no prediction between frames. The file size therefore grows with the number of frames and the pixels per frame. A few seconds of full-width screen recording quickly add up to many megabytes; check the size limit of wherever you're posting it.
Three levers shrink the file: fewer colors in the palette, fewer frames per second and a smaller width. The levels Light, Medium and Strong combine these levers so you do not have to set anything; on top, each level adds a lossy post-optimization that merges similar pixels. You can additionally limit the width to 640, 480 or 320 pixels, which saves the most with large recordings, because half the width means only a quarter of the pixels.
After the run, the page shows the size before and after. If even "Strong" at 320 pixels is not enough, the format has reached its limit: then convert the GIF to MP4 or shorten it with "Cut GIF".
How it works
- 1
Upload a GIF
Drag the animated or single-frame GIF into the box, up to 30 MB and 2 minutes running time.
- 2
Choose a level
Light (128 colors), Medium (64 colors, at most 15 frames/s) or Strong (32 colors, at most 10 frames/s, at most 480 px).
- 3
Limit the width
Keep the original or reduce to at most 640, 480 or 320 pixels; smaller GIFs are never enlarged.
- 4
Download
After "Let's go" you see the size before and after and download the result.
Typical uses
Discord, Slack and forums
Get reaction GIFs and screen recordings under the upload limit, usually with "Medium" and 480 px.
Email and newsletters
Where video does not play, GIF is often the only option for motion: "Strong" at 320 px keeps emails small.
Websites and documentation
Make short how-to GIFs lighter so pages load faster; for longer clips prefer MP4.
Good to know
- Input and output: GIF, animated or single-frame; up to 30 MB, 2 minutes running time, 4,000 pixels per edge and 8 megapixels per frame.
- Levels: Light 128 colors; Medium 64 colors and at most 15 frames/s; Strong 32 colors, at most 10 frames/s and at most 480 px width. Each level adds a lossy post-optimization, weakest with "Light".
- Width optionally original, 640, 480 or 320 pixels; the aspect ratio is kept. The result plays as an endless loop, even if the original only repeats a limited number of times.
- The size before and after is shown after every run, so you can work your way down to a limit.
- Processing on our server; input and result are deleted after 24 hours by an hourly cleanup job.
- Free, no AI, no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
How does the GIF get smaller?
A GIF stores each frame individually with a palette of at most 256 colors. Fewer colors, fewer frames per second and a smaller width shrink the file; a lossy post-optimization merges similar pixels.
Can it be done without quality loss?
No, every level removes colors and optimizes lossily; "Medium" and "Strong" additionally reduce frames per second and pixels. "Light" comes closest to the original.
Which level should I choose?
"Medium" suits most GIFs. "Light" for gradients, skin tones and photos, "Strong" when a fixed limit such as 8 MB is in the way. If the dithering becomes visible, go back one level.
How do I get a GIF under 8 MB or 5 MB?
Try "Medium" first, then "Strong", then additionally limit the width to 480 or 320 pixels. The size display shows after each run whether the limit has been reached; if an already optimized GIF exceptionally gets larger, a higher level or a smaller width helps. If that is not enough, a shorter GIF or an MP4 is the solution.
Why does the result look grainy?
With fewer colors, transitions are replaced by dithering. With flat graphics, screenshots and text that is hardly noticeable; with photos and gradients it is. Then "Light" or a smaller width helps rather than fewer colors.
Are transparency and the endless loop kept?
Transparent areas are usually carried over; check the result with transparency and moving edges, because the color reduction can become visible there. The result always plays as an endless loop; a limited repeat count of the original is not carried over.
Is there a better alternative to GIF?
Yes, an MP4 is often many times smaller at the same quality and is also played automatically by many chats and networks. For that there is "GIF to MP4". GIF remains useful where only images are allowed, for example in emails.