pdf-kompakt — Free PDF Compression Tool

50-90% smaller. 100% private.

Free, open-source PDF compression. Desktop CLI gets 50-90% savings. Chrome extension for quick jobs. Files never leave your device.

brew tap xronocode/tools && brew install pdf-kompakt
50-90%
compression with Ghostscript
3
platforms supported
8
languages
100%
private & offline

Why pdf-kompakt

Everything you need to shrink PDFs, nothing you don't.

🔒

100% Private

Files never leave your device. No uploads, no cloud, no tracking. Works fully offline.

Powerful Compression

Ghostscript engine delivers 50-90% size reduction. pypdf fallback for lighter savings without dependencies.

🎯

3 Quality Levels

Low (72 dpi) for email, medium (150 dpi) for everyday, high (300 dpi) for print. Pick what fits.

💻

Terminal-Native

Interactive TUI with fuzzy search. Arrow keys, Enter, done. Also supports non-interactive mode for CI/scripting.

🌐

Chrome Extension

Quick compression right in your browser. Drag, drop, download. 8 languages supported.

🍺

Easy Install

One command with Homebrew. Or grab a binary — no Python, no dependencies, just run it.

Desktop vs. Extension

Both are free. Pick the one that fits your workflow, or use both.

recommended

💻 Desktop CLI

macOS, Linux, Windows
  • 50-90% compression via Ghostscript
  • Interactive TUI with fuzzy file search
  • Batch processing & CI/scripting mode
  • No file size limits
  • Homebrew, binary, or Python install

🌐 Chrome Extension

any OS with Chrome
  • 5-30% browser-based compression
  • Drag and drop interface
  • Up to ~50 MB file size
  • 8 languages built-in
  • Zero install, works instantly

How It Works

Three steps. No configuration needed.

1

Install

Homebrew, download a binary, or install the Chrome extension. Takes seconds.

2

Pick Quality

Choose low (72 dpi), medium (150 dpi), or high (300 dpi) depending on your needs.

3

Done

Get your compressed PDF. See before/after stats. That's it.

$ pdf-kompakt report.pdf -q medium Compressing with Ghostscript... ✓ Done ────────────────────────────── Before : 11.2 MB After : 1.4 MB Saved : 87.5% (9.8 MB freed)