Free Online GIF Compressor

Free

Reduce GIF file size by reducing colours, frames, and dimensions. No upload. Instant results.

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What's next

Create a new GIF
Start fresh with optimised settings from the beginning
Resize GIF dimensions
Reduce pixel count for maximum size savings
Crop excess canvas
Remove unused canvas around the animation

Settings guide

GIF compression levers in order of effectiveness:

1. Reduce dimensions — Most effective. 50% width reduction removes 75% of the pixels. Resize to 480px wide for social media previews; 720px for full-size web use.

2. Reduce colour count — Simple animations (flat colours, icons): 128 colours vs 256 makes no visible difference. Complex animations (photos, gradients): stay at 192–256 to avoid banding.

3. Remove frames — Remove every 2nd frame and double the delay. Halves file size. Works well for slow-moving animations; causes jitter for fast-moving ones.

4. Target sizes: Under 5MB for acceptable web load time. Under 1MB is ideal. Over 10MB — convert to MP4 or WebM instead.

Format comparison

GIF vs MP4/WebM for large animations: For animations over 5 seconds or over 5MB, video formats (MP4, WebM) are 10–20× more efficient than GIF. Modern browsers support video autoplay with muted playback, which is how developers replace heavy GIFs. If size matters more than format compatibility, consider converting to video.

GIF vs animated WebP: Animated WebP is 3–4× smaller than GIF at equivalent quality. All modern browsers support it. For web-only use, animated WebP is a better format to move to than optimising a GIF.

How it works

1

Upload GIF

Drop your animated GIF into the compressor.

2

Choose settings

Set colour count, frame reduction, and target dimensions.

3

Compress

The compressor applies all settings in your browser.

4

Download

Save the compressed GIF — smaller file, same animation.

About this format

GIF compression is fundamentally different from JPEG or PNG compression. The format is limited to 256 colours per frame and uses an older LZW algorithm — the primary levers for reducing GIF size are not quality settings, they're colour count, frame count, and pixel dimensions.

The most effective approach: reduce dimensions first (50% width = 75% fewer pixels), then reduce colour count (256 → 128 colours is often imperceptible in simple animations), then optionally remove every second frame and double the delay. Each lever operates independently, and combining them can reduce a 20MB GIF to under 5MB without visible degradation.

Drop your GIF, adjust the settings, and download the smaller version.

Frequently asked questions

Why are GIF files so much larger than JPEG or WebP?+
GIF uses the LZW compression algorithm from 1984, which is far less efficient than modern codecs. A 5-second animation as GIF can be 10–20× larger than the same animation as MP4. For web use, consider using video (WebM/MP4) instead of GIF for large animations.
Does reducing colours in a GIF affect quality?+
For simple animations with flat colours: no visible difference at 128 colours vs 256. For complex animations with gradients or photos: visible banding appears below 128 colours. Start at 128, preview, and reduce further if the result looks acceptable.
Can I remove specific frames from an animated GIF?+
Yes. Frame selection lets you keep only the frames you want before compressing.
What's the maximum GIF size I should use on a website?+
Under 5MB for acceptable load time on most connections. Under 1MB is ideal. For animations larger than 5MB, convert to MP4 or WebM — video formats are 10–20× more efficient than GIF.
Are my files uploaded to a server?+
No. Compression runs in your browser.

Related tools and guides

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