Free · H.264 CRF · nothing uploads
Compress video online
Pick a target, get a smaller MP4. The before → after size is shown the moment it finishes.
248 MB61 MB−75%typical phone clip at Balanced — your real numbers show after each run
What compression actually does
A video's size is bitrate × duration. Compression re-encodes the video at a lower bitrate, spending bits where the picture needs them (motion, detail) and saving them where it doesn't. The CRF settings here target constant quality rather than a fixed bitrate, so simple scenes get tiny and complex ones stay watchable — the honest version of the math is in our compression explainer.
Audio is re-encoded to 128 kbps AAC, which is transparent for speech and fine for most music, and the MP4 is written with faststart so it streams immediately when shared.
Frequently asked questions
- How much smaller will my video get?
- It depends on how it was encoded originally. Phone footage often shrinks 50–80% at the balanced setting with little visible change, because phones record at generous bitrates. Already-compressed downloads shrink less.
- Which setting should I use?
- Balanced (CRF 28) is right for sharing in chat apps and email. High quality (CRF 23) when the video matters and you still want savings. Smallest (CRF 32) when size beats looks — screen recordings survive it surprisingly well.
- Why H.264 and not H.265/AV1?
- H.264 plays everywhere — every phone, browser, and chat app. Newer codecs compress better but still hit playback problems on the receiving end, which defeats the point of shrinking a file to share it.
- Is my video uploaded anywhere?
- No. VidClip runs FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly inside your browser. The file is read from your disk into the page's memory, processed there, and saved back to your disk. There is no upload, no server queue, and no copy of your footage anywhere but your machine.
- Is there a watermark?
- Free video exports carry a small semi-transparent VidClip mark in the corner. Audio-only output (MP3) has no watermark. Pro ($4/mo or $79 once) removes the watermark, lifts the 200 MB file cap, and unlocks instant lossless trim and mute.