We measured 12 online image tools: uploads, ad requests and page weight
2026-10-19 · 5 min read
Most people choose an image tool from the first search result and never ask two questions: does my photo leave my device, and what is the page doing while I wait? We collected both for twelve popular tools in October 2026.
Does it upload?
| Tool | Where the work happens | Retention stated |
|---|---|---|
| iLoveIMG | Server (EU) | Deleted after 2 hours |
| TinyPNG | Server | 48 hours |
| Img2Go | Server (EU) | Hours |
| ImageResizer.com | Server | 6 hours |
| ResizePixel | Server | 1 hour |
| PicResize | Server | 20 minutes |
| Pi7 Image Tool | Server for most tools | Not stated clearly |
| Squoosh | Browser | Nothing uploaded |
| Optimizilla | Browser | Nothing uploaded |
| BulkPicTools | Browser | Nothing uploaded |
| zipo.pics | Browser | Nothing uploaded |
| ShrinkLab | Browser | Nothing uploaded, verifiable |
Eight of the twelve upload. Their privacy pages describe deletion schedules in good faith, but a deletion schedule is still a copy of your passport photo on someone else's disk for a while.
Ad requests on a tool page
We counted third-party ad-tech requests on a cold load of the compress page with no consent choice made, using a desktop browser with no blocker.
| Tool | Ad-tech requests | Ad units above the fold |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Image Resizer | about 2,100 | Billboard above the tool |
| Pi7 Image Tool | about 550 | Several |
| ImageResizer.com | about 500 | 4 |
| PicResize | Header bidding stack | 2 |
| iLoveIMG | Google Ad Manager slots | 1 to 2 |
| Compressor.io, Img2Go, Optimizilla | 1 AdSense unit each | 1 |
| TinyPNG, Squoosh, zipo.pics | 0 | 0 |
| ShrinkLab | 0 before consent | 0; ads only below the result, after consent |
Page weight and first paint
ShrinkLab's home page is 352 KB on a first visit with 10 requests, and the first contentful paint is under 300 ms on a local preview; the compress tool runs in a worker so the page stays responsive during encoding. The tools above with heavy ad stacks load 3 to 8 MB before the first interaction. Every page here is prerendered HTML, so the content is there before any script runs.
How to check any tool yourself
Open the browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab, filter by POST, and run the tool. If your file is in a request, it was uploaded. Our privacy proof page walks through it and shows a live counter of bytes that left your device.
Method: public pages fetched in October 2026, request counts from a single cold load, retention from each site's own privacy or FAQ page. Numbers change; tell us if yours did.