The simple ffWorks alternative for Mac

ffWorks gives you 450 FFmpeg options. Picmal gives you one window. Drop in your files, pick a format, and go. No codec knowledge needed, and it works for images, video, audio, and PDFs.

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TL;DR Picmal vs ffWorks

ffWorks is a professional FFmpeg frontend: 450 encoding options, 60 video filters, VMAF quality metrics. Picmal ($29, paid once) skips the configuration and handles images, video, audio, and PDFs in one window, no codec knowledge needed.

Pick Picmal if: You want to drag in files and get a result without configuring codecs, and you also work with images, RAW files, and PDFs.
Pick ffWorks if: You need full FFmpeg control: CRF tuning, VMAF, custom filter chains, professional 4K/8K workflows.

Picmal vs ffWorks at a glance

ffWorks is a professional FFmpeg GUI with hundreds of options. Picmal is a simpler app that covers more file types: images, video, audio, and PDFs in one window, no codec knowledge needed.

Feature	Picmal	ffWorks
Price	$29 one-time	€22 (~$24) one-time
Primary purpose	Convert, compress & edit	Professional FFmpeg GUI
Privacy	100% offline	100% offline
Interface complexity	Single window, minimal options	450 options, 60 filters
Image conversion	Yes. 20+ formats	No
Video conversion	Yes. Common formats	Yes. Full FFmpeg support
Audio conversion	Yes. MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more	Yes. Full FFmpeg support
Compression	Images, video, audio & PDF ("never bigger")	Via encoding settings
PDF tools	Compress, combine, images→PDF, PDF→PNG	No
RAW decode	Yes. CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, and more	No
Video filters	Basic	60 filters (color, crop, overlay)
Quality metrics	No	Yes. VMAF, PSNR, SSIM
Hardware acceleration	Yes	Yes. VideoToolbox
Metadata removal	Yes	Yes
Shortcuts integration	Yes	No
Folder monitoring	Yes	Drop zones
Finder right-click	Yes	No
macOS	15+	10.13+

Which one is right for you?

Here's where each one makes more sense.

Choose Picmal

You don't want to configure codecs

You work with images, RAW files, video, audio, and PDFs and want one app for all of them
You want a simple interface with Shortcuts integration
Your files stay on your Mac. Nothing uploads anywhere
You don't need 450 encoding options

Choose ffWorks

Best for professional video encoding

You want full FFmpeg power with 450 options and 60 filters
You only work with video and need professional-grade control
You need quality metrics like VMAF, PSNR, and SSIM
You need advanced video filters and color adjustments

Everything else Picmal does

One app for images, video, audio, and PDFs. Convert, compress, and edit, all on your Mac. These are the essentials, and there's plenty more in the docs.

Convert between formats

Over 100 formats across images, video, audio, RAW, and PDF. HEIC to JPG, MOV to MP4, FLAC to ALAC. Drop it in, pick the output, done.

Compress and save space

Get under an email limit or a slow upload, without the quality drop you'd actually notice. No browser, no waiting.

Split, combine and organize PDFs

Break a PDF apart, merge a stack into one, drag pages to reorder, or turn a folder of photos into a PDF. Your documents never leave your Mac.

Combine, download and watermark videos

Stitch clips into one video, paste a link to fetch a clip, or stamp a logo over a preview while it converts.

Merge and split audio

Join tracks into one file, or split a long recording by its chapters. Podcasts and audiobooks, sorted.

Crop, cut out and trace images

Trim margins, lift a subject onto a transparent PNG with on-device Vision, trace a logo to real SVG paths, or build a full icon set from one image.

Watch a folder

Point Picmal at a folder and whatever lands in it gets converted, compressed, or built into a PDF on its own. Set it once.

Strip metadata

Take GPS coordinates, camera model and timestamps out of a photo before you send it. Or keep them, and add your own copyright.

Fits your workflow

Finder, Shortcuts, Raycast, a command line tool, and a clipboard that compresses screenshots as you copy them. A conversion is never more than a right-click away.

What people are
saying about Picmal

"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."

Marynes

"Everything works as expected - great app!"

Anthony Nguyen

"Great app! Simple and easy to use."

Beckett R

"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."

7107Labs

"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"

River Sloane

"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."

Gianluca Savini

"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."

Rob H

"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."

limboy

"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."

@imnogeekAJ

"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"

Alessandro Bonini

"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."

Marynes

"Everything works as expected - great app!"

Anthony Nguyen

"Great app! Simple and easy to use."

Beckett R

"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."

7107Labs

"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"

River Sloane

"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."

Gianluca Savini

"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."

Rob H

"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."

limboy

"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."

@imnogeekAJ

"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"

Alessandro Bonini

"I like the interface. I like the batch processing. I like the fact in the I can set default conversions. I like your program a lot."

Charles Willson

"I like the quality of the image processing. It also supports all the important image files. But it still needs some work regarding both the UI and the UX design of it."

Yiannis

"I love how Picmal's made compressing videos a frictionless, easy and straightforward."

George

"It's simple to use and does everything I need it to do. Hell, it does much more than I need and the developer keeps adding features :)"

Adam L

"I love the app! I use it 4-5 days a week for audio and image conversion as I tag and add missing album artwork to my library of 70,000 songs. After that is done, I would like to try it out with my Blu-ray collection on Plex. I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into creating and frequently updating an app such as this. All the best!"

Trevor

"The program is very simple and practical, and its options are clear."

Abadi

"I use Picmal to convert images. It works perfectly. I can just leave the Picmal window open on my desktop. Whenever I want to convert an image, I drag the file onto the window and click “convert”—and seconds later, the converted file is in the appropriate folder with the suffix “converted.” It couldn’t be easier or more hassle-free!"

Marie-Theres

"Thoughtful, polished, and constantly improving. Alberto genuinely listens to feedback, and it shows in Picmal. Easy 5 stars."

Daniel Hewitt

"I feel Picmal is one of the apps that I would categorize as essential. There are many features that distinguish the app from other web converters such as Folder Watching and Clipboard Optimization."

Joel

"Picmal is simple and fast but also integrates complex workloads if needed."

Aj

"I like the interface. I like the batch processing. I like the fact in the I can set default conversions. I like your program a lot."

Charles Willson

"I like the quality of the image processing. It also supports all the important image files. But it still needs some work regarding both the UI and the UX design of it."

Yiannis

"I love how Picmal's made compressing videos a frictionless, easy and straightforward."

George

"It's simple to use and does everything I need it to do. Hell, it does much more than I need and the developer keeps adding features :)"

Adam L

"I love the app! I use it 4-5 days a week for audio and image conversion as I tag and add missing album artwork to my library of 70,000 songs. After that is done, I would like to try it out with my Blu-ray collection on Plex. I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into creating and frequently updating an app such as this. All the best!"

Trevor

"The program is very simple and practical, and its options are clear."

Abadi

"I use Picmal to convert images. It works perfectly. I can just leave the Picmal window open on my desktop. Whenever I want to convert an image, I drag the file onto the window and click “convert”—and seconds later, the converted file is in the appropriate folder with the suffix “converted.” It couldn’t be easier or more hassle-free!"

Marie-Theres

"Thoughtful, polished, and constantly improving. Alberto genuinely listens to feedback, and it shows in Picmal. Easy 5 stars."

Daniel Hewitt

"I feel Picmal is one of the apps that I would categorize as essential. There are many features that distinguish the app from other web converters such as Folder Watching and Clipboard Optimization."

Joel

"Picmal is simple and fast but also integrates complex workloads if needed."

Aj

"Picmal is complete. The quality is good, and it does exactly what I need."

Gianfri

"Easy to use, automation & batch processing. AVIF & Webp support"

Sem

"I convert MP4s to MP3s almost every day. Picmal makes it stupidly simple, and I haven't touched a sketchy online converter since."

Rubens Nook YouTube Creator

"keep up the great work! Very cool tool you've built here."

J Koh

"Working on a presentation and had to convert and resize a lot of images. Picmal did them all in a flash."

Henry Halem

"Simple and powerful is a combination that is hard to get right. Picmal nails it! I find image presets particularly useful. Set it up and then just drag and drop to resize and convert."

Ian

"Me ha sosprendido la compresion que realiza el programa y si apreciar la calidad."

Carlos

"The easy going workflow"

Markus

"I just sent a few samples through to check everything, and I am very pleased with the results. Everything worked correctly and above all it was easy and not unduly complicated."

Andy Cockill

"Picmal is complete. The quality is good, and it does exactly what I need."

Gianfri

"Easy to use, automation & batch processing. AVIF & Webp support"

Sem

"I convert MP4s to MP3s almost every day. Picmal makes it stupidly simple, and I haven't touched a sketchy online converter since."

Rubens Nook YouTube Creator

"keep up the great work! Very cool tool you've built here."

J Koh

"Working on a presentation and had to convert and resize a lot of images. Picmal did them all in a flash."

Henry Halem

"Simple and powerful is a combination that is hard to get right. Picmal nails it! I find image presets particularly useful. Set it up and then just drag and drop to resize and convert."

Ian

"Me ha sosprendido la compresion que realiza el programa y si apreciar la calidad."

Carlos

"The easy going workflow"

Markus

"I just sent a few samples through to check everything, and I am very pleased with the results. Everything worked correctly and above all it was easy and not unduly complicated."

Andy Cockill

Pay once and you're all set

Already own Picmal? Add more Macs

How many Macs?

$29

2 Macs is $10 more

Convert, compress and edit images, video, audio and PDFs
Everything runs on your Mac, nothing gets uploaded
Use it on 1 Mac
Command line tool, Raycast extension and watched folders
Free updates forever, no subscription

Get Picmal for $29 Try free for 7 days

14-day refund after you buy, no questions asked. Needs macOS 15 or later.

More than 10 Macs? Email me.

Prices in USD, tax added at checkout, paid securely via Stripe.

How does the license work?

You pay once and keep it. No renewals, no subscriptions. Your license activates on the number of Macs you bought it for, and you can move it to another Mac whenever you want.

I bought Picmal and now I need more Macs. Can I upgrade?

Yes, and you only pay the difference. Going from 1 Mac to 2 is $10, 2 to 5 is $50, 5 to 10 is $60, and every other jump works the same way. Enter your license key here and the same key covers more Macs. The offer never expires, so starting small is never the wrong call.

What happens if I get a new Mac?

Open Picmal on your old Mac, go to Picmal → Register license to deactivate, then activate on the new one. Takes about ten seconds.

Do you offer student or country discounts?

Yes. I want Picmal to be affordable wherever you are. Students and educators get 40% off: verify your school email on the education page and the code lands in your inbox. If the price is steep for your country, checkout already adjusts it for you. If it still doesn't work, email support@picmal.app and tell me where you are, and I'll send a code.

Hello there 👋

I'm Alberto, the developer behind Picmal.

Picmal started because I was tired of opening a browser every time I needed to convert a few files. I figured there had to be a better way, so I built one.

Over time, that simple image converter has grown into something much bigger, mostly thanks to the people who use it.

Along the way, I've tried to stay true to a few simple ideas: your files should stay on your computer, the app should feel at home on your Mac, and you should only have to pay once.

One of my favorite parts of building Picmal is talking to customers. Many of the features in the app today started as conversations with people who needed something that didn't exist yet.

So if there's a feature you've always wished for, or something you haven't found in other tools, I'd love to hear from you. If it fits Picmal, I'll do my best to build it.

Best,

Alberto

Frequently asked questions

Can't find what you're looking for? Email support@picmal.app

Is Picmal a good ffWorks alternative?

If you want something that just works without configuring codecs, yes. Picmal converts, compresses, and handles images, video, audio, and PDFs in one window. ffWorks gives you 450 FFmpeg options. If you actually need that control, it's the right tool.

Does Picmal have the same video options as ffWorks?

No, and that's the point. ffWorks hands you 450 FFmpeg options and 60 video filters. Picmal picks sensible defaults so you don't have to. Drag in your files, pick a format, done.

Can Picmal convert images and PDFs? Can ffWorks?

Picmal converts 20+ image formats (HEIC, JPG, PNG, WebP, and more), decodes RAW files, and has PDF tools: compress, combine, images to PDF, PDF to PNG. ffWorks does video and audio only, no images, no PDFs.

Does Picmal support 4K/8K video like ffWorks?

Picmal handles high-resolution video, but ffWorks gives you granular CRF tuning, VMAF quality metrics, and filter chains for professional 4K/8K work. If that's what you need, ffWorks is the better fit.

Why choose Picmal over ffWorks?

Pick Picmal if you want one app for images, video, audio, and PDFs with a clean interface. Pick ffWorks if you need FFmpeg's full power for video encoding. They don't really compete. It depends what you're making.

What if Picmal doesn't work for me?

Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. Email support@picmal.app.