Compressor
Apple’s professional transcoding app for Mac that extends Final Cut Pro and Motion with custom export settings, batch jobs, and network-distributed encoding when you need more control or throughput than a quick share dialog provides.
Typical Mac workflow
You send a project or clip from Final Cut Pro to Compressor, or build a batch directly by dragging source files into the app. Pick an Apple preset or tune video and audio properties in the inspector—frame size, frame rate, color space, data rates, and channel layout—then assign output locations and post-encode actions such as copying files or running a script. Destination bundles let you deliver multiple formats from one submission, and custom settings can be shared with other Final Cut editors even if they do not have Compressor installed.
For long queues, distributed encoding spreads work across other Macs on your network running Compressor as shared nodes, which can cut wall-clock time on large batches started inside Compressor itself. The interface mirrors Final Cut Pro’s layout with a sidebar of settings, a central batch list, and a viewer for inspecting sources before transcode.
Licensing and version 5.3
Compressor costs $49.99 as a one-time Mac App Store purchase; existing owners receive 5.3 as a free update. It is also included in Apple Creator Studio at about $12.99 per month or $129 per year alongside Final Cut Pro, Motion, and other creative apps. Version 5.3, released 30 June 2026, adds immersive-metadata review, 180° Apple Projected Media Profile output for Apple Vision Pro, stereoscopic anaglyph preview, 5.1 AAC in Apple Device presets, and HEVC data-rate limits on Apple silicon. It requires macOS Sequoia 15.6 or later; some features need Apple silicon per Apple.
