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Muhammad Faeiz Furqan
Muhammad Faeiz Furqan

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expo-image-and-video-compressor vs react-native-compressor — Honest Comparison (2026)

#react #javascript #webdev #programming

If you're building a React Native app that handles user-generated media — profile photos, video messages, social posts — you need compression. Two packages compete for this space: react-native-compressor (the established player with ~80K weekly downloads) and expo-image-and-video-compressor (the newer Expo-native alternative).

I built expo-image-and-video-compressor because I ran into real friction with the existing options. This post breaks down the honest differences — where each package wins, where it falls short, and which one makes sense for your project.

Disclosure: I'm the author of expo-image-and-video-compressor. I'll be fair to both packages — this isn't a hit piece. I'll tell you exactly when to use the other package instead.

TL;DR — Quick Decision Guide

expo-image-and-video-compressor react-native-compressor
Best for Expo managed workflow Bare React Native
Setup npx expo install — done Config plugin + dev client
Video codecs H.264 + HEVC H.264
Image compression Yes Yes
Audio compression No Yes
Background upload No Yes
Speed presets ultrafast / fast / balanced auto / manual
Weekly downloads Growing ~80,000
APK impact ~50 KB ~50 KB

Use expo-image-and-video-compressor if: you're in Expo managed workflow and want zero-config setup with HEVC support.

Use react-native-compressor if: you need audio compression, built-in upload, or you're in bare React Native without Expo.

1. Setup and Developer Experience

This is where the biggest practical difference lies.

expo-image-and-video-compressor 

npx expo install expo-image-and-video-compressor
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Done. One command. No config plugins. No expo prebuild. No expo-dev-client. It works immediately because it's built on the Expo Modules API — the same system Expo uses for its own packages.

import { compress } from 'expo-image-and-video-compressor';

const result = await compress(videoUri, {
  maxSize: 1080,
  codec: 'h264',
  speed: 'ultrafast',
});
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react-native-compressor 

npm install react-native-compressor
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Then add the config plugin to app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": ["react-native-compressor"]
  }
}
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Then run expo prebuild and switch from Expo Go to expo-dev-client. For teams already using custom dev clients this isn't a big deal, but for new projects or quick prototypes it adds meaningful friction.

import { Video } from 'react-native-compressor';

const result = await Video.compress(videoUri, {
  compressionMethod: 'auto',
});
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Winner: expo-image-and-video-compressor — genuinely zero-config for Expo projects.

2. Video Compression

Codec Support

This is the biggest technical difference between the two packages.

expo-image-and-video-compressor supports both H.264 and HEVC (H.265). HEVC produces ~40% smaller files at equivalent visual quality. For a chat app processing thousands of videos daily, that's a massive reduction in storage and bandwidth costs.

// HEVC — ~40% smaller files, same visual quality
const result = await compress(videoUri, {
  codec: 'hevc',
  maxSize: 1080,
});
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react-native-compressor only supports H.264. If you need HEVC, this is a dealbreaker.

Speed Presets

expo-image-and-video-compressor exposes speed presets that let you control the trade-off between encoding speed and file size:

await compress(videoUri, {
  speed: 'ultrafast', // fastest encoding, larger file
  // speed: 'fast',   // balanced
  // speed: 'balanced', // best compression, slower
});
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react-native-compressor uses compressionMethod: 'auto' | 'manual' with less granular control over the speed/quality trade-off.

Bitrate Control

Both packages let you set a target bitrate:

// expo-image-and-video-compressor
await compress(videoUri, { bitrate: 2_500_000 });

// react-native-compressor
await Video.compress(videoUri, {
  compressionMethod: 'manual',
  bitrate: 2_500_000,
});
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Progress and Cancellation

Both packages support real-time progress callbacks and mid-flight cancellation. The API patterns differ slightly but are functionally equivalent:

// expo-image-and-video-compressor
let cancelId: string;
compress(videoUri, {
  getCancellationId: (id) => { cancelId = id; },
}, (progress) => {
  console.log(progress); // 0.0 to 1.0
});
cancel(cancelId);

// react-native-compressor
const subscription = Video.compress(videoUri, {}, (progress) => {
  console.log(progress);
});
Video.cancelCompression(subscription.id);
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Winner: expo-image-and-video-compressor — HEVC support and speed presets are genuine, meaningful differentiators.

3. Image Compression

Both packages handle image compression with resize and quality control:

// expo-image-and-video-compressor
const result = await compressImage(imageUri, {
  maxWidth: 1080,
  maxHeight: 1080,
  quality: 0.8,
  output: 'jpg',
});

// react-native-compressor
const result = await Image.compress(imageUri, {
  maxWidth: 1080,
  maxHeight: 1080,
  quality: 0.8,
  output: 'jpg',
});
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Both preserve EXIF metadata and handle orientation correction. Both support JPEG and PNG output. Functionally these are nearly identical.

Winner: Tie.

4. Audio Compression

react-native-compressor supports standalone audio compression:

import { Audio } from 'react-native-compressor';
const result = await Audio.compress(audioUri, { quality: 'medium' });
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expo-image-and-video-compressor does not compress standalone audio files. It does pass through audio tracks in video files without re-encoding (which actually preserves audio quality better), but if you need to compress audio separately, you'll need another solution.

Winner: react-native-compressor — if you need standalone audio compression.

5. Background Upload

react-native-compressor includes a built-in background upload feature:

import { backgroundUpload } from 'react-native-compressor';
await backgroundUpload(url, fileUri, { httpMethod: 'POST' });
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expo-image-and-video-compressor focuses purely on compression. For uploading, you'd use expo-file-system or your own HTTP client. It does support iOS background tasks to keep compression running when the app is backgrounded:

await activateBackgroundTask();
const result = await compress(largeVideoUri);
await deactivateBackgroundTask();
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Winner: react-native-compressor — if you want an all-in-one compression + upload solution.

6. Architecture and Bundle Impact

Both packages add approximately ~50 KB to your APK — negligible compared to FFmpeg-based solutions (~9 MB).

expo-image-and-video-compressor react-native-compressor
Architecture Expo Modules API (JSI) Native Module + Turbo Module
New Architecture Built-in Recently added
APK size ~50 KB ~50 KB
Native dependencies None (uses platform APIs) None (uses platform APIs)

expo-image-and-video-compressor integrates natively with Expo's module system. react-native-compressor is a traditional React Native native module that works with Expo via config plugins.

Winner: expo-image-and-video-compressor — for Expo projects, native integration is cleaner. For bare RN projects, it's a tie.

7. Metadata

Both packages let you retrieve video metadata:

// expo-image-and-video-compressor
const meta = await getMetadata(videoUri);
// { width, height, duration, size, bitrate, extension }

// react-native-compressor
const meta = await Video.getMetaData(videoUri);
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Winner: Tie.

The Honest Scorecard

Category expo-image-and-video-compressor react-native-compressor
Setup simplicity Winner —
Video codec support Winner (HEVC) —
Speed control Winner —
Image compression Tie Tie
Audio compression — Winner
Background upload — Winner
Expo integration Winner —
Community/maturity — Winner
API simplicity Winner —
Bundle size Tie Tie

Score: 5 - 3 in favor of expo-image-and-video-compressor for Expo projects.

When to Use Which

Use expo-image-and-video-compressor if:

  • You're using Expo managed workflow
  • You want zero-config — install and use immediately
  • You need HEVC for ~40% smaller video files
  • You want speed presets for fine-grained control
  • You want a simple, focused API (compression only)
  • You're building a new project and want the cleanest setup
  • You want a package that doesn't require ejecting or config plugins

Use react-native-compressor if:

  • You're in a bare React Native project without Expo
  • You need audio compression
  • You want built-in upload functionality
  • You prefer a battle-tested package with a larger community (1,300 stars, 80K weekly downloads)
  • You need a Discord community for support

Getting Started

If you're in an Expo project, try it out — it takes 30 seconds:

npx expo install expo-image-and-video-compressor
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import { compress, compressImage } from 'expo-image-and-video-compressor';

// Compress a video with HEVC
const video = await compress(videoUri, {
  maxSize: 1080,
  codec: 'hevc',
  speed: 'fast',
}, (progress) => console.log(`${Math.round(progress * 100)}%`));

// Compress an image
const image = await compressImage(imageUri, {
  maxWidth: 1080,
  quality: 0.8,
});
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Have questions? Disagree with something? Drop a comment below — I'll respond to every one. If this was useful, follow me for more React Native deep dives.

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