Choosing the Best Online CSS Compression Service
Currently, there are a huge number of web tools for optimizing CSS files. Most of them have their own work algorithm (there are, of course, duplicates). The effectiveness of the programs themselves is also significantly different. In addition, some optimizers can “break” CSS code, after which the styles become invalid. As practice shows, the percentage of such “useful” tools is quite high.
This article is a report on the testing of the most popular online optimizers. The experiment was conducted on 3 CSS files. Links to each of them are given in the table of results.
The main goal of the work is a comparative description of services according to the main indicator (compression ratio). The presence of various settings, usability and other secondary factors were not taken into account.
It is worth saying that 6 out of 17 reviewed optimizers did not cope with the task. Results that did not pass validation after compression are indicated by a dash.
| CSS file link | www.kartinki24.ru/templates/kartinki/style/styles.css | gidonline.club/wp-content/themes/gidonline/style25.css | spb.azbyka.net/views/azbyka/css/style.css | Wed result after compression,% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original size, KB | 21.49 | 26,20 | 23.18 | |
| Service | Results, KB | |||
| askapache.com/online-tools/compress-css | 18.55 | 24.23 | 23.17 | 93.06 |
| cleancss.com/css-minify | 18.01 | 23.67 | 22.38 | 90.39 |
| codebeautifier.com | - | - | - | - |
| creativyst.com/Prod/3 | 20.58 | - | 23.18 | - |
| css-school.ru/optimiser | 16.95 | 23.00 | - | - |
| csscompressor.com | 17.77 | 23.46 | 22.32 | 89.67 |
| cssdrive.com/index.php/main/csscompressor | 18.02 | 23.66 | 22.37 | 90.38 |
| cssportal.com/css-optimize | 19.29 | 26,20 | 23.18 | 96.9 |
| cssresizer.com | 17.07 | 20,20 | 22.35 | 84.13 |
| cy-pr.com/tools/css | 16.79 | 22.98 | - | - |
| iceyboard.no-ip.org/projects/css_compressor | - | 22.75 | - | - |
| lotterypost.com/css-compress.aspx | 17.78 | 23,43 | 22.31 | 89.63 |
| pagecolumn.com/tool/css_compressor.htm | 18.07 | 23.66 | - | - |
| partnerki-runeta.ru/css-optimized | 18.09 | 23.67 | 22.38 | 90.5 |
| phpinsider.com/compress_css.php | 19.29 | 25.44 | 22.38 | 94.69 |
| prohtml.net/services/css-min | 18.36 | 24.27 | 22.37 | 91.72 |
| refresh-sf.com | 16.87 | 21.18 | 22.19 | 85 |
As we see, it is impossible to single out a leader unequivocally. In each of the 3 tests, the minimum size was achieved using different services. However, if we consider the average result, then with a sufficiently large margin, 2 tools stand out:
- cssresizer.com (84.13%);
- refresh-sf.com (85%).
The bronze medalist ”was csscompressor.com , with the result (89.67%). Other programs were able to reduce the size of the styles by no more than 10%.