What local compression actually means
QuickCompress reads the video file from disk, encodes it using your Mac's own Apple Silicon hardware encoder, and writes the compressed result back to disk, all on the same machine. There is no step where the file leaves your Mac for the compression to take place.
Why that matters for footage you cannot casually share
Unreleased work, client footage under a confidentiality agreement, or anything you simply do not want sitting on a third-party server, even briefly, are common reasons to prefer processing that stays on your own machine rather than an upload-based or cloud compression tool.
How this differs from an upload-based or cloud compression tool
An upload-based or cloud compression tool has to receive your file before it can do anything with it: the video is uploaded to that service's servers, processed there, and a result is sent back. QuickCompress skips that entire round trip. There is no upload step, and no wait for one, either.
What still needs the internet
Local compression is specifically about the video itself: QuickCompress does not upload your source video to compress it. The app still needs an internet connection for things unrelated to the video file, such as activating your license the first time and checking for updates.
Frequently asked questions
Does QuickCompress ever upload my video to compress it?
No. Compression runs locally on your Mac. The video file itself is never uploaded to QuickCompress servers for processing.