Free Image Resizers Compared (2026): Privacy and Trade-Offs

You need a picture at a different size. A job form wants a photo under 1000 pixels wide. A blog needs a 1200 × 630 preview image. A shop wants all product photos the same width. There are many free ways to do this, and they do not work the same way. Some run in your browser. Some upload your photo to a server. Some are big design apps where resizing is one small feature.

This article looks at five free options: our own FreeToolPoint Image Resizer, iLoveIMG, Canva, BeFunky, and the resize tools already built into Windows and macOS. We made FreeToolPoint, so we are not neutral. To be fair, we describe exactly what our tool does and does not do, and we say plainly when another tool fits your job better.

Free plans, prices and limits change often. We do not list numbers for other services here. Check the current terms on each service's own website before you rely on them.

First: What Resizing Does and Does Not Do

Three jobs often get mixed up. Knowing which one you need saves time.

• Resizing changes the width and height in pixels. The whole picture stays. A 4000 × 3000 photo can become 1200 × 900.
• Cropping cuts parts of the picture away. You need it when the shape must change, for example from a 4:3 photo to a square post.
• Compressing keeps the width and height and makes the file smaller by saving it with less detail. You need it when a site asks for a file under a certain size, such as 200 KB.

One more point: making a picture bigger does not add detail. The new pixels are guessed from the old ones, so the result looks soft. This is true for every tool in this article.

How to Choose: A Quick Checklist

1. Is the photo private? ID cards, passports, documents, photos of children or of your home are better resized on your own device.
2. How many images? For one photo, almost any tool is fine. For 50 photos, you want a tool that can do many at once.
3. Does the shape need to change? If yes, you need a crop step too, not only a resize.
4. Is there a file size limit in KB or MB? Resize first, then compress if the file is still too big.
5. Do you think in pixels or in percent? Some tools have a percentage box. Others only take pixels.
6. Must the file be a certain format? Some tools keep your format. Others let you pick JPG, PNG or WebP.
7. Should the photo's location data go with it? Phone photos often carry the place where they were taken. Some tools remove this data and some keep it.

Quick Comparison Table

The Tools One by One

1. FreeToolPoint Image Resizer

Our tool runs in your browser. It draws your picture onto a hidden canvas at the new size and saves that as a new file. Your photo is not uploaded to FreeToolPoint or anyone else.

What it does:

• You type the width and height in pixels. Both boxes start with the original numbers.
• "Maintain aspect ratio" is ticked at the start. Type one number and the other one updates as you type. It is rounded to a whole pixel. A 4000 × 3000 photo at width 1200 becomes 1200 × 900.
• It keeps your format. A JPG stays a JPG, a PNG stays a PNG (with its see-through parts), and a WebP stays a WebP. JPG and WebP files are saved at 92% quality.
• It does not replace your original. The new file gets resized_ in front of the name.
• It does not copy hidden photo data. GPS location, camera model and date taken are not written into the new file. This is handy when you want to share a photo without its location.

What it does not do:

• No percentage box. For 50% of a 4000 px wide photo, type 2000. For 25%, type 1000.
• One image at a time. After you download, click Clear and add the next one. Your last width and height are not remembered, so type them again.
• No format change, no crop and no target file size. For those, use our separate Convert Image, Crop Image and Compress Image tools.
• No DPI setting. It changes pixels only. That is fine for print shops, which go by the pixel count.
• JPG, PNG and WebP only. Other formats, such as GIF, cannot be saved in their own format by the browser.

There is no signup, no watermark and no daily limit. The trade-off is that it is a simple, one-photo tool. If you have a folder of 50 photos, a tool that works on many files at once will save you a lot of time.

2. iLoveIMG

iLoveIMG comes from the same team as iLovePDF. It is an online set of image tools: resize, compress, crop, convert and more. Its resize tool lets you add several images and resize them together, by pixels or by percentage. That makes it a practical choice for a batch of product or event photos.

Your images are uploaded to iLoveIMG's servers for processing. The free plan has limits, and paid plans remove some of them. Check their site for the current limits, and read their privacy policy to see how long files are kept.

3. Canva

Canva is an online design platform for social posts, presentations, flyers and more. You need an account to use it. Photos you add are uploaded and stored in your Canva account.

Resizing one photo in Canva usually means making a design at the size you want and placing the photo in it. That works well if you are already making a post in Canva. For one quick resize, it is more steps than a simple resizer. Some resize features are part of the paid plans, so check what the free plan includes.

4. BeFunky

BeFunky is an online photo editor. Resizing is one of many features, next to filters, touch-up tools, a collage maker and design templates. It has a free version and a paid plan with more features.

If you want to resize and also brighten, crop or add effects, an editor like this saves you from jumping between tools. If you only need a new size, it is more than you need. Check their site for what the free version includes, and their privacy policy for how your images are handled.

5. Apps Already on Your Computer

This one is easy to forget. Windows and macOS both come with a simple resizer, and it works fully on your computer.

• Windows, Paint: open the photo and choose Resize (or press Ctrl+W). You can type pixels or a percentage, and keep the aspect ratio. Then save a copy.
• Mac, Preview: open the photo and choose Tools, then Adjust Size. To resize many photos at once, open them together, select them all in the sidebar and use Adjust Size once.
• Free extra programs: Microsoft PowerToys for Windows adds an Image Resizer to the right-click menu, which can resize many files at once. GIMP is a free photo editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. Open a photo and use Image, then Scale Image.

For private photos, and for a big folder of photos, these are often the best free choice. The limit is that you need a computer, and the options are basic.

The Privacy Question

Photos often carry hidden data, called EXIF data. It can include the date and time, the phone or camera model, and, if location was turned on, the GPS position where the photo was taken. When you upload a photo to an online tool, the whole file goes to that company's computers, hidden data included. Well-known services explain in their privacy policy how long they keep files. During that time, your photo is stored on computers you do not control.

For a sunset or a product photo, that is usually fine. For a passport scan, an ID card, a signed document or a photo of your children, it makes sense to think about where the file goes.

If your photo never leaves your device, it is not stored on anyone else's server.

Our browser tool and the apps on your computer both keep the photo on your device. There is a second, smaller question: does the new file still carry the location? Our tool does not copy it. Other tools may keep it or remove it. To check a file on Windows, right-click it, choose Properties, then Details. On a Mac, open it in Preview and choose Tools, then Show Inspector.

Practical Tips

• Crop first, then resize. If a 4:3 photo must become a 4:5 post, resizing alone will stretch it. Crop to the new shape, then resize.
• Always resize from the original. Each save of a JPG or WebP loses a little detail. Resizing the same file again and again adds up.
• Resize, then compress. If a form wants a file under 200 KB, resize to the size you need first. If it is still too big, compress it.
• For print, count pixels. Pixels needed = inches × DPI. A 6 × 4 inch photo at 300 DPI needs 1800 × 1200 pixels.
• Use JPG for photos. A photo saved as PNG is often several times bigger. Keep PNG for logos, screenshots and images with a see-through background.
• Do not go bigger than you need. A 4000 px image on a blog that shows it at 800 px only makes the page slow.

For common sizes, such as social media posts and banners, see the size table on our Image Resizer page or our guide on how to resize images.

Which One Should You Use?

There is no single best image resizer. It depends on how many photos you have, how private they are, and what else you need to do.

• One private photo at an exact pixel size, on a phone or a computer: FreeToolPoint is a good fit.
• Many photos at the same size: on a Mac, use Preview. On Windows, try PowerToys Image Resizer. If uploading is fine, iLoveIMG can also do many at once.
• Resize by percentage: Paint, Preview and iLoveIMG have it. With our tool, multiply the width yourself.
• A social post or design: Canva, if you already use it.
• Resize plus edits such as filters or touch-ups: BeFunky online, or GIMP on your computer.
• A new format as well: resize with our tool, then use Convert Image. Or pick a tool that lets you choose the output format.

Conclusion

Every tool here can change the size of a photo. The real differences are where your photo goes, how many photos you can do at once, and what else the tool can do.

We built FreeToolPoint's resizer for one simple job: one photo, an exact size in pixels, and no upload. It keeps your format and leaves out the hidden location data. For a big batch, a percentage setting or extra edits, another tool on this list will serve you better. Keep your original photo either way.