UPX vs PECompact

UUPX8.9Visit PECompact8.4Visit

Higher score U UPX #2 in Executable Packers 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 1 features Visit UPX

vs

PECompact #4 in Executable Packers 8.4/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 1 features Visit PECompact

• UPX fits best

  Free cross-platform compression

• PECompact fits best

  Professional PE compression workflows

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Side by side

Feature	UUPX 8.9/10 Visit ↗	PECompact 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.4
Ranking	#2 in Executable Packers	#4 in Executable Packers
Best for	Free cross-platform compression	Professional PE compression workflows
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$1,498 one-time
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Support	Docs	Email, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features UPX 0/1 · PECompact 1/1
Protection features	—	✓ (best)
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Binary formats	PE, ELF, Mach-O, COFF, DOS/COM, DOS/EXE, DOS/SYS, Atari/TOS	EXE, DLL, SCR, OCX, native PE modules
Compression levels	Advanced	Not checked yet
Architecture support	Multi-architecture	32-bit
License model	Perpetual	Perpetual
Our review
Pros	Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and multiple executable formats Offers compression levels 1–9, --best, and multiple methods Includes decompression, integrity checks, checksums, and size reporting	PE-optimized compression for EXE, DLL, SCR, OCX, and native PE modules GUI, console, codec, loader, and API hook plugin support Integrity checks, overlay emulation, and configurable resource handling
Cons	Command-line operation may require technical familiarity Provides no verified protection features Compressed commercial distribution has special license conditions	Supports 32-bit modules only, not PE64 Windows-only platform support The one-product license costs $429 one-time
Our verdict	UPX is a free, portable, open-source command-line packer for compressing executable programs, DLLs, libraries, and other supported binaries. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, with coverage for formats including PE, ELF, Mach-O, COFF,… Read the review →	PECompact is a Windows executable compressor and packer for software developers and publishers working with native Portable Executable modules. It targets workflows that need to reduce the size of EXE, DLL, SCR, OCX, and other native PE… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• UPX — where it wins

  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and multiple executable formats
  • Offers compression levels 1–9, --best, and multiple methods
  • Includes decompression, integrity checks, checksums, and size reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line operation may require technical familiarity
  • Provides no verified protection features
  • Compressed commercial distribution has special license conditions

• PECompact — where it wins

  • PE-optimized compression for EXE, DLL, SCR, OCX, and native PE modules
  • GUI, console, codec, loader, and API hook plugin support
  • Integrity checks, overlay emulation, and configurable resource handling

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports 32-bit modules only, not PE64
  • Windows-only platform support
  • The one-product license costs $429 one-time

• UUPX8.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, cross-platform packer with broad format support and detailed compression controls.

  Visit UPXFull verdict →
• PECompact8.4/10 · Paid

  A feature-rich PE packer for Windows developers who need 32-bit compression workflows.

  Visit PECompactFull verdict →