Slate vs ImageOptim
When comparing Slate vs ImageOptim, the Slant community recommends ImageOptim for most people. In the question“What are the best power user tools for macOS?” ImageOptim is ranked 8th while Slate is ranked 21st. The most important reason people chose ImageOptim is:
Great for compressing images for web usage or saving harddrive space.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Extremely configurable
Slate is similar to Linux WMs like Xmonad in that it is nearly infinitely configurable. You can either use the default configuration file or just Javascript for very complex/dynamic settings. Slate also offers editing a ".js" or a ".slate" file for configuration.
Pro Based on hotkeys
Hotkeys can be set to re-size and focus windows, as well as activate layout presets.
Pro It's free
Slate is completely free to download and use, which is a great option in a field of Mac WMs that often costs money to use.
Pro Allows for tiling
Slate allows for customizing the config file in order to emulate tiling windows.
Pro Lets you set default layouts
By using a feature called "snapshots", users can set up different default window layouts in Slate that they can switch to and from on the fly.
Pro Window hints
Slate offers window hints which are an intuitive way to change window focus.
Pro Losslessly compresses PNG, GIF, and JPEG images
Great for compressing images for web usage or saving harddrive space.
Pro Fast & Simple
Pro Simple drag'n' drop interface
Simply drag images (or folders) into the window.
Pro Tries several different image optimizers before picking the best one
Pro Edits files in place
It does edit files in place, overwriting the original. This is exactly what I want, so I love it, but it's good to know beforehand.
Pro Can handle PNG, GIF, and JPEG images
Great for compressing images for web usage or saving harddrive space.
Cons
Con Project is no longer in development
Development is no longer active on this project as of 2017.
Con Hard to configure
There's no graphical user interface for configuring Slate, meaning it has to be done from the command line interface or by editing a config file. This makes it somewhat difficult and time-consuming.
Con Missing features
Unable to perform all tasks of software it was meant to replace.
Can not move windows between 'Spaces' (virtual desktops).
Con Video fail
Demonstration video failed to highlight any of the advantages of the windowing system. Or at least, the advantages were so subtly intrinsic that no-one who didn't already use the system could appreciate them.
Con Compression algorithm not as good as counterparts
Con Cannot abort an optimization
Optimization can run for a long time. Sometimes it reaches 20% quickly and then spend a long time to attain 21.2%. But you cannot interrupt the process.