[Final Review]

CompressorX lies to everyone to sell compact commands for cash.
CompressorX is not AI powered and provides no additional space saving beyond the compact command provided for free by Microsoft as part of Windows.
False advertising and an outright scam with a dash of IP theft. Do not buy.

"Powered by advanced AI, CompressorX delivers unbeatable compression performance"

It's not unbeatable; Using a single command: compact /C /F /EXE:LZX "/S:Z:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas" reveals that NTFS compression through Powershell exceeds CompressorX's script driven compression in the same time span.

https://youtu.be/PUw-LTnyBws
vs
https://youtu.be/P6sOrc_61fY

The reason why CompressorX failed to exceed Powershell here is due a novice-level bug in the script that CompressorX uses to harness wof.sys. Using CompressorX does not compress the root directory files for a given app (ie: Fallout: New Vegas), accounting for the 30 mb difference. This was indicated to me by a comparison of compressed directories during testing.

"Cutting-edge AI compression: Our proprietary AI model intelligently compresses data, optimizing compression ratios while preserving perfect fidelity."
"CompressorX is a game-changing compression layer for the Windows File System that harnesses the power of a specially trained AI model to deliver lossless, transparent data compression for your files."

No source code has been provided by the developer. No GPU work and very little CPU work were done on CompressorX's process while in use, leading to a suspicion that CompressorX is pre-programmed NTFS compression using a form, not AI. Decompilation of CompressorX through Ghidra revealed no AI model, merely compression methods that come with Windows.

It's not AI: I verified that CompressorX is simply using wof.sys.
I found baseline API callbacks from compact commands all over CompressorX: https://i.ibb.co/d5CvY2M/compact6.png & https://i.ibb.co/ysQ2M6F/compx7.png
This explains why CompressorX doesn't need admin privs, it's all scripts. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/wofapi/

I'm sure everyone would love to know, so here's the secret behind the curtain:

These are the four compression settings available through the /EXE flag in the compact command for Windows https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/compact:
1: XPRESS4K (fastest and default value)
2: XPRESS8K
3: XPRESS16K
4: LZX (most compact)

These are the four compression settings available through the drop down menu in the CompressorX UI https://i.ibb.co/sV5J9DF/compxalgs.png:
1: Fastest (fastest and default value)
2: Balanced
3: Slow
4: Slowest (most compact)

These lists look like the same list because they are the same list.

Don't believe me? GET READY FOR OUR USER FRIENDLY FIVE STEP PROGRAM!:
1: Use CompressorX to compress some app using whatever setting you feel like.
2: Right click>Properties on the directory containing compressed files and take note of the "Size on Disk" (compressed size).
3: Decompress the app with CompressorX and recompress the same app with the Powershell compact command and flag corresponding to the setting from the drop down menu in CompressorX.
4: Right click>Properties on the directory containing the compressed files and take note of the "Size on Disk" (compressed size) and see that it's the same size as before.
5: Realize CompressorX is just paid wof.sys and you can simply use the compact command to do the same thing CompressorX does without the price tag.

[Super Secret Option: Compress something using CompressorX and decompress it using the corresponding compact command, it's fun!]

Thus, CompressorX is merely repackaged NTFS compression with a price tag.

"CompressorX integrates directly with Windows"

CompressorX had the gall to claim that the space savings created by existing NTFS compression are its own, despite processing no data. CompressorX UI does not readily indicate existing NTFS compression in place before, during or after use. Nor does the UI make any mention that this may be an issue with any dialogue. "Job completion" with an existing NTFS compression in place ticks up a meter and some stats in the UI, leading to the appearance of compression (saved x amount of data on some app or y amount of data compressed total and ratio bar) which is consistent with the savings provided by existing NTFS compression. An indicated job complete, leading to the appearance of compression having taken place to the layman:

https://youtu.be/MRVtJ0tQW1g

Unlocking all space saving steam achievements in short order gives the appearance of work being done in a timely and visual manner to the layman, despite a lack of success with no indication regarding a failure displayed in CompressorX UI. Like so:

https://i.ibb.co/pKwCFVB/steamstuff.png

Why do users have to dig through logs with File Explorer to find this information? Why not present any of it in the UI as console output or dialogues so issues can be rectified by users? Why are users forced to keep seperate lists of what has and has not been compressed by CompressorX? Where is this Ux the dev is referring to as part of CompressorX? Is the design very human?

"Lightning fast and light on resources: CompressorX runs smoothly in the background, with minimal CPU and RAM usage. You won't even notice it's there!"

CompressorX does not keep record of what it has compressed or a game list in general between sessions leading to long load times and intense resource use every session start. CompressorX does not run in the background and terminates when the UI is closed.

https://youtu.be/UvMhIU3_dnc

This is besides the fact that CompressorX will only enable compression for your Steam apps and not the entire drive or specific directories, making it less capable than the tools provided with Windows by Microsoft.

"Reclaim gigabytes of storage: Perfect for large games, development, video projects, photo collections, and any situation with many loose files. CompressorX ensures you're saving substantial disk space"

Users are unable to use CompressorX for the listed items. How does CompressorX ensure users are saving all that space if the utility doesn't even remember what it compressed between sessions, is unable to detect that other compression is in place before use and even then, can only compress a handful of apps (Steam)?

"Set it and forget it: Select the folders you want to compress, and CompressorX does the rest. New files added are compressed automatically."

CompressorX doesn't allow users to select the folders they want to compress. CompressorX doesn't remember what it did between sessions and so doesn't automatically compress new files either.

"Auto-import apps, games, and software: CompressorX can automatically detect and import installed applications, games, and software for easy compression."

Ends up being a bug instead of a feature in practice due to long start times, not storing useful data between sessions, not detecting existing compression and not allowing users to select specific directories, but I suppose this is the intended Ux of the app.

That's my impression of CompressorX. Don't like it? Maybe actually use an AI instead of lying. Stop collecting data that doesn't belong to you. Fix the UI issues. Do better than Windows already does for free. Make CompressorX easier and better than using PowerShell or alternatives.

tl;dr: There's no AI, the UI is functionally trash at best, misleading at worst and Windows is already providing users the exact same compression for free.

Initial & Follow-up Review: https://pastebin.com/Kcexcbdd [PW: 8734wfyh58t347h5d8w934h1s9274t970dq4dc]

Reupload of developer response: https://i.ibb.co/1rdhtSp/reuploadofdevresponse.png