H.265 vs H.264 for smaller file size (and when ShrinkCut helps)

Short answer

**H.265 (HEVC)** usually produces smaller files than **H.264** at similar quality, but compatibility varies across phones and players. In ShrinkCut, pick H.265 when recipients support it; fall back to H.264 for widest playback.

When ShrinkCut helps

Guided presets (WhatsApp, YouTube, Email, Archive) instead of raw FFmpeg flags

Optional GPU encode (NVENC / QSV / AMF) with CPU fallback

Local processing — no cloud compressor

Split/join in the same app when size alone isn’t enough

Practical picks

**Messaging to mixed devices** — often H.264

**YouTube / modern phones** — H.265 can shrink uploads meaningfully

**Not sure** — encode a short sample both ways and compare

Summary

Codec choice is a tradeoff between size and compatibility. ShrinkCut exposes both clearly inside Compress / Convert.