You probably don't need 32GB, but if macOS is constantly compressing memory, yes.

Yes, but only if you’re actually running out of RAM.

If Activity Monitor shows significant “Memory Used” and “Swap Used” or “Memory Pressure” is yellow/red, more RAM will stop the system from compressing and swapping. That does improve responsiveness — your computer won’t have to treat your SSD like temporary RAM.

But most people don’t need it. Browsing, email, light photo editing, even some music production — 16GB is still plenty. You’ll only notice compression if you’re juggling multiple VMs, huge files, or a hundred Chrome tabs like a maniac.

Memory compression itself isn’t bad. It’s fast and efficient. The problem is when the system spends too much time compressing and decompressing. That’s when you feel the lag.

Check your actual usage before buying. If memory pressure is consistently high and swap is in the gigabytes, upgrade. If not, save your money. Future You will thank you for not wasting it on a RAM upgrade you didn’t actually need.