Sage Audio reframes the "EQ before or after compression" question as a false choice. Both placements are valid, and each does something the other can't - understanding what that is matters more than picking a side.
Pre-compression EQ is where you remove anything you don't want the compressor to see. Compressors generate harmonics and subtle distortion as they reshape a signal's envelope, so running a problem frequency through one first makes it harder to remove later, not easier. Cutting plosives, harsh sibilance, nasally resonances, and excess low mids before the compressor keeps those artifacts out of the gain reduction process.
EQ after compression tends to feel more open and dynamic, because the compressor isn't working against the changes you're making. Boosting 2-5 kHz for clarity, lifting air frequencies, or reaching into the side image for warmth around 300 Hz all land with more presence when the compressor has already settled the signal.
That said, pre-compression EQ isn't only for cleanup. Shaping the signal before the compressor also shapes how the compressor responds - which is its own creative lever.