🔄 HEIC vs JPG: What's the Difference?

If you have an iPhone, your photos are probably saving as HEIC — and sooner or later you hit a website or app that can't open them. Here's what HEIC is, how it compares to JPG, and the simplest way to convert when you need to.

What is HEIC?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format Apple adopted in 2017 to store photos more efficiently. Under the hood it uses HEIF/HEVC compression, which packs similar image quality into roughly half the file size of a JPG. That's why your iPhone can hold so many photos.

What is JPG?

JPG (or JPEG) is the decades-old image standard that every device, browser, app and website understands. It's slightly less efficient than HEIC, but its universal support is exactly why it's still everywhere.

HEIC vs JPG at a glance

• File size: HEIC wins — about half the size for similar quality.
• Compatibility: JPG wins — it opens literally everywhere; HEIC doesn't.
• Quality: Roughly comparable at normal settings; HEIC also supports more colour depth.
• Editing & sharing: JPG is the safe choice when sending to other people or uploading to older sites.

When to convert HEIC to JPG

Convert when you need a photo to just work: uploading to a website that rejects HEIC, sending to someone on Windows or Android, or opening in an older app. Keep HEIC when you're staying in the Apple ecosystem and want to save space.

The easiest way to convert

Our HEIC to JPG tool converts in your browser — nothing to install, nothing uploaded. Drop in one HEIC or a whole batch, and download standard JPGs with the original date preserved. If you're also fighting upload size limits, you can then resize and compress the JPGs to fit.

Stop your iPhone saving HEIC (optional)

Prefer JPG from the start? On your iPhone, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos will save as JPG. For the HEIC photos you already have, convert them with the tool above.