HEIC vs JPG: Which Should You Use in 2025?
Your iPhone gives you a choice: keep photos as HEIC (Apple's default) or as JPG (the universal classic). Each has real trade-offs in quality, file size, color depth, and compatibility. This guide compares them honestly so you can pick the right format — and convert between them when you need to.
File size: HEIC wins by a lot
HEIC uses HEVC (H.265) compression, which is significantly more efficient than JPG's 1992-era algorithm. A typical 12-megapixel iPhone photo is around 1.5–2.5 MB in HEIC and 3–5 MB in JPG at equivalent visual quality. Over a year of casual shooting, that adds up to gigabytes saved in iCloud or on your device. If storage is your main concern, HEIC is the obvious winner.
Quality and color: HEIC has the edge
HEIC supports 10-bit color (over a billion shades) versus JPG's 8-bit (16.7 million). It preserves more detail in shadows and highlights, especially with HDR. HEIC also stores Live Photo motion, depth maps for portrait mode, and burst sequences in a single file. JPG can only hold a single 8-bit still image with limited metadata. For archival quality, HEIC is the better container.
Compatibility: JPG wins everywhere
JPG opens on literally every device made in the last 25 years. HEIC requires modern macOS, iOS, Windows 10+ with codecs installed, recent Android, and updated browsers. Web platforms, ATS systems, government portals, banking apps, and email clients often reject HEIC outright. If you're sharing photos with non-Apple users, embedding in documents, or uploading to a form, JPG (or PNG) is still the safer bet.
What we recommend
Shoot in HEIC on your iPhone to save space, then convert to JPG, PNG, or WebP whenever you share or publish. Apple's built-in conversion (Settings → Camera → Formats → "Automatic" transfer) helps but is unreliable. A free in-browser converter gives you control over quality, batch size, and target format without uploading your private photos anywhere.
Convert between HEIC and JPG
Free, private, fully in your browser. Pick the quality level you need.
FAQ
Is HEIC better than JPG?
For quality and file size, yes. For compatibility, no. HEIC is better as a storage format; JPG is better as a sharing format.
Can I convert HEIC to JPG without losing quality?
Some quality loss is unavoidable because JPG is lossy. Use quality 92+ to keep the loss visually imperceptible.
Do social media platforms accept HEIC?
Instagram and Facebook now do (auto-convert), but X, LinkedIn, and most CMSes still prefer JPG/PNG.
Does HEIC work on Windows?
Yes, Windows 10/11 supports HEIC after installing the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
Should I disable HEIC on my iPhone?
Only if you constantly share with non-Apple users. Otherwise keep HEIC and convert when needed.