Is HEIC better than JPG?
HEIC is technically better than JPG: it stores photos at about half the size for similar quality and supports wider colour depth and transparency. JPG is better for compatibility because every device, website and print service accepts it. Use HEIC to save space and JPG when you share.
Apple says HEIF images take roughly half the space of JPEG at equivalent quality. On a phone that takes thousands of photos, that adds up to gigabytes saved.
JPG was standardised in 1992 and is supported by essentially everything. HEIC needs HEVC decoding, which is not universal and is covered by patent licences, so some software chooses not to include it.
A practical approach is to shoot in HEIC, then convert to JPG only for photos you send to people or upload to sites that do not accept HEIC.
Convert HEIC to JPG →More questions
Does HEIC have better quality than JPG?
At the same file size HEIC usually looks better, because HEVC compression is more efficient than the older JPEG method.
Should I switch my iPhone to JPG?
Only if you often share photos with people on older systems. Otherwise keep HEIC and convert when needed.
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Last updated 9 October 2026. Published by ARTH, the studio behind ARTH Convert.