HEIC VS JPG
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between High Efficiency Image Container and Joint Photographic Experts Group.
HEIC
heicStandard format on modern Apple devices, highly efficient storage.
Pros
- Half the size of JPG
- 16-bit color
- Live photo support
Cons
- Limited support on Windows/Android
- Licensing issues
JPG
jpgUniversal image format with lossy compression, perfect for photography.
Pros
- Small file size
- Universal compatibility
- Adjustable compression levels
Cons
- Lossy compression (quality degrades)
- No transparency support
- No animation
When HEIC wins
Stay with HEIC when you need iphone photography or apple ecosystem. Its strengths center on half the size of jpg and a feature set native to MPEG.
When JPG wins
Choose JPG when your workflow prioritizes web images or digital photography. It delivers small file size plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | HEIC | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | image/heic | image/jpeg |
| Developer | MPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| Release Year | 2015 | 1992 |
| Best For | iPhone photography, Apple ecosystem | Web images, Digital photography, Email attachments |
Need to switch?
Where HEIC still wins
Keep HEIC when you need half the size of jpg and workflows depend on iphone photography / apple ecosystem. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship JPG deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .heic glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use JPG for web images while archiving originals as HEIC.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.