Yesterday, a photographer I know WhatsApp’d me in a state of mild panic.
He’d just finished another one of his shoots, went to send a batch of photos to a client, and then…
The client opened the folder and replied with six words no photographer wants to hear:
“I can’t open any of these files.”
All of the images were in HEIC format. He’d shot everything on his iPhone. The client was using Windows and an older editing workflow that didn’t recognize HEIC.
This has actually happened to me a few times as well.
I send over what should be simple image files, and suddenly, I have to start explaining formats instead of delivering work. Never ideal!
From now on, I’m using a HEIC to JPG converter before sending anything to anyone.
Rather than bet on a random tool, I decided to test out a range of HEIC to JPG converters to figure out which ones are actually reliable.
Before I get into the best tools for the job, let me share what I want you to avoid:
- Slow upload times that bring your workflows to a halt.
- Watermarks on the images unless you upgrade.
- Heavily compressed images.
To keep this fair, I used the same sample image across every tool. It’s mascarpone panna cotta with strawberries and biscuit pieces.
This is the type of image where you’ll immediately notice if the converter has messed with the details, like the richness in color of the strawberries.
My goal here was simple…
I wanted to see which converters preserve quality, keep the colors intact, and give you a clean JPG without any surprises.
Here’s what happened when I put them to the test.
What Happened When I Tested 5 HEIC to JPG Converters
1 – HEIC.fast
The first tool I tested was HEIC.fast, and right away, I liked how it presents itself. As you can see, it says “100% private browser-based conversion.”
This might sound obvious, but it is reassuring, especially if you work with client images or anything sensitive. Plenty of tools offer privacy, but not many remind you of this!
The maximum file size is 50 megabytes. As far as I’m concerned, that’s incredibly generous for a free converter.
The user interface itself is modern and straightforward. No clutter or ads.
You’re given a simple workflow that makes sense immediately.
The conversion was extremely fast. I uploaded the file, clicked convert, and within seconds the JPG was ready!
I’m presented with an in-app preview of the JPG image, which I find super helpful.
As you’ll see further into this article, I’m surprised some tools do not offer an image preview as part of the file conversion experience.
I want to view what I’m about to download! As you can see in the screenshot below, HEIC.fast previews the image.
One detail I really appreciated was the file naming. My original file was named IMG_8558.heic, and the converted download came through as IMG_8558.jpg.
When you’re dealing with dozens or even hundreds of photos, keeping filenames intact makes your workflow so much easier.
No renaming or hunting down images tucked away in subfolders.
I compared the converted JPG with the original HEIC side by side, and I honestly couldn’t spot any loss of detail. The sharpness was still there, and the colors looked identical.
Nothing appeared washed out or muted, which I’ve seen in other tools. More on this shortly.
For a browser-based converter, this was extremely impressive.
HEIC.fast handled everything quickly and without any surprises.
2 – HEICtoJPG.com
I then visited HEICtoJPG.com and the difference in the user interface (compared to HEIC.fast) was immediately apparent.
There are ads on the page and a few pop-ups, which I get (they have to monetize somehow), but it definitely makes the interface feel a little less clean.
If you’re in a rush or working through dozens of images, these ads will get tedious.
The conversion itself worked fine, but it wasn’t as quick as the previous tool.
It still only took around fifteen seconds, so nothing painful, but when you compare them side by side, you can feel the slowdown.
Again, that time will add up if you’re working through a few dozen images.
One thing I did like is that it shows you exactly how much file size has been saved after the conversion. In my case:
- Input file size: 1.9 megabytes
- Output file size: 1.2 megabytes
- Total saved: 0.7 megabytes (which is a 36% reduction)
It presents this information clearly, and for anyone who cares about storage or needs to send images over email, that can be genuinely helpful.
Quality-wise, the final JPG looked fine, but the overall experience just didn’t feel as smooth or streamlined as HEIC.fast. It works, and the file size info is a nice touch, but the extra waiting time and the cluttered layout hold it back a bit.
3 – iLoveIMG
You’ve probably seen iLoveIMG before. If you search for anything like “compress image,” “resize image,” or “convert to JPG,” they’re almost always sitting at the top of Google.
Their HEIC to JPG converter is just one of many tools in their lineup.
One thing that immediately sets this one apart is the ability to upload directly from Google Drive or Dropbox.
If you’re a photographer who’s storing client shoots in the cloud, I think that’s super convenient. You don’t have to download the files locally just to convert them.
For this test, though, I simply uploaded an image from my desktop.
The conversion was very fast. As soon as it processed the file, it automatically downloaded the JPG without me having to click a separate button.
You can also save the file straight back to Google Drive or Dropbox.
The downloaded JPG in this case was 2.8 megabytes, which is actually larger than some of the other converters produced.
This isn’t overly concerning, but it does mean you might need to run it through one of their other tools if file size matters for your workflow.
Ideally, I prefer a converter that handles both the format change and the compression at the same time.
Also, it would be nice to see a preview of the JPG image before downloading, rather than just a “Download” button.
The image looked great. No issues with sharpness or color. Everything felt true to the original HEIC.
4 – FreeConvert.com
Next, I tested FreeConvert, and the first thing that I noticed was the file size limit. You can upload images up to 1 gigabyte, which is huge for a browser-based converter. Yes, gigabytes!
But then you land on the page…
There are a lot of ads!
It’s not unusable, but it definitely feels more cluttered than the other tools I’ve tested so far.
FreeConvert does offer a bit more flexibility than the average converter. Instead of only giving you a JPG option, you can also convert your HEIC file to GIF, PNG, TIFF, or WebP.
For this test, I stuck with JPG.
Once the conversion finished, it downloaded a 2.7 megabyte file. At first glance, everything seemed fine, but when I compared it directly with the original HEIC, I noticed something disappointing.
The colors looked noticeably washed out.
The reds in the strawberries weren’t as punchy, and the whole image felt slightly muted, almost like a light grey film had been added over the top. It wasn’t subtle either.
This is a major problem if you’re working with product photography shot on your smartphone, food photography, or anything where color accuracy is essential.
So, while FreeConvert wins points for file size support and format flexibility, it loses points for image fidelity.
The output simply didn’t preserve the original color quality!
5 – CloudConvert
CloudConvert gave me a slightly mixed first impression. It wasn’t immediately obvious that I could drag an image straight into the interface.
I ended up just trying it to see what would happen, and thankfully it worked, but the UI doesn’t signal that clearly.
Otherwise, it pushes you toward clicking and manually digging through your files, which feels a bit clunky.
Like a few of the other tools, CloudConvert lets you convert your HEIC file into a range of formats (JPG, GIF, WebP, TIFF), but for this test, I stuck with JPG.
One thing I really like is the preview feature. As soon as the image is processed, you can see exactly what the converted version looks like before downloading it. I wish more converters offered this.
Comparing the result to the original, CloudConvert didn’t seem to alter the color at all.
I was hyper-aware of this after just seeing how much FreeConvert washed out the reds.
Here, the colors remained consistent and true to the HEIC version.
The final JPG came out at 2.7 megabytes, which is slightly larger than some other tools, but still perfectly usable.
Overall, while the interface feels a little dated and not as intuitive as it could be, CloudConvert delivers a high-quality conversion with accurate color preservation.
The HEIC To JPG Converter I’ve Bookmarked For Future Use
After testing these converters, it was interesting to see how the experiences varied.
Some of the tools offered genuinely useful extras, like the option to upload directly from Google Drive or Dropbox.
And then other converters introduced flexibility with formats, letting me convert HEIC files not only to JPG, but also to PNG, TIFF, WebP, and more.
If I’m honest, the interfaces ranged from clean and modern to dated and confusing.
A few tools added ads tastefully, and those didn’t get in the way.
However, other tools were so overloaded with ads that I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to process a whole batch of images through them.
If you had to repeat that process dozens of times, the frustration would build up!
Through all of this, I have a clear winner…
HEIC.fast is the converter I’m keeping bookmarked.
It has a generous 50 megabyte file size allowance, which is far more than most people will ever need.
The interface is clean, the conversion is fast, and the file naming stays intact.
Also, the quality of the final JPG is identical to the HEIC, which is ultimately what matters most.
It feels like a tool built by someone who understands exactly what people want from a converter:
- Speed
- Accuracy
- Privacy
And nothing that gets in the way!
This is the one I’ll use going forward.