Comparison information verified:
Comparison scope
Preview is already on every Mac and costs nothing. PixPack exists for the cases Preview does not cover well: many images, an entire folder, format conversion, and a before-and-after comparison before exporting.
This page compares macOS Preview and Built-in Tools (macOS (built in), Part of macOS) with PixPack (macOS, Mac App Store). Capabilities are marked Yes only when they are documented by the product's own official source. Capabilities that could not be confirmed are marked Not verified rather than No.
At a glance
PixPack
- Platform
- macOS 14.0 or later
- Price
- $9.99 one-time (US App Store)
- Batch
- Queue with Apply to All Files
- Output formats
- JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, GIF
- Preview
- Slider and side-by-side compare
macOS Preview and Built-in Tools
- Platform
- Built into macOS
- Price
- Included with macOS
- Batch
- One document at a time
- Typical use
- Viewing and light editing of images and PDFs
Capability comparison
| Capability | PixPack | macOS Preview and Built-in Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Native macOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Batch processing | Yes | No |
| Folder processing | Yes | No |
| JPEG output | Yes | Yes |
| PNG output | Yes | Yes |
| HEIC output | Yes | Yes |
| WebP output | Yes | No |
| GIF output | Yes | Not verified |
| Resize / maximum dimensions | Yes | Yes |
| Image rotation | Yes | Yes |
| Quality control | Yes | Yes |
| Before / after visual preview | Yes | No |
| Custom presets | Yes | No |
| Clipboard paste | Yes | No |
| EXIF / GPS control | Yes | Not verified |
| Filename templates | Yes | No |
| Works offline without upload | Yes | Yes |
| No account required | Yes | Yes |
| One-time purchase | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
Preview's export options vary between macOS releases and are not exhaustively documented. Items marked "Not verified" were not confirmed from official documentation at the time of writing.
When to choose PixPack
- You have more than a handful of images to process
- You want to process an entire folder in one operation
- You need WebP or GIF output
- You want to compare the compressed result with the original before exporting
- You want reusable presets and filename templates
When to choose macOS Preview and Built-in Tools
- You only need to compress or resize one image occasionally
- You do not want to install any additional software
- You are already using Preview for viewing and light editing
- You need PDF handling, which Preview covers
Product Facts
| Product name | PixPack – Image Compressor Pro |
|---|---|
| Platform | macOS |
| Minimum system | macOS 14.0 or later |
| Architecture | Apple Silicon + Intel |
| Current version | 1.4.3 |
| Price | $9.99 (US App Store) |
| Processing | Local on your Mac |
| Privacy label | Data Not Collected |
Source: Apple App Store · Last verified:
Sources
- PixPack on the Mac App Store Official App Store product page for PixPack – Image Compressor Pro, including the product description, feature list, supported formats, system requirements, version history and price.
- Apple iTunes Lookup API record for PixPack Structured App Store metadata record used to verify version number, minimum macOS version, price, file size, release dates, age rating and the number of listed localizations.
- Apple Support — Preview User Guide Apple documentation for Preview, the image and PDF viewer built into macOS, including export and resize options.
Last verified: