Pineapple Pictures vs Pixea

Pineapple Pictures is an image viewer for opening common image formats on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its listed formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG, PSD, KRA, XCF, TGA, HDR, and AVIF. A Stay-on-Top setting can keep a reference image visible above other software while you work. The project also lists RAW support and a metadata viewer; optional libexiv2 support is recommended for showing more image metadata.

The viewer is free, and Pineapple Pictures as a whole is licensed under MIT, though individual files may have other compatible licenses. Downloads are linked through GitHub Releases, SourceForge, Arch Linux AUR, itch.io, and FlatHub. Format availability depends on Qt imageformats plugins, which users may need to obtain from their distribution or build themselves on Windows. Release 1.6.0 lists Linux with Qt 6.4 or later and a stacking window manager, Windows x64, and macOS ARM. The maintainer says the project will remain in maintenance mode for the foreseeable future while continuing to receive updates. An itch.io purchase supports development and provides experimental additional format support.

Pixea is a macOS image editor and media viewer for browsing, changing, and playing files. It opens HEIC, JPEG XL, PSD, RAW, WebP, AVIF, MP4, and MKV. The media browser searches, filters, sorts, and shuffles items in folders and archives, while a metadata viewer is included. Editing tools cover exposure, color, cropping, rotation, resizing, sharpening, denoising, perspective correction, and watermarking. Batch Editor applies global or per-image changes, presets, resizing, and upscaling; the free edition handles three images per batch. Machine-learning tools provide object removal and 2× or 4× upscaling, with object removal requiring macOS 13 or later. Video playback includes audio-track and subtitle selection, resume, repeat, aspect-ratio changes, and speeds from 0.5× to 2×. Pixea requires macOS 11 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel Macs. Pixea Plus adds shortcuts, gestures, broader filters, unlimited batch editing, and 4× upscaling. The maker says normal use collects no personal information and needs no registration. Plans are free, $1.99 a month, $14.99 a year, or $19.99, paid once.