Comparison

The Image Format Converter vs cairn

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Image Format Converter

Easily convert images between various formats including HEIC, JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and PDF. This app supports batch conversions, image resizing, and metadata preservation, allowing you to manage your photos efficiently.

Highlights
  • Cross-format conversion (HEIC, JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, PDF)
  • Batch conversion with no limit
  • Image resizing
  • Metadata preservation (including EXIF)
  • Convert individual PDF pages to JPG
  • Save and share converted images in bulk
  • Option to delete original files
Features
Read full description

This is a true all in one image format converter which supports cross conversion of heic, jpg, png, bmp, tiff and pdf file format. It supports the batch conversion. You have no limit on the number of images to convert. You can also resize the images as you want. You also don't need to worry about the loss of meta data. It supports the complete preservation of meta data including exif. • Convert heic to jpg, png, bmp, tiff and pdf. • Convert jpg file to heic, png, bmp, tiff and pdf. • Convert png to heic, jpg, png, bmp, tiff and pdf. • Convert bmp to heic, jpg, png, tiff and pdf. • Convert tiff to heic, jpg, png, bmp and pdf. • Convert individual pdf pages to jpg. You can import pdf file from [Files] app, iTunes file sharing, email and url. • Supports batch conversion. You have no limit on the number of photos to convert. • Resize at any size you want. • Determines whether to keep metadata (including exif) after conversion. • Save converted images to Camera roll at once. • Share converted images at once. • Copy converted images to PC using iTunes fiie sharing at once. • Optionally delete the original files.

About

cairn

This app synchronizes your iPhone photo library with your Immich server. It automatically moves photos deleted from your phone to your Immich trash, ensuring consistency. The app prioritizes safety with features like a quarantine window and trash-to-restore functionality.

Highlights
  • Syncs iPhone deletions to Immich
  • Moves deleted photos to Immich Trash
  • Configurable quarantine window
  • Trash-to-restore functionality
  • Percent cap and floor for safety
  • Exclusion options for specific photos
  • Restrict indexing to specific albums
Features
Read full description

cairn reconciles your iPhone photo library against your own Immich server. When you delete a photo on your phone, cairn moves the matching photo on Immich to Trash. That's the whole job. cairn doesn't upload photos, show albums, edit metadata, or run AI — the Immich app already does those things. cairn closes the one loop the Immich app doesn't: photos that live on the server after you've deleted them from your phone. HOW IT WORKS — Content identity is SHA1 (the same identifier Immich uses server-side). — cairn subscribes to iOS's deletion log, so it sees soft-deletes as you make them. — A configurable quarantine window holds confirmed deletions before anything moves, so an accidental mass-offload has time to be caught. — Every run shows you the candidate list first. Nothing happens on the server until you confirm. SAFETY MODEL — Trash, not delete. cairn moves assets into your Immich Trash — Immich retains them for 30 days, and restore is one tap. — Percent cap + floor. If a single run would move more than a threshold of your matched photos to Trash, it aborts without touching the server. — Breadcrumbs. Every run is tagged on Immich (cairn/v1/run/[id]) so you can find it server-side. — Forensic journal. Local append-only log records every step — planned, tagged, trashed, restored, failed. — Exclusions. Protect specific photos from ever being flagged. — Indexing scope. Restrict cairn to a specific set of Photos albums. Photos outside the scope are silently ignored — never hashed, never proposed for trash. Useful if you want to manage just one album and leave synced family albums alone. PRIVACY — No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting, no ads. — No cairn backend. Your iPhone talks directly to your Immich server using your API key. — Credentials stay in the iOS Keychain. Nothing leaves your device besides requests you configured. REQUIREMENTS — An Immich server you run or control. — An Immich API key. cairn requests these scopes: asset.read, asset.view, asset.download, asset.delete, tag.create, tag.asset, tag.read. The Setup screen lists them when you paste your key. cairn is not affiliated with the Immich project. It talks to Immich over its public API; compatibility only. Source is MIT-licensed at github.com/glarue/cairn.

Screenshots

The Image Format Converter4 screens
cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: cairn at Free against The Image Format Converter's $2.99. cairn also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). The Image Format Converter's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

cairn is free to download; The Image Format Converter costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Image Format Converter against 5.0 for cairn. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Image Format Converter has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Image Format Converter ships an update every 3 months, cairn weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Image Format Converter versus cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Image Format Convertercairn
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDongwook ChoGraham Larue

Customer experience

The Image Format Converter

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.8%

cairn

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

The Image Format Converter

No in-app purchases

None

cairn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Image Format Converter free?
The Image Format Converter costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is cairn free?
cairn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Image Format Converter or cairn?
The Image Format Converter and cairn are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do The Image Format Converter or cairn have ads?
Neither The Image Format Converter nor cairn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Image Format Converter or cairn?
The Image Format Converter ships an update every 3 months, and cairn weekly. Most recently, The Image Format Converter was updated on November 6, 2026 and cairn on October 31, 2026.

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