CloudConvert is a good web service. It also means every file you convert goes to someone else's server, 10 a day for free and credits after that. Picmal does images, video, audio, and PDFs on your Mac for $39 once.
CloudConvert converts almost anything, including documents and formats no Mac app touches, and has a genuinely good API. The trade is that your files leave your machine, you get 10 free conversions a day, and past that you're buying credits. Picmal ($39, pay once) covers images, video, audio, and PDFs entirely offline, with no limits to count.
CloudConvert is a website that converts nearly any file type. Picmal is a Mac app that converts and compresses media without an internet connection. The right one depends on what you're converting and how often.
| Feature | Picmal | CloudConvert |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39 one-time | Free tier, then credits |
| Where files are processed | On your Mac | Uploaded to their servers |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Free usage limit | No limits, it's a paid app | 10 conversions a day |
| File size limit | Your disk | 1GB free, 5 min max |
| Images | Convert & compress | Convert |
| Video & audio | Convert & compress | Convert |
| Compress, merge, split, images to PDF | Convert | |
| Documents & ebooks | No | Yes |
| Batch processing | Hundreds at once | Yes, uses credits per file |
| API | No, but has a CLI | Yes |
| Shortcuts integration | Yes | No |
| Finder right-click | Yes | No |
| Account required | No | Yes, beyond the free tier |
| Platform | macOS 15+ | Any browser |
Here's where each one makes more sense.
You convert media often, on your own machine
You need breadth, or you barely convert anything
One app for images, video, audio, and PDFs. Convert, compress, and edit, all on your Mac. These are the essentials, and there's plenty more in the docs.
Over 100 formats across images, video, audio, RAW, and PDF. HEIC to JPG, MOV to MP4, FLAC to ALAC. Drop it in, pick the output, done.
Get under an email limit or a slow upload, without the quality drop you'd actually notice. No browser, no waiting.
Break a PDF apart, or drag pages around to reorder, rotate, and delete. Your documents never leave your Mac.
Stitch a pile of clips into one video. Drag to reorder, pick the format, export in a single pass.
Join tracks into one file, or split a long recording by its chapters. Podcasts and audiobooks, sorted.
Turn a folder of photos into a multi-page PDF. A4, Letter, or custom, with a password if you want one.
Merge a stack of PDFs into one file. Put the pages in the right order, set the size, and save it out.
Finder, Shortcuts, and Raycast. A conversion is never more than a right-click away.
Script it, drop it in a cron job, or hand it to a coding agent. The same engine as the app, right from your terminal.
"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."
"Everything works as expected - great app!"
"Great app! Simple and easy to use."
"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."
"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"
"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."
"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."
"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."
"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."
"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"
"Clean and easy to use. Perfect for quickly converting images without unnecessary extras."
"Everything works as expected - great app!"
"Great app! Simple and easy to use."
"It works perfectly now! Thanks and good work. It's really the kind of utility that I find very useful. I know that there are tons of free online tools doing the same thing but it's so much faster that way."
"Wonderfully simple app! I struggled with converting my images from one format to another constantly with online free tools. Picmal makes it effortless. Worth the money to avoid the hassle for sure!"
"You did a great job here! I like how easy Picmal is to use, and the frequent upgrades show that you are very committed to improving this beautiful software."
"It's a Mac-assed Mac App. Focused, customizable, flexible, well designed and super fast. 10+ times a day I need to convert a file for use on a website. Picmal makes that process a joy. My favorite conversion is taking a multipage PDF and converting each page to an individual image with one click (something even Preview can't do)."
"I really like these kinds of tools: simple interface, focused functions, one-time purchase, and continuous updates."
"Been enjoying the app! Thanks for the very handy utility."
"I f* love this app. Just so you know. Keep building!"
One purchase includes all updates. If you change your mind, you can ask for a refund within 14 days.
Every feature, no add-ons
Free updates forever
Use on 2 Macs
Command line tool, Raycast extension and watched folders
Updates land the day I ship them, with no App Store review wait
Everything in Picmal
Use on 5 Macs
One license for a studio, a family, or a desk and a laptop
All conversion and compression features, same engines, same quality
Free updates forever
Purchases, updates and refunds handled by Apple
Family Sharing, no license key
No command line tool, Raycast extension or watched folders. Compare the two builds
Prices in USD. Any tax is added at checkout. Secure payment via Stripe.
You pay once and keep it. No renewals, no subscriptions. Picmal activates on 2 Macs, Picmal Pro on 5, and you can move a license to another Mac whenever you want.
The app is identical, and so is the support: one person answers every email, and that person is me. Pro covers 5 Macs instead of 2.
Yes, for $30. Email support@picmal.app and I'll send you the link, then your existing key covers 5 Macs. The offer never expires, so starting with the cheaper plan is never the wrong call.
Same price, same engines, same quality. Apple handles the purchase, updates and refunds, and you get Family Sharing with no license key. Buying direct adds the command line tool, the Raycast extension, watched folders, camera EXIF on RAW conversions, and up to 5 Macs on one license. Here is the full comparison of the two builds.
Open Picmal on your old Mac, go to Picmal → Register license to deactivate, then activate on the new one. Takes about ten seconds.
Yes. I want Picmal to be affordable wherever you are. Students and educators get 40% off: verify your school email on the education page and the code lands in your inbox. If the price is steep for your country, checkout already adjusts it for you. If it still doesn't work, email support@picmal.app and tell me where you are, and I'll send a code.
14 days, no questions asked. Email support@picmal.app. App Store purchases go through Apple instead.
Hello there 👋
I'm Alberto, the developer behind Picmal.
Picmal started because I was tired of opening a browser every time I needed to convert a few files. I figured there had to be a better way, so I built one.
Over time, that simple image converter has grown into something much bigger, mostly thanks to the people who use it.
Along the way, I've tried to stay true to a few simple ideas: your files should stay on your computer, the app should feel at home on your Mac, and you should only have to pay once.
One of my favorite parts of building Picmal is talking to customers. Many of the features in the app today started as conversations with people who needed something that didn't exist yet.
So if there's a feature you've always wished for, or something you haven't found in other tools, I'd love to hear from you. If it fits Picmal, I'll do my best to build it.
Best,
Alberto
Can't find what you're looking for? Email support@picmal.app
For images, video, audio, and PDFs, yes. Picmal does the same conversions on your own Mac, with no upload, no daily cap, and no credits to buy. CloudConvert covers far more file types than Picmal does, including documents, spreadsheets, ebooks, and CAD, so if you need those it stays useful.
10 conversions a day, up to 1GB per file and 5 minutes of processing. Past that you buy credits, either as a one-off package or a monthly subscription, and longer conversions consume more of them. Picmal is $39 once and doesn't count conversions.
Yes. It's a web service, so every file goes to their servers to be processed and comes back as a download. They delete files after a period, but the upload happens. Picmal never sends a file anywhere. It converts on your Mac, offline, and works on a plane.
It depends on volume. CloudConvert's free tier costs nothing if you convert fewer than 10 files a day. Once you're past that regularly, credits add up every month, while Picmal is $39 paid once with updates included.
Yes, and there's no file size ceiling because nothing is being uploaded. The limit is your Mac's disk and patience. CloudConvert caps free conversions at 1GB and 5 minutes of processing.
CloudConvert has a proper REST API, which is its real strength for developers automating conversions on a server. Picmal isn't a server tool, but it does have a command line interface, Apple Shortcuts actions, and a Raycast extension for automating things on your own machine.
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. Email support@picmal.app.
