XnView MP vs FastStone Image Viewer

XnView MP9.3Visit FastStone Image Viewer9.1Visit

Higher score XnView MP #1 in Photo Viewer Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit XnView MP

vs

FastStone Image Viewer #2 in Photo Viewer Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit FastStone

• XnView MP fits best

  Cross-platform power users and photo managers

• FastStone Image Viewer fits best

  Windows users wanting a free all-round viewer

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Side by side

Feature	XnView MP 9.3/10 Visit ↗	FastStone Image Viewer 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.1
Ranking	#1 in Photo Viewer Software	#2 in Photo Viewer Software
Best for	Cross-platform power users and photo managers	Windows users wanting a free all-round viewer
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	€3.90/unit one-time	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Support	Docs	Email, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Enterprise
Features XnView MP 5/5 · FastStone Image Viewer 5/5
RAW image support	✓	✓
Side-by-side compare	✓	✓
Contact sheets	✓	✓
Color management	✓	✓
Metadata viewer	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Our review
Pros	Opens more than 500 formats, including camera RAW files Compares up to four images side by side Combines catalog search, metadata editing, and batch tools	Supports camera RAW formats and EXIF metadata viewing Compares up to four images and creates configurable contact sheets Adds batch conversion, renaming, scanning, editing, slideshows, and portability
Cons	Commercial company use requires a paid license Per-license pricing may complicate larger deployments Feature depth may exceed the needs of simple viewers	Commercial use requires a paid lifetime license Available for Windows rather than multiple desktop platforms Its broad toolset may be more than casual viewers need
Our verdict	XnView MP is a desktop photo viewer and organizer for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is suited to photographers, photo managers, and cross-platform power users who need more than basic image opening. The software handles more than 500 image… Read the review →	FastStone Image Viewer is a Windows desktop application for browsing, viewing, organizing, comparing, editing, converting, and presenting digital images. It suits Windows users who want more than a basic viewer, particularly photographers… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• XnView MP — where it wins

  • Opens more than 500 formats, including camera RAW files
  • Compares up to four images side by side
  • Combines catalog search, metadata editing, and batch tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Commercial company use requires a paid license
  • Per-license pricing may complicate larger deployments
  • Feature depth may exceed the needs of simple viewers

• FastStone Image Viewer — where it wins

  • Supports camera RAW formats and EXIF metadata viewing
  • Compares up to four images and creates configurable contact sheets
  • Adds batch conversion, renaming, scanning, editing, slideshows, and portability

  Where it doesn't

  • Commercial use requires a paid lifetime license
  • Available for Windows rather than multiple desktop platforms
  • Its broad toolset may be more than casual viewers need

• XnView MP9.3/10 · Free plan

  A format-rich desktop viewer with serious cataloging, metadata, and batch tools.

  Visit XnView MPFull verdict →
• FastStone Image Viewer9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free Windows viewer with RAW support, comparison, batch tools, editing, and scanning.

  Visit FastStoneFull verdict →