ApolloOne vs Flipic Lens: two Mac photo viewers

Choose ApolloOne if you want a Mac-native viewer with full metadata editing, IPTC keywords, split-view comparison, stacks, HDR and quick edits, all without importing. Choose Flipic Lens if you want a smaller, free, open-source app focused on paging, focus checks, ratings and Cleanup Mode. You can use ApolloOne for metadata and edits, and Flipic Lens for the first cull.

	ApolloOne	Flipic Lens
Price model	Free edition; paid Max Edition with subscription or perpetual license	Free; optional one-time Pro
Import or library	No import; reads folders	No import, no catalog; reads the folder
RAW	RawBridge engine; RAW, HEIF, TIFF and more	Opens camera RAW; 0 zooms to 100% at the pointer
Star ratings	Star ratings, color labels and Finder tags written as XMP	1 to 5 stars as standard XMP; RAW uses a same-name .xmp sidecar
Side-by-side compare	Split-view comparison	C for two, Shift-C for four, zoom synced
Closed eyes / blur / bursts	Auto-Stack and Focus Score; closed-eye detection not listed on its site	Yes: Cleanup Mode groups bursts, duplicates, closed eyes and blur on your Mac
Platform	macOS	macOS 13 or later
Open source	No	Yes, MIT

Where ApolloOne is stronger

• Metadata and keywords. Full EXIF and IPTC editing, hierarchical keywords and code replacements written as XMP.
• More viewing tools. Tabs and windows, split-view comparison, HDR display and export, video playback and non-destructive Quick Edit.
• Burst organization. Stacks and Auto-Stack collapse a burst into one thumbnail, while Focus Score helps compare sharpness.

Batch work. Batch rename and conversion are built in.

Where Flipic Lens fits

• Simple and open source. A 5 MB MIT-licensed Mac app with no import and no catalog.
• Culling without setup. Double-click a photo, arrow through the folder, press 0 to check focus, C or Shift-C to compare, 1 to 5 to rate and P to mark.
• Ratings and marks in standard places. Stars are standard XMP with a same-name .xmp sidecar for proprietary RAW; P marks are Finder tags.

Cleanup Mode. Free on-device grouping of bursts, duplicates, closed eyes and blur, with you deciding what to delete.
Pro when needed. The Workbench adds a project grid, zoom to the eyes, content and text search, and more, as a one-time purchase with a 7-day trial.

Using them together

Use ApolloOne when you need IPTC editing, keywords, HDR or a quick non-destructive edit. Use Flipic Lens when the job is to open a folder and make a first selection. Flipic Lens shows the IPTC caption stored in a file and can crop and straighten, but it does not edit metadata or adjust color. Both write ratings as XMP, so decide which app owns the rating pass if keeping sidecars tidy matters to you.

See the full comparison at Mac photo viewers and culling tools compared.