The short version
Both apps build a catalog you can search with the drives unplugged. Pick NeoFinder if you catalog video, optical discs or LTO tapes, want a built-in XMP metadata editor and, according to its developer, on-device image analysis, or work on an Intel Mac. Pick CachePix if your archive is mostly photos and you want it on a Windows PC or an Android phone, synced over your own network.
What is NeoFinder?
NeoFinder is disk catalog software for the Mac. According to its website, it's commercial software from West-Forest-Systems (Norbert M. Doerner), sold under paid licenses. It catalogs internal and external drives, network and NAS volumes, optical discs, LTO tapes and USB sticks. Once a drive is cataloged, NeoFinder lets you browse and search its contents on your Mac without the drive connected.
It's actively maintained. According to the developer's version history, NeoFinder 9.3.1 was released on September 29, 2026 and is certified for macOS 27.
What is CachePix?
CachePix is a photo catalog app for Mac and Windows. It catalogs the photos on your drives, then syncs a searchable catalog to free iPhone and Android companion apps, so you can browse your archive with the drives unplugged. Your photos never go to the cloud.
Is there a NeoFinder for Windows?
No. As of October 2026, NeoFinder runs on Macs (Apple silicon and Intel). For Windows there is abeMeda, a companion app from a separate developer that reads the same catalogs and is sold separately. Neither developer lists a Linux desktop version.
According to abemeda.com, as of October 2026 abeMeda 7.8.7 lists support for Windows 2000 through Windows 11, and a Personal License costs $39, bought separately from any NeoFinder Mac license.
CachePix runs on 64-bit Windows (x64) as well as Apple silicon Macs on macOS 12 or later. One plan covers your computer and your phone with the same email. That's the short case for CachePix as a NeoFinder alternative on Windows.
On an Intel Mac? CachePix needs a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later). According to NeoFinder's download page (October 2026), NeoFinder 9.3.1 runs on Intel Macs with macOS 10.15 or later, so it's the one that fits an older Mac.
Side by side
NeoFinder details come from its developer's website, user guide and store page, from abemeda.com and from the App Store, as of October 2026. The CachePix column describes desktop 0.2.1 and the 1.1.0 phone apps.
| Feature | CachePix | NeoFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Mac app | Apple silicon (M1 or later), macOS 12 or later | Apple silicon and Intel. Version 9.3.1 requires macOS 10.15 or later, up to macOS 27, per its download page |
| Windows | Yes: 64-bit Windows (x64) | No. abeMeda, from a separate developer, reads the same catalogs and is sold separately ($39, per abemeda.com) |
| Phone apps | Yes: iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later, and Android 9 or later. Free downloads that need a CachePix plan | Partly: NeoFinder iOS for iPhone and iPad, $5.99, iOS 14 or later. We found no Android version |
| Getting the catalog onto the phone | Pair once with a QR code. The catalog syncs one way, from your computer to your phone, over your local network | Copy catalog files over (Finder, Dropbox, Mail, AirDrop, iCloud Drive) or use Load from Server, per the developer's guide |
| Search with the drives unplugged | Yes, on your computer and your phone | Yes, on your Mac, and on iPhone or iPad once the catalogs are on the device |
| What it catalogs | A folder or a drive on your computer: internal, external or removable | Internal and external drives, network and NAS volumes, optical discs, LTO tapes and USB sticks |
| Photo formats | JPEG, PNG, WebP and 15 RAW formats (CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, ARW, SR2, RAF, ORF, RW2, DNG, PEF, SRW, X3F, IIQ, 3FR). HEIC and TIFF are cataloged and searchable, with previews coming to the Mac app | Photos, including RAW and DNG, with thumbnails and metadata |
| Video | No. Video isn't supported | Yes: thumbnails and metadata, a built-in player and converter, plus Blackmagic RAW and RED .r3d files |
| Photo metadata | IPTC and XMP: people, keywords, caption, headline, title, city, state, sublocation, creator, event and categories, including sidecars next to RAW files. No camera, lens or GPS data | Catalogs and searches EXIF, IPTC and XMP metadata |
| Writing metadata to files | Cataloging never modifies, moves, renames or deletes your files. CachePix writes metadata only when you edit it, and only the fields you changed, as standard XMP in the file or in a sidecar next to RAW files | Built-in XMP editor for ratings, captions, hierarchical keywords, people and places. Saves edits into the files right away, as embedded XMP or .xmp sidecars |
| AI tagging and image analysis | No AI tagging, text recognition or similar-photo search | Yes, on the device: AutoTags (Apple's Core ML engine), text recognition (OCR) in thumbnails, and Find Similar Photos on macOS 14 and later |
| Facial recognition | No facial recognition or face detection. People names come from metadata in your files, or names you type in CachePix | No: detects which photos contain a face, but its user guide says this is not facial recognition and it doesn't identify people |
| Where the catalog lives | On your computer, with a synced copy on your phone. Your photos never go to the cloud | A local folder on your Mac by default. Sharing among several users uses a shared folder on a file server or NAS (Business License) |
| Price | $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 14-day free trial (card required), or $99 once for Lifetime | Private License $39.99 once, for up to three personal Macs, valid for all 9.x versions. NeoFinder iOS is a separate $5.99 |
| Free version | No free plan. A sample catalog in the phone app works with no account and no computer | No permanent free version. The free 30-day demo is limited to 10 catalogs |
Getting the catalog onto your phone
For a lot of people, this row decides it. Both apps let you search a catalog on your phone while the drives sit at home. They get it there in different ways.
The NeoFinder iPhone app (NeoFinder iOS)
According to NeoFinder's user guide (October 2026), you copy catalog files to an iPhone or iPad via Finder, Dropbox, Mail, AirDrop or iCloud Drive. Since NeoFinder iOS 3.1, the app's Load from Server option can also load them from an SMB server, NAS, iCloud Drive or another cloud provider. NeoFinder iOS then browses and searches them with no network connection.
The guide also notes that previews and metadata appear only if they were saved in the catalogs.
CachePix
You pair once by scanning a QR code. The catalog then syncs one way, from your computer to your phone, over your local network. Each cataloged JPEG, PNG, WebP and RAW photo gets a thumbnail, and HD previews download automatically for a capture-date window you choose: 30 days, 90 days, 1 year (the default), 2 years or All photos.
Away from home, the catalog, thumbnails and cached HD previews stay browsable and searchable. CachePix checks your plan online at least once every 14 days. Need a sharper look at an older photo? Tap Get HD while your phone is on the same network as your computer and CachePix is running with phone sync turned on. The drive can stay unplugged.
Full-size originals stay on your drives. On the library we measured, 190,566 photos (885.66 GB) in two folders on one external drive, the thumbnails took 8.03 GB on an iPhone. See how much space it uses on your phone for the method, and the phone app for what else it does.
Where NeoFinder is the better pick
NeoFinder does a lot that CachePix doesn't. If one of these is your main need, choose NeoFinder. The details come from NeoFinder's website, store page, user guide and App Store listing, as of October 2026.
- Video and mixed media. NeoFinder catalogs video with thumbnails and metadata such as codecs and bitrates, supports many formats through ffmpeg, and includes a video player and converter. CachePix doesn't support video.
- Discs, tapes and network volumes. It catalogs optical discs, LTO tapes, and network and NAS volumes. CachePix catalogs photo folders on internal, external and removable drives.
- Deep metadata work. Its XMP editor handles ratings, captions, hierarchical keywords, people and places, and it catalogs EXIF too. CachePix doesn't read camera, lens, exposure or GPS data.
- On-device image analysis. AutoTags, text recognition and Find Similar Photos run on the Mac. The developer states that its AI tagging engines send no data to any server.
- A one-time price. A Private License is $39.99 once for up to three of your personal Macs, plus $5.99 for the iPhone/iPad app. Together that's less than CachePix Lifetime ($99) or two years of CachePix Annual. Neither app has a permanent free version, so if you want a free NeoFinder alternative, CachePix isn't it.
- Intel Macs and older macOS. NeoFinder runs on Intel Macs, and version 9.3.1 requires macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, up to macOS 27.
- Teams. Business Licenses, from $149.90 for 2 users to $4,499.90 for a site license, add catalog sharing on a server, automatic catalog updating and database sync.
Where CachePix fits better as a NeoFinder alternative
CachePix catalogs photos rather than any file type. Here's what it offers for a photo archive.
- Windows and Android. The same app runs on 64-bit Windows and Apple silicon Macs, with free companion apps for Android 9 or later and for iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later.
- A phone that keeps up. After pairing, Android syncs hourly on unmetered networks and iOS syncs in the background when iOS allows it. Either way, the phone syncs only when it can reach your computer on your local network. Pull to refresh starts a sync when you're on the same network as your computer, with CachePix running and phone sync turned on.
- Search built around photos. On your computer, one box covers filename, people, keywords, caption, headline, title, city, state, sublocation, creator, event and categories. Words combine, so "Tom Kyoto" finds photos that match both. On the phone, search covers filename, people, keywords and caption, with Person, Keyword, Drive, Year and Favorites filters.
- Duplicates and RAW+JPEG pairs. Identical copies on different drives become one photo with each location listed. Edited or re-saved copies stay separate. A RAW and a JPEG with the same name in the same folder count as one photo.
- Renamed drives. On Mac, CachePix tracks each drive by its volume ID, so a renamed drive re-links the next time you connect it.
Looking for a NeoFinder alternative on a Mac? CachePix needs Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 12 or later, and the CachePix for Mac page has the details. According to NeoFinder's download page (October 2026), NeoFinder 9.3.1 runs on macOS 10.15 through macOS 27, so an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 12 through 27 can run both.
Weighing disk catalog software against a photo catalog? Read disk catalog vs photo catalog.
Not a backup. CachePix is a catalog, not a backup. It makes your archive findable. It doesn't make a second copy, so keep backing up your drives.
Common questions
Is NeoFinder available for Windows?
No. As of October 2026, NeoFinder runs on Macs (Apple silicon and Intel). For Windows there is abeMeda, a companion app from a separate developer that reads the same catalogs and is sold separately. According to abemeda.com, a Personal License costs $39. CachePix runs on 64-bit Windows (x64) and on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 12 or later.
Does NeoFinder have an Android app?
We found none. As of October 2026, NeoFinder's website lists apps for Mac and iPhone/iPad only, and NeoFinder iOS is $5.99 on the US App Store and requires iOS 14 or later. CachePix's phone apps are free downloads for iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later and for Android 9 or later, and they need a CachePix plan.
Is NeoFinder cheaper than CachePix?
Over time, yes. As of October 2026, a NeoFinder Private License costs $39.99 once for up to three personal Macs, plus $5.99 for the iPhone/iPad app on the US App Store. Together that's less than CachePix Lifetime ($99) or two years of CachePix Annual ($29.99 a year). Major new versions of NeoFinder are paid upgrades.
Can I use NeoFinder and CachePix together?
Yes. They keep separate catalogs. According to NeoFinder's user guide (October 2026), NeoFinder stores its catalogs in a local folder on your Mac by default and saves metadata edits to your files or .xmp sidecars right away. If you change metadata in another app, run Sync Search Metadata in CachePix to re-read the files that changed.
Keep reading
Weighing other options? Compare photo catalog software side by side, or check CachePix pricing.
Compare
All comparisons
CachePix next to other photo and drive catalog apps, with the date each one was checked.
Compare
CachePix vs DriveVault
How CachePix compares with DriveVault, row by row.
Guide
Disk catalog vs photo catalog
What a photo catalog is, and how it differs from a catalog of the files on a disk.
On your phone
The phone app
Browse and search your archive on iPhone, iPad or Android with the drives at home.
Last checked . NeoFinder's prices and versions change, so check the developer's site before you buy.
Sources
NeoFinder and abeMeda prices, editions and requirements come from the developers' own sites and the App Store. The independent sources below confirm the platforms, the iPhone app, offline search of unplugged drives and metadata cataloging. The articles date from 2015 to 2021 and the Wikipedia entries were last edited in 2025, so we don't rely on them for current prices or versions.
- NeoFinder home page. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder download and system requirements. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder store and licenses. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder version history. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: cross-platform use. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: sharing catalogs on a server. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: overview. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: catalogs on iPhone and iPad. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: editing metadata. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: Find Faces. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: image analysis. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder user guide: AI engines. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder for iPhone and iPad. App Store listing (official). Checked October 6, 2026.
- abeMeda for Windows. abeMeda (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- abeMeda Store (BMT Micro), US prices. abeMeda (official store). Checked October 7, 2026.
- NeoFinder. Wikipedia, last edited August 2, 2025.
- CDWinder. Wikipedia, last edited September 23, 2025.
- NeoFinder 8. Call-A.P.P.L.E. (Brian Wiser), December 1, 2021.
- 8 non-audio apps to help run your audio business. The Pro Audio Files (Justin Perkins), June 13, 2018, updated September 16, 2021.
- Keeping track of files from backups to the cloud. Houston Chronicle (Bob LeVitus, Dr. Mac), September 13, 2019.
- My finally successful quest for a good media asset management tool. ZDNET (David Gewirtz), July 2, 2015.