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.
On a Mac, your archive stays on the drives where it already lives. Nothing is imported or moved. CachePix keeps a 512px thumbnail and an HD preview of each cataloged JPEG, PNG, WebP and RAW photo on your Mac. That's how you view photos from an external hard drive on your Mac without plugging it in.
Download. A signed, notarized DMG of about 11 MB, built only for Apple silicon (no Intel or universal build).
What's different on Mac
As photo cataloging software for Mac, CachePix is built around drives that come and go. It also runs on 64-bit Windows. The drive features below are Mac features. See all features for the full list.
Renamed drives re-link by volume ID
On Mac, CachePix tracks each drive by its volume ID, so a renamed drive re-links the next time you connect it. A drive that mounts under a different path re-links the same way.
Green and gray drive dots
A green or gray dot shows whether each drive is connected. Unplugged, the Library still browses and searches from cached thumbnails and HD previews. Plugged in, you also get Copy Full-Resolution…, Reveal in Finder and exporting originals.
How it compares with Apple Photos
Can Apple Photos keep its library on an external drive? Yes. Photos for Mac can keep its library on an external drive, including the System Photo Library that syncs with iCloud Photos. According to Apple, the drive must be formatted APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and if Photos can't find that drive, it stops using the library stored there and creates a new, empty library in its default location.
Apple also says photos you keep outside the library as referenced files, for example on an external drive, aren't stored in iCloud or available on your other devices, and Photos can't locate them when their drive is disconnected.
Weighing Apple Photos against other photo management software? The difference is the model. Apple Photos manages a library. CachePix catalogs folders. As of October 2026, Photos comes built into macOS, iPhone and iPad, and syncs between them through iCloud Photos. CachePix is for the archive already sitting in folders on external drives. It has no support for Photos libraries and doesn't read their albums or edits.
| Question | Apple Photos (per Apple) | CachePix 0.2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Comes with your Mac | Yes, built into macOS | No. A separate download. Monthly and annual plans start with a 14-day free trial (card required) |
| Drive unplugged | If the library's drive is missing, Photos stops using that library and starts a new, empty one in its default location | Browse and search from cached thumbnails and HD previews |
| Photos on your phone | Through iCloud Photos. Only the System Photo Library syncs | Thumbnails and HD previews, synced one way over your local network. Originals stay on your drives. No cloud copy of your photos |
| People | Yes. People & Pets recognizes people, dogs and cats | No facial recognition. Names come from metadata or names you type |
| Search | Yes. Natural-language search through Apple Intelligence on supported devices (not in all languages or regions), plus title, caption, keyword, date and text-in-photo search | One box across 13 text fields, including filename, people, keywords and caption |
| Video | Yes. iCloud Photos stores HEVC and MP4 video and Live Photos | No |
| Editing | Non-destructive photo editing | No photo editing |
HEIC and TIFF photos. CachePix catalogs HEIC and TIFF photos and makes them searchable, but 0.2.1 shows a filename tile instead of a preview on the Mac, and the phone has no image for them. Previews for them are coming on Mac.
Other photo catalog software for Mac
Shopping for the best photo organizing software for Mac, or a photo organizer for Mac that keeps working with the drives unplugged? Here are three Mac options, checked against each maker's site as of October 2026. Or compare photo catalog software side by side.
NeoFinder
NeoFinder is commercial drive-cataloging software from West-Forest-Systems, sold under paid licenses, according to its developer. As of October 2026 it runs on Macs with Apple silicon or Intel chips. It catalogs internal and external drives, network and NAS volumes, optical discs, LTO tapes and USB sticks, and you can browse and search a cataloged drive on your Mac without it connected. It handles video too, and its XMP editor adds ratings, captions, keywords, people and places.
As of October 2026, a NeoFinder Private License is $39.99 once, per the developer (US prices; tax may be added). It covers up to three of your Macs and all 9.x versions, and major new versions are paid upgrades. NeoFinder iOS is $5.99 on the US App Store, and NeoFinder's website lists apps for Mac and iPhone or iPad only.
Pick NeoFinder for an Intel Mac, video, optical discs or tapes. Pick CachePix if you use an Android phone, or want the catalog to sync one way from your Mac to your phone over your local network after you pair once with a QR code, with no catalog files to copy. See CachePix vs NeoFinder.
DriveVault
According to its website and Mac App Store listing, as of October 2026 DriveVault is a Mac-only offline drive catalog app for macOS 14 or later. It scans each external drive into an offline catalog of any file type, with low-resolution previews of images and videos, and you can search a scanned drive on your Mac after it's unplugged. It has no phone app, but it can export an HTML report of a drive that opens in any web browser, including on a phone. Its site lists one drive (up to 4 TB) free, and paid tiers are one-time purchases from $14.99 to $99.99 in the US.
Pick DriveVault for drives that hold video and documents as well as photos, or to start free with one drive. See CachePix vs DriveVault.
Peakto
Peakto, from CYME, is a photo and video manager for pros and prosumers. As of October 2026 it runs only on Mac (the Mac App Store lists macOS 12.4 or later). It catalogs photos and videos on internal disks, external drives and NAS devices, and brings in libraries from apps such as Lightroom Classic and Apple Photos without duplicating the original files. CYME says it shows previews of offline sources on the Mac once it has analyzed the files.
Its strengths are AI and video: on-device facial recognition that groups people, search by description, AI-assisted culling and duplicate detection, and dialogue transcription for video. As of October 2026, phones open a Peakto library in a web browser through Peakto Connect, served by your Mac, per CYME, and Peakto Standard starts at $10 a month billed every two years ($240, US prices). CachePix does less on purpose: photos only, no AI, and a phone app that keeps its own synced copy of the catalog.
Lightroom Classic users. Per Adobe, Classic doesn't write metadata to files by default, but you can turn that on. CachePix then reads those keywords and captions, including XMP sidecars next to RAW files. It doesn't read the Lightroom catalog, collections or develop edits, and RAW previews come from the camera's embedded JPEG. See CachePix vs Lightroom Classic.
Get it running
- Download and sign in. Get the download for Mac, open the DMG and install CachePix. Sign in with the code we email you and start the 14-day free trial. A card is required, and you're charged when it ends unless you cancel. There's no free plan. See pricing.
- Catalog a folder or a drive. Press ⌘⌥1 for Drives & Folders, choose Catalog a Folder… and pick one. CachePix first samples about 24 photos and estimates the preview store's disk space.
- Let it run. Cataloging runs in the background. Cancel any time: the work so far is kept, and the next run skips files whose path and size haven't changed.
- Unplug and search. Eject the drive, press ⌘⌥2 for the Library, and search by filename, person, keyword, caption, city or event. Words combine, so "Leo Paris" finds photos that match both.
Next, see how to organize photos on an external hard drive and find photos across drives.
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.
Take it to your iPhone or iPad
Open Pair Phone… in Drives & Folders, click Turn On, and scan the QR code with the CachePix app on an iPhone or iPad (iOS 18 or later) or an Android phone (Android 9 or later). The catalog syncs one way, from your computer to your phone, over your local network.
HD previews download automatically for a capture-date window you choose: 30 days, 90 days, 1 year (the default), 2 years or All photos. Full-size originals stay on your drives. The phone carries thumbnails and HD previews.
The phone apps are free downloads, and one plan covers your Mac and your phone with the same email. More on the phone app, how to view external hard drive photos on your phone, and how much space it uses on your phone.
Common questions
Does CachePix run on Intel Macs?
No. CachePix for Mac is built only for Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 12 Monterey or later, and there's no Intel or universal build. To check your Mac, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu and look for a chip named Apple M1 or later. CachePix also runs on 64-bit Windows.
Can CachePix read my Apple Photos library?
No. CachePix has no support for Photos libraries and doesn't read their albums or edits. It catalogs ordinary folders and drives, reading the IPTC and XMP metadata in your files, plus XMP sidecars next to RAW files. Exports from Photos are ordinary files, so CachePix can catalog the folder you export to. HEIC exports are searchable, with previews coming.
What happens when I rename an external drive?
It re-links. On Mac, CachePix tracks each drive by its volume ID, so a renamed drive re-links the next time you connect it. Rename "Photos 2019" to "Archive A" and CachePix still knows which drive it is. Its dot turns green, and Copy Full-Resolution… and Reveal in Finder work again.
Does CachePix change files on my Mac's drives?
Not when it catalogs them. 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. Sidecars another app wrote aren't reliably updated in 0.2.1. More in the CachePix FAQ.
Last checked . Apps and prices change, so check each maker's site before you decide.
Sources
Competitor facts come from each maker's own pages, checked October 6, 2026. Facts that only the maker states are marked "according to Apple", "per CYME" and so on. The independent sources below confirm the rest. NeoFinder's editorial coverage dates from 2015 to 2021, so we don't rely on it for current prices or versions. DriveVault has no independent editorial coverage, so each DriveVault fact is attributed to its developer.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: photo library overview. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: change where photos and videos are stored. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Apple Support: Photos libraries and external drives. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: use iCloud Photos. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Set up and use iCloud Photos. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: find and name people and pets. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: search for photos and videos. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Photos User Guide for Mac: editing basics. Apple (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder home page. 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: overview. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder store and licenses. West-Forest-Systems (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- NeoFinder for iPhone and iPad. App Store listing (official). Checked October 6, 2026.
- DriveVault home page. DriveVault (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- DriveVault FAQ. DriveVault (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- DriveVault blog: sharing drive catalogs with teams. DriveVault (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- DriveVault on the Mac App Store. App Store listing (official). Checked October 6, 2026.
- How to start with Peakto. CYME (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Peakto comparison page. CYME (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Peakto conversational search. CYME (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Peakto face tagging. CYME (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- CYME pricing. CYME (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Peakto on the Mac App Store. App Store listing (official). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Metadata basics and actions. Adobe (official site). Checked October 6, 2026.
- How to back up an iCloud photo library offline. How-To Geek, June 12, 2025.
- Taking control of a rising iCloud bill. How-To Geek, October 17, 2025.
- Why Apple Photos is the only Mac photo editing app you need. How-To Geek, March 17, 2025.
- The iCloud Photos library sync limit. Macworld, November 20, 2022, updated February 24, 2025.
- iOS 18 Photos app guide. MacRumors, August 9, 2024.
- Apple Intelligence for Photos, tested. PCMag, October 29, 2024.
- Photos (Apple). Wikipedia, revision of April 21, 2026.
- iCloud. Wikipedia, revision of October 1, 2026.
- NeoFinder. Wikipedia, last edited August 2, 2025.
- My finally successful quest for a good media asset management tool. ZDNET (David Gewirtz), July 2, 2015.
- Keeping track of files from backups to the cloud. Houston Chronicle (Bob LeVitus, Dr. Mac), September 13, 2019.
- 8 non-audio apps to help run your audio business. The Pro Audio Files (Justin Perkins), June 13, 2018, updated September 16, 2021.
- NeoFinder 8. Call-A.P.P.L.E. (Brian Wiser), December 1, 2021.
- Peakto 2.6: AI culling and duplicate detection (German). DOCMA (Johannes Wilwerding), January 19, 2026, updated February 4, 2026.
- Peakto remote access to NAS archives without a VPN (German). DOCMA (Johannes Wilwerding), June 30, 2026.
- Peakto 2.0 for macOS (German). DOCMA (Johannes Wilwerding), July 23, 2024.
- Peakto becomes a DAM. ProVideo Coalition (Iain Anderson), April 5, 2025, updated April 26, 2025.
- Visual search tools compared. ProVideo Coalition (Iain Anderson), February 25, 2026.
- Peakto 2.7 adds Nikon ZR and RED RAW support. ProVideo Coalition (Jose Antunes), March 4, 2026.
- Best photo software for finding faces. SLR Lounge (Sean Lewis), September 16, 2025, updated September 23, 2025.