Shoppers rarely buy the first product they look at. They open three or four tabs, squint at the specs and try to work out which one is right for them. A good comparison image does that work for them inside your own listing, so they never leave to check a rival. A before-and-after image goes one step further and shows the result the buyer is actually paying for. Both formats convert well, and both are among the most heavily policed image types on every major marketplace. This guide covers what each platform allows in 2026, the exact dimensions to build to, and how to design comparison and before-and-after images that pass moderation and still sell.
Why comparison images work so well
A comparison image answers the question that stalls most purchases: which one should I buy? Instead of scrolling through bullet points, the buyer sees a grid of ticks and crosses and makes a decision in a few seconds. Agencies and listing consultants consistently report that galleries with well-designed infographic images, including comparison charts, convert noticeably better than galleries made up of plain product photos alone. The usual figures quoted are a 20 to 30 percent lift in conversion, and while the exact number varies by category, the direction is consistent across every study we have seen.
There is a second, quieter benefit. A comparison chart that pits your Standard model against your Premium model keeps the shopper inside your brand. Even if they decide the cheaper option is enough, they are still buying from you.
Before-and-after images work on a different mechanism. They let the buyer picture the outcome. A stain remover with a photo of a grubby collar beside a clean one, or a storage rack shown next to the cluttered cupboard it replaced, sells the result rather than the object. The problem is that this same mechanism is exactly what regulators worry about when the result is a smaller waist or clearer skin.
The rules by marketplace
The platforms agree on two principles. First, you may not compare yourself to a named competitor. Second, you may not imply a health, weight or appearance outcome you cannot substantiate. The details differ, so check your target channel before you start designing.
Amazon
Comparison images are permitted in supplemental gallery slots only. The main image must remain a pure white background photograph of the product with no text, graphics or additional items, so your comparison chart goes in positions two to seven. Within those slots, Amazon allows comparison graphics as long as they compare products within your own brand. Model A versus Model B, or Standard versus Pro, is fine. Competitor brand names, competitor logos, claims framed as better than another brand, and designs that mimic a rival's packaging are not.
Amazon A+ Content has a dedicated comparison chart module that holds between two and six of your own products, each with a 150 x 300 pixel image on a white or transparent background. Files must be JPEG or PNG under 2 MB in RGB. The A+ acceptance policy also bans competitor comparisons outright, and specifically prohibits before-and-after images for beauty products and for anything connected to weight loss.
Shopee and Lazada
Neither Shopee nor Lazada publishes a standalone before-and-after rule for general merchandise, and plenty of home and cleaning listings use the format without issue. The restrictions arrive through claims policies. Shopee Singapore prohibits any listing that makes a medicinal claim, defined as suggesting the product diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents a condition, and requires cosmetics to carry a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) notification number in the listing attributes. A before-and-after photo that implies a therapeutic effect falls under the misleading claims rule even if the text says nothing. Listings flagged by regulators are removed and penalty points follow.
In Singapore the backdrop is the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore, together with HSA guidance that cosmetic claims must align with the ASEAN Cosmetic Claim Guideline. Cosmetics may not claim to modify a physiological process, such as reversing hair loss, or to treat a medical condition. Treat your images as advertising under that code, because that is how a complaint would be assessed.
TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is the strictest of the Southeast Asian channels. Its health-related content policy lists before-and-after photos as a misleading visual, with only limited exceptions that require disclaimers. Before-and-after body comparison imagery showing dramatic weight loss or muscle gain is classed as high-risk content. Medical claims are permitted only for over-the-counter drugs and only when they match the approved label. Images, titles and packaging must all set realistic expectations.
Meta ads for Facebook and Instagram
If you drive traffic with Meta ads, the same images face another filter. Meta's health and wellness standards ban before-and-after and side-by-side imagery for weight loss products and for cosmetic procedures such as wrinkle treatments. General cosmetic, hair and beauty products are exempt, so a lipstick swatch comparison is fine. Separately, Meta's personal attributes policy rejects any creative that implies knowledge of the viewer's weight, health or appearance, or that tries to generate negative self-perception to sell a product. A photo of a person looking unhappy next to a photo of them looking happy is a common rejection trigger even when the product itself is harmless.
Comparison and before-and-after rules at a glance
| Channel | Compare own variants | Compare named competitors | Before-and-after (general goods) | Before-and-after (health, weight, skin) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon gallery | Allowed, slots 2 to 7 only | Prohibited | Allowed | Prohibited in beauty and weight loss |
| Amazon A+ Content | Allowed, 2 to 6 products, 150 x 300 px each | Prohibited | Allowed | Prohibited |
| Shopee | Allowed | Not advised, treated as misleading | Allowed | Prohibited where it implies a medicinal claim |
| Lazada | Allowed | Not advised, treated as misleading | Allowed | Prohibited where it implies a medicinal claim |
| TikTok Shop | Allowed | Prohibited | Allowed with realistic framing | Prohibited, limited exceptions with disclaimers |
| Meta ads | Allowed | Not advised | Allowed | Prohibited for weight loss and cosmetic procedures |
Designing a comparison chart that is readable on a phone
Most marketplace traffic is mobile, and a gallery image on a phone displays at roughly 360 to 420 pixels wide. A chart that looks crisp on your monitor turns into grey mush at that size. Build to these rules and it will survive.
- Work on a square 2000 x 2000 pixel canvas. It meets Amazon's 1600 pixel zoom threshold, satisfies the 1:1 ratio that Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop favour, and gives you room to downsize for any channel.
- Limit the grid to four columns and five rows. Anything denser forces text below the readable threshold. If you have more features to compare, split them across two images.
- Set body text at 50 pixels or larger on that canvas, and headings at 90 pixels or more. At phone size that translates to roughly 10 and 18 pixels, which is the practical floor for legibility.
- Use ticks and crosses, not paragraphs. Icons read instantly. Reserve words for row labels and a one-line benefit under each.
- Put your recommended option in the leftmost or highlighted column. Buyers read left to right and anchor on the first item they see.
- Keep every product photo in the chart at the same scale and angle. Mismatched crops make the comparison feel untrustworthy and are the single most common reason these images look amateur.
- Leave a clear margin of at least 5 percent on all sides. Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop overlay badges and discount tags on the corners of gallery images, and a chart that runs to the edge loses its header.
Designing before-and-after images that pass moderation
For non-regulated products the format is straightforward: two frames, identical lighting, identical camera position, and only the thing your product changes should differ between them. A rug cleaner should show the same rug, same room, same daylight. If the after shot is brighter or more saturated, the viewer assumes editing, and so does the moderator.
For beauty, skincare, supplements and anything near health, the safest approach on Amazon, TikTok Shop and Meta is simply not to use the format. Where it is permitted, label both frames with the elapsed time, show the product in frame, state that results vary, and never pair the image with a numerical promise. Avoid any pose or expression that suggests the person in the before shot is unhappy with their body. That single detail triggers more rejections than the photograph itself.
Keep a product-only alternative ready. A texture swatch, an ingredient callout or a side-by-side of the product against a plain competitor-free benchmark, such as a standard household item for scale, delivers much of the same information without the regulatory exposure.
Producing one chart for six channels
The design work happens once, but each marketplace wants a different export. Amazon's gallery is happiest at 2000 x 2000 pixels, its A+ comparison module wants a narrow 150 x 300 pixel thumbnail per product, Shopee and Lazada want a 1:1 image at 1024 x 1024 or larger, and your Meta catalogue feed wants the same chart at 1200 x 1200 with the text pulled further from the edges. Doing that by hand for twenty variants is an afternoon lost to cropping. A batch resizer such as PixelPrep takes the master export, pads or crops to each channel's aspect ratio and outputs correctly named files for every marketplace in one pass, which keeps the layout identical everywhere and means a policy change only requires one redesign and one re-export.
Flatten the final export to JPEG at 85 to 90 percent quality for photographic backgrounds, or PNG if the chart sits on flat white with sharp text. Flat colour and crisp lettering survive PNG compression far better, and the files stay under the 2 MB ceiling that Amazon A+ enforces. If you need the 150 x 300 A+ thumbnails, cut the individual product photos from the chart rather than shrinking the whole chart, otherwise the text will be unreadable at that size.
Pre-upload checklist
- Every product in the chart is your own brand. No competitor names, logos or recognisable packaging.
- No numerical outcome claims on any before-and-after image. No percentages, kilograms or days.
- For beauty, weight or health products: before-and-after removed for Amazon, TikTok Shop and Meta, and checked against HSA cosmetic claim guidance for Singapore listings.
- Both frames of a before-and-after shot share the same lighting, angle and colour balance.
- Body text is at least 50 pixels on a 2000 pixel canvas, grid is no larger than four by five.
- Chart sits in a supplemental slot, never the main image, on Amazon.
- Exported to each channel's size with a 5 percent safe margin, under 2 MB, in sRGB.
- Variant images in the chart were resized together through a batch tool like PixelPrep so every product sits at the same scale.
Comparison and before-and-after images are among the highest-converting assets you can add to a listing, and they are also the quickest route to a takedown if you treat them casually. Compare only against yourself, show only what you can prove, design for a phone screen, and export once per channel. Do that and the format will keep working for you long after the next policy update.