diff --git a/Tusker/Caching/ImageCache.swift b/Tusker/Caching/ImageCache.swift
index b65fcea5..38f79435 100644
--- a/Tusker/Caching/ImageCache.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Caching/ImageCache.swift
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import Cache
 
 class ImageCache {
     
-    static let avatars = ImageCache(name: "Avatars", memoryExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60), diskExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60 * 24))
+    static let avatars = ImageCache(name: "Avatars", memoryExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60), diskExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60 * 24), desiredSize: CGSize(width: 50, height: 50))
     static let headers = ImageCache(name: "Headers", memoryExpiry: .seconds(60 * 5), diskExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60))
     static let attachments = ImageCache(name: "Attachments", memoryExpiry: .seconds(60 * 2))
     static let emojis = ImageCache(name: "Emojis", memoryExpiry: .seconds(60 * 5), diskExpiry: .seconds(60 * 60))
@@ -28,8 +28,10 @@ class ImageCache {
     
     private var backgroundQueue = DispatchQueue(label: "ImageCache completion queue", qos: .default)
     
-    init(name: String, memoryExpiry: Expiry, diskExpiry: Expiry? = nil) {
-        self.cache = ImageDataCache(name: name, memoryExpiry: memoryExpiry, diskExpiry: diskExpiry, storeOriginalDataInMemory: diskExpiry == nil)
+    init(name: String, memoryExpiry: Expiry, diskExpiry: Expiry? = nil, desiredSize: CGSize? = nil) {
+        // todo: might not always want to use UIScreen.main for this, e.g. Catalyst?
+        let pixelSize = desiredSize?.applying(.init(scaleX: UIScreen.main.scale, y: UIScreen.main.scale))
+        self.cache = ImageDataCache(name: name, memoryExpiry: memoryExpiry, diskExpiry: diskExpiry, storeOriginalDataInMemory: diskExpiry == nil, desiredPixelSize: pixelSize)
     }
     
     func get(_ url: URL, completion: ((Data?, UIImage?) -> Void)?) -> Request? {
@@ -49,9 +51,8 @@ class ImageCache {
                 return group.addCallback(completion)
             } else {
                 let group = RequestGroup(url: url) { (data, image) in
-                    if let data = data,
-                       let image = UIImage(data: data) {
-                        try? self.cache.set(key, data: data, image: image)
+                    if let data = data {
+                        try? self.cache.set(key, data: data)
                     }
                     self.groups.removeValueWithoutReturning(forKey: url)
                 }
diff --git a/Tusker/Caching/ImageDataCache.swift b/Tusker/Caching/ImageDataCache.swift
index ce895a00..a8a9e87d 100644
--- a/Tusker/Caching/ImageDataCache.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Caching/ImageDataCache.swift
@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@ class ImageDataCache {
     private let disk: DiskStorage<Data>?
     
     private let storeOriginalDataInMemory: Bool
+    private let desiredPixelSize: CGSize?
     
-    init(name: String, memoryExpiry: Expiry, diskExpiry: Expiry?, storeOriginalDataInMemory: Bool) {
+    init(name: String, memoryExpiry: Expiry, diskExpiry: Expiry?, storeOriginalDataInMemory: Bool, desiredPixelSize: CGSize?) {
         let memoryConfig = MemoryConfig(expiry: memoryExpiry)
         self.memory = MemoryStorage(config: memoryConfig)
         
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ class ImageDataCache {
         }
         
         self.storeOriginalDataInMemory = storeOriginalDataInMemory
+        self.desiredPixelSize = desiredPixelSize
     }
     
     func has(_ key: String) throws -> Bool {
@@ -42,10 +44,9 @@ class ImageDataCache {
     }
     
     func get(_ key: String) throws -> Entry? {
-        if try memory.existsObject(forKey: key) {
-            return try! memory.object(forKey: key)
+        if let memoryEntry = try? memory.object(forKey: key) {
+            return memoryEntry
         } else if let disk = self.disk,
-                  try disk.existsObject(forKey: key),
                   let data = try? disk.object(forKey: key),
                   let image = UIImage(data: data) {
             return Entry(data: data, image: image)
@@ -62,7 +63,9 @@ class ImageDataCache {
         return try get(key)?.data
     }
     
-    func set(_ key: String, data: Data, image: UIImage) throws {
+    func set(_ key: String, data: Data) throws {
+        guard let image = scaleImageIfDesired(data: data) else { return }
+        
         let entry = Entry(data: storeOriginalDataInMemory ? data : nil, image: image)
         memory.setObject(entry, forKey: key)
         
@@ -76,6 +79,27 @@ class ImageDataCache {
         try? disk?.removeAll()
     }
     
+    private func scaleImageIfDesired(data: Data) -> UIImage? {
+        guard let desiredPixelSize = desiredPixelSize,
+              let source = CGImageSourceCreateWithData(data as CFData, [kCGImageSourceShouldCache: false] as CFDictionary) else {
+            return UIImage(data: data)
+        }
+        
+        let maxDimension = max(desiredPixelSize.width, desiredPixelSize.height)
+        let downsampleOptions = [
+            kCGImageSourceCreateThumbnailFromImageAlways: true,
+            kCGImageSourceShouldCacheImmediately: true,
+            kCGImageSourceCreateThumbnailWithTransform: true,
+            kCGImageSourceThumbnailMaxPixelSize: maxDimension
+        ] as CFDictionary
+        
+        if let downsampled = CGImageSourceCreateThumbnailAtIndex(source, 0, downsampleOptions) {
+            return UIImage(cgImage: downsampled)
+        } else {
+            return UIImage(data: data)
+        }
+    }
+    
 }
 
 extension ImageDataCache {