WebP vs PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Use?
A plain comparison of JPG, PNG and WebP: file size, quality, transparency and compatibility, with a simple rule for picking the right format.
UpdatedPick the wrong image format and you either get a blurry logo or a photo that takes ages to load. The good news is that the choice comes down to a few simple questions.
The short answer
- Photos for a website: WebP. It’s much smaller than JPG at the same visual quality.
- Photos to send, print or upload anywhere: JPG. Every device and app opens it.
- Logos, screenshots, diagrams and anything with transparency: PNG, or WebP on websites.
How they compare
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No (APNG aside) | Yes |
| Best for | Photos | Graphics, screenshots | Everything on the web |
| Works everywhere | Yes | Yes | All modern browsers; some older apps don’t |
JPG: the universal photo format
JPG (or JPEG) throws away detail the eye is unlikely to notice. At 80–90% quality, photos look identical to the original while being a fraction of the size. The trade-off shows up on sharp edges: text and logos saved as JPG get fuzzy halos around them, called artifacts. JPG also can’t store transparency, so a cut-out logo gets a solid background.
Every time you edit and re-save a JPG, it loses a little more detail. Keep an original and export copies.
PNG: perfect pixels
PNG keeps every pixel exactly. That makes it ideal for screenshots, interface designs, charts and logos, where crisp edges matter. It also supports full transparency. The downside is size: a photo saved as PNG is often three to five times bigger than the same photo as a JPG. Converting a JPG to PNG with JPG to PNG won’t restore lost detail; it only stops further loss.
WebP: smaller files for the web
WebP was created by Google to do both jobs. In lossy mode it competes with JPG; in lossless mode it competes with PNG. Google’s own studies found WebP lossy images about 25–34% smaller than comparable JPGs, and lossless WebP about 26% smaller than PNG. Smaller images load faster, which helps your visitors and your search rankings.
Every major browser has supported WebP since Safari added it in 2020. Where it still trips people up is outside the browser: some older photo editors, upload forms and messaging apps won’t accept it. When that happens, WebP to JPG or WebP to PNG fixes it in seconds.
A simple rule
- Does it need transparency? Use PNG, or WebP for a website.
- Is it a photo going on your website? Use WebP. Convert with JPG to WebP.
- Is it a photo someone else will open? Use JPG.
- Is it a screenshot or graphic with text? Use PNG, or lossless WebP for the web via PNG to WebP.
What about AVIF and HEIC?
AVIF is newer than WebP and often smaller still, and current browsers display it. HEIC is the format iPhones save photos in. Both are excellent, but neither is as widely supported in apps as JPG or PNG, so convert them when sharing outside their own ecosystem.
Tools in this guide
- PNG to WebPPNG → WEBPMake PNG images much smaller for your website by converting them to WebP.
- JPG to WebPJPG → WEBPConvert JPG photos to WebP to cut page weight and improve load speed.
- WebP to JPGWEBP → JPGConvert WebP images to JPG so you can open, edit and share them anywhere.
- PNG to JPGPNG → JPGTurn PNG images into smaller JPG files.
- JPG to PNGJPG → PNGConvert JPG photos to lossless PNG.
- WebP to PNGWEBP → PNGConvert WebP images to PNG so they open in any app.
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