PNG vs JPG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Every image you save has to be stored in some format, and the three you will meet most often are JPG, PNG and WebP. They are not interchangeable: the wrong choice can make a photo needlessly heavy or a logo look blurry. Here is a plain-language comparison.
JPG (JPEG): the photo format
JPG uses lossy compression, discarding detail the eye barely notices to make files small. It is ideal for photographs and complex images with gradients. It does not support transparency, and repeated editing and saving gradually degrades quality. Compatibility is universal: every device, app, printer and website understands JPG.
PNG: the lossless format
PNG keeps every pixel exactly as it was, and it supports transparent backgrounds. It is the best choice for logos, icons, screenshots, diagrams and anything with sharp text or flat colors. The downside is size: a photo saved as PNG is often several times bigger than the same photo as JPG.
WebP: the modern all-rounder
WebP was created by Google for the web. It can compress lossy (like JPG) or lossless (like PNG), supports transparency and even animation, and generally produces files roughly a quarter to a third smaller than JPG at similar quality. All current browsers support it. Some older software and upload forms still reject it. Learn more in what is WebP.
Side-by-side comparison
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Photos | Logos, screenshots, text | Websites |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Both |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No (APNG aside) | Yes |
| File size (photo) | Small | Large | Smallest |
| Compatibility | Universal | Universal | Modern browsers |
Which format should you choose?
- Sharing a photo by email or messaging: JPG.
- A logo or icon with a transparent background: PNG (or WebP).
- A screenshot with text: PNG.
- Images on your own website: WebP, with JPG as a fallback if you must support old software.
- Uploading to a form that says "JPG only": JPG, no exceptions.
How to convert between formats
You can switch formats without installing anything: WebP to JPG, JPG to WebP, or choose the output format directly in the image compressor. iPhone photos in HEIC can be changed with HEIC to JPG; the background is in how to convert HEIC to JPG.
A note on converting PNG to JPG
Turning a PNG screenshot into a JPG can shrink it a lot, but transparent areas become a solid color (usually white), and fine text can get fuzzy edges. Converting JPG to PNG does not restore lost detail; it only makes the file bigger.
Real-world scenarios and the best format for each
A blog or website hero image
Use WebP at around 80% quality at the exact display size, ideally with a JPG fallback. A 1600-pixel-wide photo should weigh well under 200 KB, and the image is often the largest element of a page, so this is where format choice has the biggest effect on loading speed.
A product photo on a white background
JPG or WebP. Plain backgrounds compress very well, so you can often reach a small file without visible damage. If marketplaces ask for a transparent background, export PNG or WebP.
A logo or icon
PNG or WebP for raster images. If you have the vector original, SVG is better still because it scales without losing sharpness and is usually tiny.
A screenshot of an app or document
PNG. Text edges stay crisp. If the screenshot is huge, resize it before saving rather than switching to a lossy format.
A picture for email or messaging
JPG at around 70-85% and a width of 1200-1600 pixels is plenty for screens and keeps attachments light.
A picture for printing
High-quality JPG or lossless PNG at the original resolution; avoid heavy compression, because printing shows artifacts that screens hide.
Quality settings in plain terms
- 90-100%: archive or print quality; files are large.
- 75-90%: the sweet spot for most photos; differences are invisible at normal size.
- 50-75%: small files for thumbnails and messaging; artifacts may appear in gradients.
- Below 50%: visible blocking and blur; use only when size matters more than appearance.
Other formats you may encounter
AVIF compresses even better than WebP but is slower to encode and not accepted everywhere yet. HEIC is the iPhone default, covered in how to convert HEIC to JPG. GIF is limited to 256 colors and is best reserved for tiny animations. SVG is a vector format for logos and icons rather than photos.
Quick reference
- Photos for sharing: JPG.
- Transparency, logos and screenshots: PNG.
- Websites: WebP with a fallback.
- Forms that specify a format: do exactly what they ask.
- Keep a high-quality master of anything important.
If you remember only one rule, remember that converting between formats cannot recover detail that has already been lost, so always convert from the best original you have.
Frequently asked questions
Is WebP better than JPG?
For websites, usually yes: smaller files at the same quality. For maximum compatibility, JPG still wins.
Does PNG have better quality than JPG?
PNG is lossless, so it preserves everything, but for photos the visible difference from a high-quality JPG is small while the size difference is large.
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What Is WebP? Benefits, Drawbacks and How to Convert It
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ImagesHow to Compress an Image to 100KB (or 50KB, 20KB)
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