JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
A simple comparison of the most popular image formats, to help you pick the right one for each use case.
When saving or exporting an image, you're often faced with several format options: JPG, PNG, WebP, and sometimes others. Choosing wisely saves you a good amount of storage space and improves your website's load speed with no noticeable quality trade-off, while a wrong choice can make your images much heavier than they need to be or ruin their transparency.
JPG: best for photographs
JPG uses "lossy" compression — it discards certain fine details the eye barely notices, in exchange for a much smaller file. This makes it the best choice for photographs with gradient colors, but it's not suited for logos or text since it can produce artifacts around sharp edges, and it doesn't support transparency at all.
PNG: lossless, with transparency
PNG preserves every pixel of the image with no quality loss at all (lossless), and supports transparent backgrounds. This makes it ideal for logos, screenshots, and graphics with sharp edges and text, though the trade-off is a considerably larger file size than JPG at the same dimensions, especially for complex photographs.
WebP: the modern balance
WebP is a modern format developed by Google specifically to shrink web images. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, and also supports transparency like PNG, but produces noticeably smaller files (typically 25-35% smaller than JPG at the same quality). It's now supported by virtually all modern browsers, making it the best choice for websites that prioritize load speed.
When to use each format?
For product photos, blogs, and websites in general: WebP first, with JPG as a fallback if you need wider compatibility. For logos, UI icons, and screenshots with text: PNG. For photographs that will be printed or sent through apps that don't support WebP: JPG remains a safe, widely-compatible choice.
How to convert between formats for free
You don't need any complex editing software to convert your images between these three formats; you can upload the image, choose the target format, and get the result right in your browser without uploading the file to any external server.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best format for website images?
WebP is the best choice today because it offers quality very close to JPG at a much smaller size, and it's supported by all modern browsers.
When should I use PNG instead of JPG?
Use PNG when you need a transparent background or an image with text and sharp edges, like logos or screenshots, since it doesn't lose any detail when saved.