WebP vs PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Use JPG for photographs, PNG for screenshots, logos and anything that needs sharp edges or transparency, and WebP when you control the platform and want smaller files of either kind. When a site rejects WebP, convert it to JPG or PNG in your browser for free — no upload involved.
Three formats cover almost everything on the web, and picking the wrong one either wastes bandwidth or wrecks your image. The rules are simpler than the debates suggest.
The short version
| Best for | Transparency | Compression | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Photographs | No | Lossy |
| PNG | Screenshots, logos, line art, anything with sharp edges or transparency | Yes | Lossless |
| WebP | Almost anything on the web | Yes | Lossy or lossless |
If you want one rule: use WebP on the web, JPG when something else has to open it, PNG when you need transparency or crisp edges and WebP is not an option.
JPG
JPG throws away detail your eye is unlikely to miss, which is why photos compress so well. That same trick ruins images with hard edges: text and thin lines get a smeary halo, because the format was never designed for them.
It also cannot store transparency. Save a logo with a transparent background as JPG and the background becomes white — permanently.
The other thing to know is that JPG is lossy every time you save. Open, edit, save, repeat, and the image degrades a little each round. Always keep the original.
Use it for: photographs, and anywhere maximum compatibility matters.
PNG
PNG is lossless — what goes in comes out, pixel for pixel — and it supports full alpha transparency. That makes it right for screenshots, UI mockups, logos, diagrams and anything with text in it.
The cost is size. A photograph saved as PNG is often five to ten times larger than the same photo as a well-tuned JPG, with no visible benefit.
Use it for: screenshots, logos, line art, anything needing transparency, and any image you will edit again later.
WebP
WebP does both jobs: lossy like JPG, lossless like PNG, transparency in either mode. At matching visual quality it is typically 25–35% smaller than JPG and often much smaller than PNG.
Browser support has not been an issue for years — every current browser handles it. The remaining friction is outside the browser: some older desktop software, printers and email clients still refuse it, and a few colleagues will tell you they “can’t open the file.”
Use it for: images on your own website. Convert to JPG or PNG when handing a file to someone else.
What about AVIF?
AVIF usually compresses better again. The tools here accept AVIF as input, but do not encode to it — the AVIF encoder needs multi-threading, which requires cross-origin isolation headers this site deliberately does not set. So you can convert AVIF to something else here, not the reverse.
Converting between them
The image converter handles JPG, PNG and WebP in any direction, in your browser — no upload.
Two things worth knowing before you convert:
- Lossy to lossless does not restore anything. Converting a JPG to PNG gives you a bigger file containing exactly the same lost detail. It does not “improve” the image.
- Transparency is lost going to JPG. Convert a transparent PNG to JPG and the transparent areas fill in.
Related
- Convert an image — JPG, PNG and WebP in any direction
- Compress an image — keep the format, shrink the file
- Resize an image — change the pixel dimensions
Frequently asked questions
Which format should I use for photos?
JPG or WebP. WebP makes noticeably smaller files at the same quality and is supported everywhere now; JPG is the safe universal choice when you're unsure who's opening it.
When should I use PNG?
When you need transparency or pixel-perfect graphics — logos, screenshots with text, line art. PNG is lossless, so it's larger but stays crisp.
Is WebP supported everywhere now?
Every current major browser displays WebP. The main caveat is some older desktop software, so keep a JPG or PNG copy if a file has to open in legacy apps.
Can I convert between them without uploading?
Yes — the converter changes format entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. You can also export AVIF or JPEG XL for even smaller files.