WebP vs PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Use?

The three formats at a glance

JPG (JPEG) uses lossy compression built for photographs. It throws away visual detail to keep files small, and it has no support for transparency. It is the safe default for any realistic image.

PNG uses lossless compression: nothing in the image is discarded, so quality never degrades — but photo files become large. PNG also supports transparent backgrounds, which makes it the standard for logos, icons, illustrations and screenshots.

WebP was designed as a modern replacement that offers both lossy and lossless modes plus transparency, at noticeably smaller sizes than JPG or PNG. Every mainstream browser released in recent years supports it.

There is no universally best format — only the best format for a particular file. The next three sections show how to decide.

When to use JPG

• Photographs and anything with smooth colour gradients — skies, skin tones, landscapes.
• Image galleries where many files must load quickly, especially on phones.
• When a platform explicitly requires JPG (some upload forms and printers do).
• Situations where transparency is not needed and file size matters more than perfect detail.

Avoid JPG for logos, diagrams, charts and screenshots: the compression blurs sharp edges and small text. Also avoid editing and re-saving a JPG over and over — every save compresses the image again and quality visibly decays. Keep one master copy and export copies from it.

When to use PNG

• Logos, icons and illustrations, especially with transparent or solid backgrounds.
• Screenshots, charts and diagrams where small text must stay perfectly readable.
• Images that will be edited and re-saved many times — lossless storage means no cumulative quality loss.
• Any file that another designer or printer will re-use as a source file.

The cost is size: PNG files for photographs are typically several times larger than the same photo as JPG. If a PNG contains a photo, it is probably the wrong format — convert a copy and compare.

When to use WebP

• Websites and blogs that want the smallest possible images without giving up transparency.
• Hero banners, product photos and thumbnails where page speed matters.
• Projects where you control the upload and can verify the destination accepts WebP.

The fastest way to decide is to test: convert one photo to all three formats with the Image Converter and compare file sizes — and for guidance on choosing a final quality level, see How to compress images without losing quality.

How to convert between formats

1. Open the converter

   Load the Image Converter and choose your image. It runs entirely in your browser.

2. Pick the output format

   Select PNG, JPG or WebP. Use JPG or WebP for photos and PNG for logos, text and transparency.

3. Set quality for lossy outputs

   When you export to JPG or WebP, choose a quality level — 80% is a good starting point. PNG output is lossless, so no quality setting is needed.

4. Download and verify

   Save the converted file and open it once to confirm colours and transparency look right before you publish it.

Common questions

• Does using WebP help SEO? Search engines do not reward or penalise a particular image format — they care that your pages load quickly. Smaller images help visitors, and that is what matters.
• Should I replace every JPG on my site with WebP? If your publishing tool accepts WebP, modern images are usually a good upgrade. Keep the originals so you can roll back.
• Why is my PNG so much bigger than a JPG? PNG does not discard anything, so a photograph stored as PNG carries far more data. Photographs belong in JPG or WebP.
• Is JPG obsolete? No. It remains the most widely accepted format on the web and in print workflows, and it is still an excellent choice for photographs.

Which format should you choose?

Pick JPG for photographs, PNG for transparency, text and screenshots, and WebP as the modern default when size matters. Keep your originals, convert copies instead of re-saving, and let your own file-size comparison make the final call — a free browser converter turns the whole experiment into a one-minute task.