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

Choosing the wrong format can triple your file sizes with no benefit. A simple decision guide for photos, screenshots, logos and everything in between.

JPEG (JPG): the universal photo format

JPEG has been the default since the 1990s, and it earned that spot: excellent compression for photographs, support on literally every device ever made, and small files. Its weakness is lossy compression — every save degrades quality slightly — and its poor handling of sharp edges: text, logos and line art look fuzzy.

Use JPEG for: photographs, camera images, anything photographic going to people with unknown devices.

PNG: the lossless workhorse

PNG compresses without losing a single pixel, and supports transparency (an alpha channel). That makes it perfect for screenshots, diagrams, logos, icons and anything with crisp text. The cost: for photos, PNG files are typically 3–5 times larger than an equivalent JPEG.

Use PNG for: screenshots, UI mockups, logos, charts, images with transparent backgrounds, and anywhere pixel-perfect accuracy matters.

WebP: the modern winner

WebP, developed by Google, supports both lossy and lossless compression plus transparency. Lossy WebP files are 25–35% smaller than JPEG at the same visual quality; lossless WebP beats PNG by 20–30%. Every modern browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — has supported it for years.

Use WebP for: websites and apps where you control delivery, and anywhere file size matters.

The quick decision table

• 📷 Photo for a website? → WebP (JPEG if you must support ancient software)
• 🖥️ Screenshot or diagram? → PNG
• 🔤 Logo with transparent background? → PNG or WebP
• 📧 Photo attached to an email for a non-technical person? → JPEG
• 🏪 Product photos for a shop? → WebP with JPEG fallback

Convert anything, free and private

Both the Image Resizer and the Image Compressor can convert between all three formats — upload a PNG, download a WebP, entirely in your browser. No uploads, no accounts, no watermarks.

Frequently asked questions

Is WebP supported everywhere now? Every current browser, plus WordPress, Photoshop and most design tools. Only very old software (pre-2020) struggles with it.

Does converting JPEG to PNG improve quality? No — quality lost to JPEG compression is gone forever. Converting only changes the container.

What's the smallest format for photos? Lossy WebP, typically. For maximum shrinkage, also tune the quality.