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

Three image formats dominate the web: JPG, PNG, and WebP. Choosing the wrong one for your image can mean a file 3× larger than necessary –or compression artifacts on your logo. Here's exactly when to use each one.

The Quick Answer

• JPG –photographs and images with many colours
• PNG –logos, icons, screenshots, anything needing transparency
• WebP –everything, when browser support allows (and it almost always does)

JPG (JPEG)

JPG has been the standard format for photographs since 1992. It uses lossy compression–it discards image data that the human eye is unlikely to notice, particularly fine colour details in areas of consistent texture.

How JPG compression works

JPG breaks the image into 8×8 pixel blocks and applies a mathematical transform (Discrete Cosine Transform) to represent each block with fewer numbers. At high quality settings, the result is indistinguishable from the original. At low quality settings, you see blocky “artefacts” –especially on edges and text.

When to use JPG

• Photographs and realistic artwork
• Hero images and banners
• Any image with continuous colour gradients

When NOT to use JPG

• Logos (blocky artefacts on crisp edges)
• Screenshots with text (text becomes blurry)
• Images that need transparency (JPG has no alpha channel)
• Images you plan to edit and re-save multiple times (each save degrades quality)

Typical file sizes

A 1920×1080 photo: 200–600 KB at quality 80.

PNG

PNG uses lossless compression –it stores every pixel exactly as-is, using clever run-length encoding to reduce file size without any quality loss. It also supports a full alpha (transparency) channel.

When to use PNG

• Logos, icons, and brand assets
• UI elements and screenshots
• Any image that requires transparency
• Images with sharp edges, text, or solid colour areas
• Source files you plan to edit further

When NOT to use PNG

• Photographs –a full-colour photo saved as PNG is 3–5× larger than the equivalent JPG. Use PNG to JPG or PNG to WebP to shrink photo-like PNGs.

Typical file sizes

A 1920×1080 screenshot: 1–3 MB. A 500×500 logo: 20–100 KB.

WebP

WebP is Google's modern image format, released in 2010 and now supported by all major browsers. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as transparency and animation.

The key advantage: WebP typically delivers 25–35% smaller files than JPG or PNG at equivalent visual quality.

WebP vs JPG

For photographic content, WebP lossy compression is 25–34% more efficient than JPG at the same quality level. A 400 KB JPG becomes a 270–300 KB WebP –with no perceptible difference to the human eye.

WebP vs PNG

For graphics and images with transparency, WebP lossless compression is 26% smaller than PNG on average. And if you can tolerate slight lossy compression, WebP can be 3× smaller than the equivalent lossless PNG.

Browser support

WebP is supported in Chrome (since 2011), Firefox (since 2019), Edge (since 2018), and Safari (since iOS 14 / macOS Big Sur in 2020). As of 2025, >97% of web users are on browsers that support WebP.

When to use WebP

• Any image served on a modern website
• Hero images and banners (convert from JPG)
• Logos with transparency (convert from PNG)
• Product images, blog thumbnails, profile photos

When to keep JPG or PNG

• Email attachments (many email clients don't support WebP)
• Images that will be opened in desktop software (Photoshop, GIMP, etc.)
• Printing (use PNG or TIFF for print)

Quick Conversion Guide

All conversions below happen locally in your browser –no uploads required:

• JPG → WebP –modernise your photos
• PNG → WebP –smaller graphics with transparency
• WebP → JPG –compatibility for older software
• WebP → PNG –lossless extraction from WebP
• JPG → PNG –when you need transparency
• PNG → JPG –compress large PNG photos

Summary Table