Guides

JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format to Use

Updated 9 November 2026

Three formats cover almost everything you will do with images on the web: JPG, PNG and WebP. Each is good at something different.

The short rule

• Photos → JPG (or WebP on your own website).
• Screenshots, logos, text, anything with sharp edges → PNG (or WebP).
• Anything that needs a transparent background → PNG or WebP, never JPG.

JPG

JPG uses lossy compression tuned for photographs. It throws away detail the eye barely notices, so photos become small. It is bad at sharp edges and flat colour, where it creates fuzzy “artefacts” around text. It cannot store transparency.

PNG

PNG is lossless: every pixel is stored exactly. Text and diagrams stay crisp and it supports full transparency. The cost is size. A photo saved as PNG is often five to ten times larger than the same photo as JPG.

WebP

WebP, created by Google, can work both ways: lossy like JPG or lossless like PNG, and it supports transparency in both modes. At equal quality, lossy WebP is typically 25 to 35% smaller than JPG, and lossless WebP is about 25% smaller than PNG. Every modern browser supports it.

The drawback is outside the browser. Some desktop apps, older phones and upload forms still reject WebP, which is why so many people end up looking for WebP to JPG or WebP to PNG converters.

What about AVIF and HEIC?

AVIF and HEIC are newer formats that compress even better than WebP. AVIF is spreading on websites; HEIC is mostly found on iPhones. Both are less widely supported, so they are good for storage and delivery but often need converting before you share or upload them.

Quick comparison