badloJPG vs PNG vs WEBP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Updated
Most image problems come down to using the wrong format: logos with fuzzy edges, huge photos that won't upload, or websites that load slowly. Here is a simple way to choose.
The quick answer
| You have... | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A photo to send or upload | JPG | Small, and it opens everywhere |
| A logo or graphic | PNG | Sharp edges and transparency |
| A screenshot with text | PNG | Text stays crisp |
| An image for your website | WEBP | Smaller files, so pages load faster |
| A file you are still editing | PNG | No quality loss when re-saving |
JPG: the everyday format
JPG shrinks photos by removing detail that eyes are unlikely to notice. It is supported almost everywhere. Its weaknesses are sharp edges, where you can get a faint haze, and the fact that quality drops a little each time it is re-saved. It also has no transparency. Convert with PNG to JPG or WEBP to JPG.
PNG: the sharp, lossless format
PNG keeps every pixel and supports transparency, so it is ideal for logos, icons, diagrams and screenshots. Its weakness is size, as photos saved as PNG can be many times larger than a JPG. Convert with JPG to PNG, or save document pages with PDF to PNG.
WEBP: built for websites
WEBP files are usually smaller than JPG or PNG at similar quality, and they support transparency and animation. All current major browsers display WEBP, but some older apps and forms won't accept it. That makes it a great format for your own website and a poor one for email attachments. Convert with JPG to WEBP or PNG to WEBP.
Side by side
| JPG | PNG | WEBP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | Not widely used | Yes |
| File size | Small | Large | Smallest of the three, usually |
| Compatibility | Almost universal | Almost universal | Modern browsers, and many apps |
What about HEIC and AVIF?
HEIC is the format iPhones use for photos. It is efficient but less compatible, as we explain in how to open HEIC photos. AVIF is a newer web format that can be smaller than WEBP. You can make either kind of conversion in our image converter.
One rule worth remembering
Converting can't add quality. Turning a blurry JPG into a PNG only gives you a bigger blurry file. Always keep your original, and convert copies of it.
