JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Should You Use?
Three formats show up again and again when you save or upload an image: JPG, PNG and WebP. They aren’t rivals so much as specialists — each is best at a particular job. Once you know which is which, choosing takes a second.
JPG — the everyday photo format
JPG (also written JPEG) is the format almost everything accepts. It compresses photos really well, so files stay small, and it’s supported by every browser, phone, printer and form on the planet. The downside: it uses “lossy” compression, meaning it discards some detail to save space, and it can’t store a transparent background.
Use JPG for: photographs, anything you’ll email or upload, and any form that asks for .jpg.
PNG — sharp graphics and transparency
PNG is “lossless”: it keeps every pixel exactly as it was, and it supports transparency. That makes it the go-to for logos, icons, charts and screenshots — anywhere crisp edges and text matter. The cost is file size: a photo saved as PNG is often far larger than the same photo as JPG.
Use PNG for: logos, icons, diagrams, screenshots, and anything that needs a see-through background.
WebP — the modern all-rounder
WebP is a newer format designed for the web. It can do both jobs — lossy compression like JPG and transparency like PNG — while producing noticeably smaller files, often 25 to 35 percent smaller than JPG at the same quality. Support is now excellent in modern browsers. The main caveat is that some older software and a few upload forms still don’t accept it.
Use WebP for: images on your own website where you control the audience and want fast loading.
A simple way to decide
- Is it a photo you need to upload somewhere? → JPG.
- Does it need a transparent background or razor-sharp edges? → PNG.
- Is it for your own website and you want the smallest fast-loading file? → WebP.
Converting between them
You’re rarely stuck with the format you started with. Our image converter switches between JPG, PNG and WebP in your browser — no upload, no watermark. A few things worth remembering when you convert:
- Going to JPG from a transparent PNG or WebP means picking a fill colour for the transparent areas.
- Going to PNG is lossless, so it’s safe — but expect a larger file for photos.
- For JPG and WebP, a quality around 90 keeps things sharp while staying small.
And if your goal isn’t the format but the size — getting a file under a certain number of kilobytes — a compressor is the right tool. Try Picture Compressor to hit an exact target.