JPG vs PNG vs WebP: which format should you use?
Updated 2026 · 8 min read
Choosing the right format often saves more weight than any amount of compression. A screenshot saved as PNG and then "compressed" stays stubbornly large; saved as JPG it can lose 90% of its size in one step. The format decides what the compressor is allowed to throw away.
The one distinction that explains everything
Lossy formats discard information permanently to save space. They are designed around the limits of human vision: we are far more sensitive to brightness than to fine colour detail, so encoders keep luminance and downsample colour.
Lossless formats keep every pixel. They can only save space by describing the same picture more cleverly — which works beautifully on flat colours and sharp edges, and terribly on photographs.
That single fact explains the whole table below.
| Format | Type | Transparency | Animation | Best for | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG / JPG | Lossy | No | No | Photographs, scans, uploads to forms | Small |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | No | Screenshots, logos, text, line art | 5–10× JPEG on photos |
| WebP | Both | Yes | Yes | Almost everything on the web | 25–35% under JPEG |
| AVIF | Both | Yes | Yes | Maximum compression, modern sites | ~50% under JPEG |
| SVG | Vector | Yes | Yes | Icons, logos, diagrams | Tiny, scales forever |
| GIF | Lossless, 256 colours | Yes (1-bit) | Yes | Legacy animation only | Large for video-like content |
JPEG: the reliable default for photographs
JPEG works by splitting the image into 8 × 8 pixel blocks, converting each to frequency information, and discarding the high frequencies — the fine detail. It then reduces colour resolution, usually by half in each direction, because your eye will not notice.
Strengths: universally supported, tiny files for photos, adjustable quality. Weaknesses: no transparency, no animation, and it damages sharp edges badly. Text saved as JPEG gets muddy halos around every letter, which is why screenshots should not be JPEG unless size is critical.
One real gotcha: JPEG loses quality every time you re-save it. Open a JPEG, edit it, save it again, and you have compressed an already-compressed file. Always keep an original and export a copy.
PNG: for anything with hard edges
PNG is lossless and supports a full alpha channel, so a logo can sit on any background. Because it is lossless, a photograph stored as PNG is enormous — there is no photographic redundancy for it to exploit without discarding data, and it refuses to discard any.
Rule of thumb: PNG for screenshots, interfaces, logos, charts and anything containing text. Not PNG for photographs.
WebP: the format that should be your default on the web
WebP, from Google, does both lossy and lossless compression, supports alpha transparency and animation, and typically produces files 25–35% smaller than an equivalent-quality JPEG. Lossless WebP is also around 25% smaller than PNG.
Browser support is no longer a concern: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari have all supported WebP since 2020. It is safe for essentially any site today.
The catch is compatibility outside browsers. Some older desktop applications, upload portals and print workflows still choke on WebP. If a form asks for a photo, send JPEG.
AVIF: the smallest, at a cost
AVIF is built on the AV1 video codec's still-image mode and beats WebP by another 20–30%. Its two drawbacks are encoding speed — it can be several times slower — and patchier support in older software. Use it for web delivery where you can generate files ahead of time; skip it if you need instant results.
The decision rule
| If you have… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A photo to upload to a form | JPG | Smallest, universally accepted |
| A photo for a website | WebP (or AVIF) | Smaller than JPG, keeps quality |
| A screenshot with text | PNG | Lossless keeps text crisp |
| A logo or icon | SVG, else PNG | Vector scales; PNG keeps transparency |
| A photo needing a transparent background | WebP | JPG cannot do transparency at all |
| A short animation | WebP or a real video file | GIF is wasteful for anything long |
Three myths worth clearing up
"PNG is higher quality than JPG." For a screenshot, yes. For a photograph saved at quality 85, the PNG is not visibly better — it is just five times larger.
"Converting a JPG to PNG improves it." No. If the original is JPEG, the detail is already gone. Re-encoding to PNG preserves the damage perfectly and makes the file much bigger.
"WebP is risky because old browsers." Anything released since 2020 handles it. The real risk is upload portals and desktop software, not browsers.
How to convert
Use the image converter to switch between JPG, PNG and WebP at the original pixel dimensions. Two tips from experience:
- Converting a PNG screenshot to JPG usually saves 70–90% on its own — do this before reaching for the quality slider.
- Going to PNG only helps when the source is already lossless. Converting a JPG to PNG mainly makes it larger.
Frequently asked questions
Which format is best for printing?
TIFF or PNG if your print service accepts them; otherwise the highest-quality JPEG you can produce. Avoid WebP for print workflows — many do not support it.
Does converting lose quality?
Converting between lossy formats always re-encodes, so some quality is lost. Converting a lossless PNG to another lossless PNG loses nothing.
Why is my PNG screenshot so large?
Because it is lossless and photographs contain noise that cannot be described compactly. A 2 MB phone screenshot is normal; a 15 MB one usually means it was saved as a photo rather than a graphic.