Published July 14, 2026

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

If you've ever saved an image and been asked to choose between PNG, JPG, and WebP, you've probably just picked whichever one sounded familiar and moved on. Most of the time that works out fine — but each format has real tradeoffs around transparency, compression, and file size that are worth understanding, especially if you're preparing images for a website, a document, or a print project.

PNG: lossless, with transparency

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless format, meaning it doesn't throw away any image data to save space — what you save is pixel-for-pixel identical to what you started with. It also supports full transparency (an alpha channel), which makes it the standard choice for logos, icons, screenshots, and any graphic with sharp edges, flat colors, or text that needs to stay crisp.

The tradeoff is file size. Because PNG doesn't discard any data, complex images like photographs tend to produce much larger PNG files than the equivalent JPG or WebP. PNG shines for graphics; it's usually the wrong choice for photos.

JPG: small files, no transparency, some quality loss

JPG (or JPEG) uses lossy compression — it selectively discards image detail that's less noticeable to the human eye in order to shrink file size dramatically. This makes it the long-standing default for photographs, where a small amount of quality loss is an easy trade for a much smaller file. JPG does not support transparency; any transparent areas get filled in with a solid color (usually white) when you save or convert to JPG.

Because compression is lossy, saving and re-saving a JPG repeatedly (especially at low quality settings) gradually degrades the image — a phenomenon sometimes called "generation loss." For a one-time save at a reasonable quality level, this isn't a practical concern.

WebP: the modern middle ground

WebP is a newer format developed by Google that supports both lossy and lossless compression, plus full transparency — combining the strengths of PNG and JPG in one format. In most comparisons, WebP produces noticeably smaller files than JPG at equivalent visual quality, and smaller files than PNG for graphics with transparency. Browser support is now extremely broad, though some older software and specific print workflows may not fully support it.

Quick decision guide

• Photos for the web where file size matters most: JPG or WebP
• Logos, icons, or screenshots with transparency or text: PNG or WebP
• You want the smallest file size and modern browser support is fine: WebP
• Maximum compatibility with older software or print workflows: PNG or JPG

Try it yourself

The easiest way to see the difference is to convert the same image to all three formats and compare the results. Our Image Converter lets you switch between PNG, JPG, and WebP entirely in your browser, and our Image Compressor shows you the exact before-and-after file size as you adjust quality — both run locally, so your image is never uploaded anywhere.