Every day someone saves the same image in three different formats and gets three completely different file sizes. The save dialog makes it sound like a coin flip, but it really comes down to four questions: is it a photo or a graphic, does it need transparency, does anything depend on perfect quality, and who is going to open it.
The quick answer
- JPG for photos you send by email, print, or store on a camera. Universal, small, and good enough for anything photographic.
- PNG for logos, screenshots, diagrams and anything with text or transparency. Perfect quality, bigger files.
- WebP for images on a modern website. Smaller than JPG at the same quality, supports transparency and animation, and nearly every browser accepts it now.
What each format actually is
JPG
JPG compresses by discarding the detail your eye barely notices. That is why a 12 megapixel phone photo can fit in a few megabytes. The loss is normally invisible at normal sizes, and every device, app and website on earth can display it. JPG cannot have transparency and degrades slightly every time you save it again, so it is worse for logos and repeated editing.
PNG
PNG is lossless. It rebuilds the image perfectly every time, which makes it the right tool for crisp text, interfaces, logos and screenshots where a hair of blur stands out. It supports full transparency, but keeps every pixel, so photographic PNG files balloon to several times a JPG of the same scene.
WebP
Google developed WebP to do what JPG does, but better. At the same visual quality, a WebP photo is typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than the JPG version. It also handles transparency like PNG and animation like GIF. Every major browser, including Safari since version 14, supports it, which makes it the modern first choice for the web.
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Photos | Graphics, text, transparency | Web images, photos |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| File size for photos | Small | Very large | Smallest |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No | Yes |
| Compatibility | Everything | Everything | All modern browsers |
So which one do you pick?
If the image is going on a website, use WebP and keep a JPG copy on hand for any service that has not kept up. If you are sending a photo to a person, JPG. If the image has transparency, a logo or sharp text, PNG, or WebP if it stays on your site. Print work usually stays in the raw camera format or a high quality JPG.
Convert between formats for free in your browser
You do not need to install anything to move an image between these formats. FreeClickTools converts JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC entirely on your device, which means the image never touches a server. Try converting a photo to WebP and watch the new file size, then decide for yourself.
Convert JPG to WebP, PNG to JPG or WebP to PNG. Free and private.
Frequently asked questions
Which format is best for websites?
WebP is the best all round choice for web images today, since it is supported by every modern browser and stores photos about 25 to 35 percent smaller than JPG. Use PNG for logos and graphics with transparency.
Is WebP the same quality as JPG?
Yes for practical purposes. At the same visual quality, WebP produces a noticeably smaller file than JPG, which means faster page loads.
When should I use PNG instead of JPG?
Use PNG whenever the image needs transparency, contains sharp edges like text and logos, or must stay perfectly lossless, such as screenshots or diagrams.