·3 min read·Guides
JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
When to use JPG, PNG, WebP, SVG and AVIF for websites, online stores, social media and print, with the trade-offs in file size, quality and transparency explained simply.
Use JPG for photos, PNG for screenshots, logos and anything that needs transparency, and WebP for both on websites, because it is usually a quarter to a third smaller at the same quality and every current browser supports it. Use SVG for logos and icons that must stay sharp at any size. Keep a JPG or PNG copy for email, documents and apps that do not accept WebP.
Do it now, free and without uploading anything: Image Converter, Image Compressor, Image Vectorizer.
Choosing an image format decides three things: how large the file is, whether it can have a transparent background, and where it will open. There is no single best format, but there is a best format for each job, and the rules are simple.
The formats compared
| Format | Best for | Transparency | Compression | Opens everywhere? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG (JPEG) | Photos | No | Lossy: small files, slight quality loss | Yes |
| PNG | Screenshots, logos, graphics with text | Yes | Lossless: exact, but large for photos | Yes |
| WebP | Websites: photos and graphics | Yes | Lossy or lossless, usually 25–35% smaller than JPG | All current browsers; some apps do not |
| SVG | Logos, icons, illustrations | Yes | Vector: sharp at any size | Browsers and design tools; not photo apps |
| AVIF | Websites wanting the smallest files | Yes | Smaller than WebP | Current browsers; limited editing support |
| GIF | Simple animations | Basic (on/off) | Limited to 256 colours | Yes |
Photos: JPG or WebP
Photos have millions of subtle colour changes, which lossy compression handles well. A photo saved as a quality-75 JPG looks the same as the original to almost everyone and is a fraction of the size.
- On a website, use WebP: same look, smaller file, faster page.
- Everywhere else (email, forms, documents, printing services, older apps) use JPG.
- Never PNG for photos. It keeps every pixel exactly, which makes photo files five to ten times larger for no visible benefit.
Screenshots, logos and text: PNG (or WebP)
Sharp edges and flat colours are where JPG struggles: you get blurry text and faint "ringing" around letters. PNG keeps them crisp and supports transparency, which logos usually need. PNGs can still be made much smaller: the image compressor reduces screenshots and graphics by 50–70% by trimming the colour palette, with no visible change.
For websites, lossless or high-quality WebP gives the same crispness in a smaller file.
Logos and icons: SVG
A logo used on a website, a business card and a banner needs to stay sharp at every size. SVG describes shapes instead of pixels, so it scales infinitely and is often tiny. If you only have your logo as a PNG or JPG, the image vectorizer traces it into a real SVG.
Transparency
Only PNG, WebP, SVG, AVIF (and, crudely, GIF) can have transparent areas. JPG cannot: converting a transparent PNG to JPG fills the transparent parts with a colour, usually white. If you need a transparent background, for a logo on a coloured website header, for example, keep PNG or WebP.
How to convert between formats
- Open the image converter.
- Add one image or a whole batch.
- Choose the output format: JPG, PNG, WebP or ICO. For JPG and WebP, set the quality (85 is a good default).
- Download each file, or all of them as a ZIP.
Direct pages exist for the common conversions: PNG to JPG, JPG to PNG, WebP to JPG, PNG to WebP and more. Conversion runs in your browser, so your images are not uploaded.
Quick decisions
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Photo for your website | WebP |
| Photo to email or upload to a form | JPG |
| Screenshot or diagram | PNG |
| Logo with a transparent background | SVG, or PNG if SVG is not accepted |
| Product photo for a marketplace | JPG |
| Favicon | ICO plus PNG (see the favicon generator) |
| iPhone photo (HEIC) that will not upload | Export or share it as JPG first |
Common mistakes
- Saving photos as PNG to "keep quality". The quality gain is invisible; the size cost is not.
- Saving screenshots as JPG. Text turns fuzzy. Use PNG.
- Converting a JPG to PNG to improve it. Conversion cannot restore detail that JPG compression already removed; it only makes the file bigger.
- Repeatedly re-saving JPGs. Each save at lower quality loses a little more. Keep the original and export from it.
- Using WebP where it is not supported. Some email clients, forms and older apps reject it. Keep a JPG copy for those.