PNG vs JPG vs WebP: which image format should you use?

Almost every image you'll ever save is a JPG, a PNG, or a WebP. They look similar when you open them, but under the hood they make very different trade-offs — and picking the wrong one means a blurry logo or a photo that's five times bigger than it needs to be. Here's how to choose with confidence.

JPG — for photographs

JPG (also written JPEG) uses lossy compression tuned for photos. It's brilliant at squeezing down images with lots of gradual color changes — skies, skin, landscapes — into small files, and for that job nothing beats it on compatibility. Every device and app made in the last 30 years opens a JPG.

Its weaknesses: it can't store transparency, and it adds faint "artifacts" around hard edges and text. Save a screenshot or a logo as JPG and you'll see a smudgy halo around the letters. And because it's lossy, every time you re-save a JPG it loses a little more quality.

PNG — for graphics and transparency

PNG is lossless, so it keeps every pixel exactly as it was — perfect for anything with crisp edges: logos, icons, screenshots, diagrams, and text. It also supports transparency, which is why a logo you want to place on top of a colored background almost always needs to be a PNG.

The catch is file size. Save a photograph as PNG and it can be several times larger than the equivalent JPG, with no visible benefit. PNG shines on flat colors and sharp lines, not on photographic detail.

WebP — the modern all-rounder

WebP is Google's newer format, and it's designed to do both jobs. It offers lossy compression that beats JPG at the same quality, lossless compression that beats PNG, and it supports transparency and even animation. In practice a WebP is often 25-35% smaller than the JPG or PNG it replaces, which is why so many websites now serve it.

The only real downside is reach: while every current browser supports WebP, some older software and a few messaging apps still don't, so it's not always the right choice for a file you need to hand to someone else.

Which one should you use?

• A photo for the web, or an email attachment → JPG (universal) or WebP (smaller).
• A logo, icon, screenshot, or anything with text or transparency → PNG, or WebP if you control where it's used.
• Your own website, where you want the smallest files and modern browsers → WebP.
• A file you're sending to someone and can't be sure what they'll open it with → JPG for photos, PNG for graphics.

How to convert between them

Switching formats takes seconds and happens entirely in your browser — your images are never uploaded. Use the Image Converter to move freely between PNG, JPG and WebP, or a focused tool when you know exactly what you want, like PNG to JPG to shrink a graphic-heavy export, or WebP to PNG when an app won't accept WebP.

One rule to remember: converting from a lossy format doesn't restore lost detail. Turning a JPG into a PNG makes the file bigger but won't make it sharper — always convert from the best original you have.