JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Format Should You Use?
A plain-English comparison of the three most common image formats, and when to pick each one.
JPG, PNG and WebP solve different problems. Picking the right one for the job usually matters more than any other setting.
JPG: the default for photos
JPG uses lossy compression tuned for photographs — smooth gradients, complex colour and lots of detail. It has no transparency. It's the safest default for photos you're publishing or sharing, and it's supported everywhere.
PNG: lossless, with transparency
PNG doesn't throw away any pixel data, so it's the right choice for screenshots, logos, icons and graphics with flat colour, sharp text or a transparent background. The trade-off is size: a PNG photo is often several times larger than the same photo as JPG.
WebP: usually the smallest, with transparency
WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression plus transparency, and typically produces smaller files than JPG or PNG at similar quality. Its main downside is that a few older tools and workflows still expect JPG or PNG specifically — check before you commit to it everywhere.
Converting between them
You don't have to pick one format for good — the Image Format Converter, WebP Converter, JPG to PNG and PNG to JPG tools convert an existing image between all three, and handle transparency correctly when it matters (a transparent PNG converted to JPG gets a background colour you choose, since JPG can't store transparency).
Quick tips
- Photos -> JPG or WebP.
- Logos, icons, screenshots, text -> PNG or lossless WebP.
- Uploading somewhere with a strict format rule -> convert with the format tools rather than re-exporting from scratch.