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).
Screenshots and text: where JPG falls short
JPG was built for photographs, and it shows around sharp edges. Text, UI screenshots, diagrams and logos compressed as JPG develop fuzzy halos and speckles around letters, even at fairly high quality settings. PNG and lossless WebP keep every pixel exact, so text stays crisp. If an image contains readable text that matters, that alone is a reason to avoid JPG.
A quick reference for common jobs
Product photos and blog images: WebP first, JPG as the universal fallback. Logos, icons and anything with a transparent background: PNG, or WebP when you want it smaller. Scanned documents and forms: PNG, so text stays sharp. Social media uploads: JPG at high quality — the platform will recompress whatever you send, so huge lossless uploads gain you nothing. Screenshots for documentation or support: PNG, always.
What happens when you convert between them
Converting JPG to PNG does not restore quality that JPG already threw away — it just stores the same pixels in a bigger file. Converting PNG to JPG removes transparency, so the tool asks for a background colour to place behind the image. Converting either one to WebP usually shrinks the file at equal visible quality, and WebP keeps transparency. Keep one untouched master file (PNG for graphics, the original camera file for photos) and export converted copies for each use.
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.
- Converting a JPG to PNG does not bring back lost quality — it only makes the file bigger.
- Keep a PNG master of logos and graphics, and export JPG or WebP copies for publishing.