Save an image and you are asked to choose: JPG, PNG or WebP? Pick the wrong one and you end up with a blurry logo, a photo that weighs 8 MB, or a file your client's software refuses to open. The right choice depends on what is in the image and where it is going.
This guide explains how each format works in plain language and gives you a simple decision rule you can apply in seconds.
The one idea that explains everything: lossy vs lossless
- Lossy compression makes files small by permanently throwing away detail the eye is unlikely to notice. Quality is adjustable: more compression means a smaller file and more visible artefacts.
- Lossless compression shrinks the file without discarding anything. When you open it, every pixel is identical to the original. The files are larger, especially for photos.
JPG is lossy. PNG is lossless. WebP can do both.
JPG (JPEG): the universal photo format
JPG has been the standard for photographs since the early 1990s. It is designed for continuous-tone images — the smooth gradients and natural textures you get in photos.
Strengths
- Excellent compression for photographs.
- Opens on literally every device, browser, email client and app.
- Adjustable quality lets you trade size against detail.
Weaknesses
- No transparency. Transparent areas become a solid colour (usually white).
- Sharp edges and flat colours — text, logos, line art, screenshots — show fuzzy "ringing" artefacts.
- Generation loss: each time you edit and re-save a JPG, a little more quality is lost.
Use JPG for: photos to email, share or print; any situation where maximum compatibility matters.
PNG: lossless and transparent
PNG preserves every pixel exactly and supports full transparency, including soft semi-transparent edges.
Strengths
- Perfect quality — ideal for images you will keep editing.
- Crisp text, edges and flat colours.
- Full alpha transparency for logos and overlays.
Weaknesses
- Photos saved as PNG are often several times larger than the equivalent JPG.
Use PNG for: logos, icons, screenshots, diagrams, images with text, graphics that need a transparent background, and master copies you will edit again.
WebP: the modern all-rounder
WebP was introduced by Google in 2010 and is now supported by all major browsers. It offers both lossy and lossless modes, plus transparency in either.
According to Google's own measurements, lossless WebP files are about 26% smaller than PNGs, and lossy WebP files are 25–34% smaller than comparable JPGs at equivalent quality.
Strengths
- Smaller files than JPG and PNG for the same visual quality.
- Supports transparency and lossy compression together — something neither JPG nor PNG can do.
- Supported by every current browser.
Weaknesses
- Some older desktop software, print services and upload forms still don't accept it.
- Less familiar to non-technical recipients.
Use WebP for: images on websites and blogs, where smaller files mean faster pages.
Quick comparison
| Feature | JPG | PNG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Photos | Graphics, text, logos | Web images of all kinds |
| Typical photo size | Small | Large | Smallest |
| Compatibility | Universal | Universal | All modern browsers; some older apps lack support |
A simple decision rule
- Is it going on a website? Use WebP.
- Does it need a transparent background, or contain text, a logo or a screenshot? Use PNG (or WebP for the web).
- Is it a photo being emailed, printed or uploaded somewhere you don't control? Use JPG.
- Will you edit it again later? Keep a PNG master copy and export JPG or WebP versions from it.
Converting between formats
Converting is quick, but it helps to know what each conversion actually does:
- JPG to PNG — the file gets bigger, but the quality doesn't get better; the detail JPG already discarded can't come back. Convert when software requires PNG, or to stop further loss while you edit.
- PNG to JPG — great for shrinking photos saved as PNG. Transparent areas are filled with a solid background.
- JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP — the standard move when preparing images for a website. PNG to WebP keeps transparency.
- WebP to JPG and WebP to PNG — for when a WebP you downloaded won't open in an older app or upload form.
All of these converters run entirely in your browser, so your images are never uploaded.
What about AVIF and HEIC?
Two newer formats are worth knowing about:
- AVIF compresses even more efficiently than WebP and is supported by current versions of all major browsers. Encoding is slower and tool support is still catching up, so WebP remains the practical default for most sites.
- HEIC is what iPhones use to store photos. It is excellent for storage but poorly supported on the web and on Windows. See our guide to HEIC vs JPG for how to handle it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Saving screenshots as JPG. Text becomes fuzzy. Use PNG or WebP.
- Saving photos as PNG for the web. You can easily ship a 5 MB image where a 300 KB WebP would look identical.
- Re-saving JPGs repeatedly. Each save loses detail. Edit from a lossless master instead.
- Uploading full-resolution camera photos to a website. Resize first — a blog image rarely needs to be wider than 1,600–2,000 pixels. Our guide to compressing images for a faster website covers this step by step.
The takeaway
There is no single best format — only the best format for a particular image and destination. Photos for sharing: JPG. Graphics, text and transparency: PNG. Anything on a website: WebP. Keep that rule in mind and you'll rarely get it wrong.