JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Saving a picture in the wrong format can make it ten times larger than it needs to be, or leave ugly marks around text. The good news is that one or two simple rules cover nearly every case.
The short answer
| You have | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A photo to share | JPG | Small and opens everywhere |
| A logo or a see-through graphic | PNG | Clean edges and transparency |
| A screenshot with text | PNG | Text stays crisp |
| Images for your website | WebP | Smallest size, fast pages |
JPG: the all-rounder for photos
JPG has been around since the early 1990s, and every device can open it. It makes files small by removing detail people rarely notice, particularly tiny colour changes. This is called "lossy" compression, since some information is lost for good.
That is a fine bargain for photos. It is a poor one for sharp text and flat colour, where you can see smudgy marks around the edges. Saving a JPG again and again also wears it down a little each time, so edit from the original when you can.
PNG: exact and clean
PNG is "lossless": it keeps every pixel exactly. It also supports transparency, so a logo can sit on any background. Screenshots, charts and graphics with few colours are its home ground.
The price is size. A photo saved as PNG can be many times larger than the same photo as JPG, with no visible benefit. If someone sends you a heavy PNG photo, converting it to JPG can save a lot of space.
WebP: the modern choice for websites
Google introduced WebP for faster web pages. It can work in lossy or lossless mode, supports transparency, and tends to produce smaller files than JPG or PNG at similar quality. All current major browsers can show it.
Its weakness is outside the browser. Older software and some upload forms still refuse it. So WebP is excellent on your own site, but JPG remains safer for email attachments and forms. If you have a WebP you cannot open, convert it to JPG.
What about HEIC?
HEIC is the format many iPhones use. It stores good quality in little space, but many Windows PCs and websites cannot open it. Convert it to JPG before you upload it.
A simple way to decide
Ask two questions. Does it need a see-through background? Then choose PNG, or WebP on a website. Is it a photo? Then choose JPG, or WebP on a website. If it is mainly text or lines, choose PNG. That covers most of what you will ever need to save.