JPG, PNG and WebP are the three formats you'll meet most often online. They're not interchangeable — each is good at something different. Here's how to pick the right one.
JPG — best for photographs
JPG (or JPEG) uses lossy compression, throwing away detail the eye barely notices to produce small files. That makes it perfect for photos and the default for almost every upload form. The downside: it has no transparency and re-saving repeatedly slowly degrades quality.
PNG — best for graphics and transparency
PNG is lossless, so it preserves every pixel exactly, and it supports transparency. That's ideal for logos, icons, screenshots and any graphic with sharp edges or text. The trade-off is file size: a photo saved as PNG can be five to ten times larger than the same photo as JPG.
WebP — the modern all-rounder
WebP, developed by Google, offers both lossy and lossless compression plus transparency. In practice it produces files roughly 25–35% smaller than JPG at the same quality, which is why it's the go-to format for fast websites. Every modern browser supports it; only very old software may not.
Quick decision guide
- Uploading a photo to a form → JPG
- Logo, icon or anything with transparency → PNG (or WebP)
- Images on your own website → WebP for speed
- Need universal compatibility → JPG
Whichever you need, you can convert between all three for free with our Image to WebP, Image to JPG and Image to PNG tools — no sign-up required.