WEBP vs PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Three formats cover almost everything you'll do with images online: JPG, PNG and WEBP. Picking the right one keeps files small without wrecking quality. Here's the simple version.
JPG — photos
Use JPG for photographs and any image with lots of colours and gradients. It compresses photos efficiently, but it doesn't support transparency and it's "lossy," so avoid it for logos, text or sharp edges.
PNG — logos, icons, transparency
Use PNG when you need transparency or crisp edges — logos, icons, screenshots, illustrations with flat colour. It's lossless (perfect quality) but files can get large, especially for photos.
WEBP — the modern all-rounder
WEBP does both jobs: it handles photos like JPG and transparency like PNG, usually at 25–35% smaller file sizes. For the web in 2026, WEBP is the default choice — every major browser supports it.
| Format | Transparency | Best for | File size |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | No | Photos | Small |
| PNG | Yes | Logos, icons, screenshots | Large |
| WEBP | Yes | Almost everything on the web | Smallest |
Simple rule of thumb
Ship WEBP on your website. Keep PNG as your editable master for anything with transparency, and use JPG when you need a widely-compatible photo. Convert freely between them: PNG to WEBP, JPG to WEBP, WEBP to PNG, PNG to JPG and JPG to PNG are all free and run in your browser.