What's the Difference Between JPG, PNG, and WebP? An Easy Guide

When you save an image for your website, you're faced with a choice of file formats, most commonly JPG, PNG, and the newer WebP. They might all look like images, but they work very differently under the hood. Choosing the right one can have a huge impact on your site's speed and visual quality.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the three main formats and when to use each.

JPG (or JPEG): The King of Photos

JPG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It's been the standard for photos for decades for one main reason: it's incredibly good at compression.

• Pros:
  • Excellent for Photographs: It can handle millions of colors and complex gradients, making it perfect for real-world photos.
  • Small File Sizes: It uses "lossy" compression, which intelligently discards tiny amounts of image data that the human eye can't easily see. This results in a huge reduction in file size.
• Cons:
  • No Transparency: JPGs do not support transparent backgrounds. If you save a logo on a white background as a JPG, you get a logo in a white box.
  • Quality Loss: Every time you re-save a JPG, it gets re-compressed and loses a little more quality.

When to use JPG: Use it for photographs and any complex, rectangular images where you don't need a transparent background.

PNG: The Master of Graphics

PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics. It was created as a more powerful alternative to the older GIF format.

• Pros:
  • Supports Transparency: This is its killer feature. If you need an image with a clear background (like a logo, icon, or text overlay), PNG is the way to go.
  • Lossless Compression: PNG uses "lossless" compression, meaning no image data is lost when you save it. The quality is preserved perfectly, which is great for graphics with sharp lines and text.
• Cons:
  • Large File Sizes: For complex images like photos, PNG files are often significantly larger than their JPG counterparts.

When to use PNG: Use it for logos, icons, illustrations, and any graphic that requires a transparent background or contains sharp text.

WebP: The Modern Champion

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google, designed specifically for the web. It's the best of both worlds.

• Pros:
  • Superior Compression: WebP images are typically 25-35% smaller than JPEGs at the same visual quality.
  • Supports Transparency: Like a PNG, WebP can have a transparent background, but often at a much smaller file size.
  • Supports Animation: It can also be a replacement for animated GIFs.
• Cons:
  • Browser Support: While it's now supported by over 97% of modern browsers, some very old browsers might not be able to display WebP images.

When to use WebP: For almost everything on the web. It's generally the best choice for both photos and graphics due to its excellent balance of quality and file size.

Quick Cheat Sheet

| Feature | JPG | PNG | WebP | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Best for Photos | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Best for Graphics | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Transparency | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Smallest File Size | Good | Poor | Best | | Browser Support | Best | Best | Good |

Tools to Help You Choose

Not sure what format you have or need?

• Use our Image Converter to easily switch between JPG, PNG, and WebP.
• After you've chosen your format, run it through the Image Compressor to make sure it's as small and fast as possible before uploading it to your website.

By understanding the strengths of each format, you can make informed decisions that will lead to a faster, better-looking website.