JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Updated October 2026
JPG, PNG and WebP can all show the same picture, but they store it in different ways. Picking the right one gives you a smaller file, a sharper image, or both. This guide explains the difference without the jargon.
The short answer
- Photos: use JPG, or WebP if the place you are sending it to accepts it.
- Logos, icons, screenshots and images with text: use PNG, or lossless WebP.
- Anything that needs a transparent background: use PNG or WebP. JPG cannot do it.
- Images for your own website: use WebP. It gives the smallest files.
How the three formats compare
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparent background | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Photos | Graphics, text, screenshots | Almost everything on the web |
| File size for a photo | Small | Large | Smallest |
| Works everywhere | Yes | Yes | All current browsers, not every older program |
Lossy means the format throws away detail your eye is unlikely to miss, which makes the file much smaller. Lossless means every pixel is kept exactly, at the cost of a larger file.
JPG: made for photos
JPG, also written JPEG, has been the standard for photos since the 1990s. It handles the soft colour changes in a photograph very well and produces small files. Every phone, camera, website and printer understands it.
It has two weak spots. It cannot store transparency, and it is poor at sharp edges. Text, logos and screenshots saved as JPG get fuzzy halos around the letters. Quality is also lost again each time a JPG is edited and saved.
PNG: exact pixels and transparency
PNG keeps every pixel as it is. That makes it the right choice for screenshots, diagrams, logos and anything with text or flat areas of colour. It also supports transparent backgrounds, which is why logos are usually shared as PNG.
The price is size. A photo saved as PNG is often five to ten times larger than the same photo as JPG, with no visible benefit.
WebP: the modern all-rounder
WebP was developed by Google for the web. It can work lossy like JPG or lossless like PNG, and it supports transparency in both modes. According to Google's own tests, lossy WebP files are 25 to 34 percent smaller than comparable JPG files, and lossless WebP files are about 26 percent smaller than PNG.
All current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge show WebP. The catch is outside the browser: some older image editors, office programs and upload forms still refuse it. When that happens, converting the image back to JPG or PNG solves it.
Which one should you pick?
- Emailing or printing a photo: JPG. It works everywhere.
- A logo for a document or presentation: PNG.
- Pictures for your website or web shop: WebP, with the width set to what the page really needs.
- A screenshot for a manual or a support ticket: PNG.
- A form that only accepts JPG: convert your PNG or WebP to JPG first.
Converting a JPG to PNG does not bring back lost quality. It only stops further loss when you keep editing the image.