· 4 min read
JPG vs. WebP vs. PNG: which format should you export?
Every time you resize or compress an image you also pick an output format, and the choice changes both the file size and how the image looks. Here is how the three most common formats differ and when each one is the right call.
The short answer
Use JPG for photographs when you need a small file that opens everywhere. Use PNG for logos, screenshots, text-heavy graphics and anything that needs a transparent background. Use WebP when the image is going on a website and you want a smaller file than JPG or PNG would give you.
JPG, PNG and WebP side by side
| Feature | JPG | PNG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes (in the format itself) |
| Best for | Photographs | Logos, screenshots, graphics with text | Web photos and graphics |
| File size for photos | Small | Large | Usually smallest |
| Watch out for | Detail is lost each time you re-save it at lower quality | Large files for photographs | Some older apps, email clients and upload forms still reject it |
WebP is supported by all current major browsers, so on the web it is rarely a compatibility problem. The risk is the places your file goes afterwards: a form, a print service or an older editing program that only accepts JPG or PNG.
How much smaller is WebP?
Google, which created WebP, reports in its WebP documentation that lossless WebP images are about 26% smaller than PNGs, and that lossy WebP images are 25–34% smaller than comparable JPEGs at an equivalent quality measure. Treat those as typical results rather than guarantees: the saving on any single image depends on its content.
What happens to transparency
JPG cannot store transparency, so a transparent area has to be filled with a solid colour when you convert. In All Image Resizer, transparent areas become white when you export a JPG or WebP. If you need the background to stay transparent, export a PNG.
A simple way to choose
- Is it a photograph?. Export JPG, or WebP if it is only for a website.
- Does it need a transparent background?. Export PNG.
- Is it a logo, a screenshot or a graphic with sharp text?. Export PNG. JPG can leave faint blocky artefacts around crisp edges.
- Do you need a specific file size?. Use Resize Image to KB — it saves a JPG, which gives the best size-to-quality results for photographs.