JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?

Updated: 29 August 2026

The three most common image formats were built for three different jobs, and picking the wrong one is why logos come out blurry and screenshots come out huge. Here's what each format is actually for, and what converting between them does and doesn't do.

The 30-second answer

• Photographs → JPG (or WebP).
• Screenshots, logos, diagrams, anything with sharp edges or text → PNG.
• Need a transparent background → PNG (or WebP).
• Images for your own website → WebP.
• Uploading to a form, or emailing → JPG, still the most universally accepted.

JPG — built for photographs

JPG uses lossy compression tuned for natural scenes: smooth gradients, soft edges, millions of colours. It makes photos dramatically smaller by discarding fine detail the eye rarely misses. Its weaknesses are the mirror image: sharp edges and text develop smudgy "ringing" artifacts, there's no transparency, and every re-save loses a little more quality.

PNG — built for graphics

PNG is lossless: every pixel is preserved exactly, which is why screenshots, charts and logos stay razor sharp. It also supports transparency, which is why cut-out logos are PNGs. The trade-off is that photographs stored as PNG become enormous — often five to ten times the size of the same photo as a JPG — because photographic noise is the worst possible input for lossless compression.

WebP — built for the web

WebP is the newest of the three and offers both lossy and lossless modes plus transparency. In lossy mode it typically lands meaningfully smaller than an equivalent-quality JPG, which is why websites serve it. Every current browser displays WebP; the place you'll still hit friction is older desktop software and the occasional upload form that only accepts JPG or PNG.

What this means in file size

The same 12-megapixel photo might be 2–4 MB as a JPG, 15 MB or more as a PNG, and smaller than the JPG as a lossy WebP. Meanwhile a simple screenshot with text might be 80 KB as a pin-sharp PNG and come out both larger and worse-looking as a JPG. The format has to match the content, not the other way round.

What converting actually does

Use the Image Converter (or the one-job pages: JPG to PNG, PNG to JPG, JPG to WebP, WebP to JPG) — everything runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded. One honest caveat: converting a JPG to PNG does not restore detail the JPG already discarded; it only stops further loss. If an image will be edited repeatedly, keep the original and export a fresh copy each time rather than re-saving a lossy file over and over. And when the goal is a smaller file rather than a different format, Compress Image is the right tool.