JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Three formats cover almost every image you will ever upload, and they are not interchangeable. Pick the wrong one and you end up with a file three times too big, an ugly white box behind a logo, or an upload form that refuses the file outright. Here is how to choose in about ten seconds.
By the CrispPic team3 min read
The short answer
- Photographs: JPG — or WebP if you know it is accepted where the image is going.
- Screenshots, logos, text and diagrams: PNG — or WebP.
- Anything with a transparent background: PNG or WebP. Never JPG.
- Websites: WebP, with JPG as the safe fallback.
Side by side
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Best for | Photographs | Screenshots, logos, graphics with text | Both — a good all-rounder |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Size of a typical photo | Small | Very large | Smallest of the three |
| Compatibility | Everything | Everything | All current browsers; some older apps and upload forms reject it |
JPG: the universal photo format
JPG discards detail your eye is unlikely to miss, which is why photographs shrink so well. Its weaknesses are sharp edges — text and line art pick up fuzzy artifacts — and the fact that it cannot store transparency. It is also accepted almost everywhere, which makes it the default answer whenever a form says “image” and gives no further detail.
PNG: exact pixels, big files
PNG stores every pixel exactly, so edges stay razor-sharp and transparency works. That is ideal for a screenshot, a logo or a diagram. For a photograph it is the wrong tool: the same picture can be several times larger than the JPG version with no visible benefit.
WebP: smaller at the same quality
WebP was developed by Google to replace both of the above. It supports lossy and lossless compression and transparency, and files are typically 25–35% smaller than the equivalent JPG. Every current major browser can display it. The trade-off is compatibility outside the browser: some older software, some upload forms and some marketplaces still accept only JPG or PNG.
What happens when you convert
- PNG to JPG: transparent areas become a solid background (white, in CrispPic), and the file usually gets much smaller.
- JPG to PNG: the file gets bigger without getting better, and any JPEG artifacts are preserved permanently.
- JPG to WebP: typically smaller at similar quality. It is one more lossy step, so convert from the original when you can.
- HEIC to JPG: see the HEIC guide.
A note on AVIF
AVIF is a newer format that can beat WebP on size. CrispPic accepts AVIF images as input but exports JPG, PNG and WebP, because those are the formats that work almost everywhere.
A rule of thumb
If the picture has smooth photographic tones, use JPG or WebP. If it has flat colours, sharp text or transparency, use PNG or WebP. And if a form names a format, use exactly that one, whatever the theory says.
Frequently asked questions
Is WebP better than JPG?
It produces smaller files at similar quality, so on a website it usually is. But “better” depends on where the file is going: if a form says JPG only, WebP is useless there.
Why is my PNG so large?
PNG is lossless, so photographs are stored pixel-for-pixel. If it is a photo, converting it to JPG or WebP typically cuts the size dramatically.
Can I improve a JPG’s quality by converting it to PNG?
No. Converting can only preserve what is already there; it can’t restore detail that was discarded when the JPG was created.
Which formats keep a transparent background?
PNG and WebP. JPG cannot store transparency, so converting to it fills the transparent areas with a solid colour.
Try it with the right settings already applied
These pages open the CrispPic tool pre-configured for this exact case. Your image is processed in your own browser — it is never uploaded anywhere.
Free, no account, no watermark.
Keep reading
- How to Reduce Image Size Without Losing QualityWhy photos are so big, and the four steps that shrink them by 70–90% with no visible difference: resize, pick the right format, set a sensible quality, trim the rest.
- How to Open and Convert HEIC Photos (iPhone, Windows, Mac)Why iPhone photos won’t open or upload, and every way to convert HEIC to JPG — on the iPhone itself, on a Mac, on Windows, or free in your browser.
- How to Make Website Images Load Faster (Without Blur)Images are usually the heaviest part of a web page. The sizes, formats and HTML settings that speed them up and improve Core Web Vitals without visible quality loss.