JPG vs PNG vs WebP: which should you use?

Short answer: JPG for photos, PNG for screenshots, logos and anything transparent, and WebP when you want the smallest file for a website. The details below explain why, and how to check for yourself.

Open the image compressor

JPG: the default for photos

JPG is lossy: it discards fine detail the eye rarely notices, and the quality setting decides how much. That is why a photo can shrink a lot with little visible change. JPG cannot store transparency, and repeated saving at low quality slowly adds blocky artifacts around edges and text. It opens almost everywhere, which makes it the safe choice for sharing and for forms that ask for a “JPG”.

PNG: sharp edges and transparency

PNG is lossless, so every pixel is kept exactly. It handles transparency and keeps text, UI screenshots and flat logos crisp. The cost is size: a photo saved as PNG is usually much larger than the same photo as a JPG. PNG also has no quality slider to turn down; to make one smaller you reduce its dimensions.

WebP: smaller files for the web

WebP can be lossy or lossless and supports transparency, so it can stand in for both of the others. It is usually smaller than JPG or PNG at similar visual quality, and all current major browsers support it. The catch is older software: some editors, email programs and upload forms may not accept a WebP file, so check before you convert something you must hand to someone else.

Which one for what

Photo to share or attach: JPG.
Photo on your own website: WebP, or JPG if you want maximum compatibility.
Screenshot or image with text: PNG.
Logo or graphic with a transparent background: PNG or WebP.
Anything where a form names a format: use exactly that one.

Test it on your own image

Results depend on the picture, so compare instead of guessing. Add your image, press Compress, and read the before and after size. Photos respond to the quality slider (70–80% is a good start) in JPG and WebP, while PNG only shrinks when you set a smaller max width/height. Converting between JPG, PNG and WebP is part of Pro ($9 one-time, no subscription); on the free plan you compress each file in the format it already has.

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