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

Choosing the right image format directly affects your website’s speed, your storage costs, and your image quality. Yet many people default to JPEG or PNG without considering newer formats that can cut file sizes by 30–50%.

Here’s a practical guide to the most common formats — and when each one makes sense.

The Formats at a Glance

Format	Type	Transparency	Animation	Browser Support	Best For
JPEG	Lossy	No	No	Universal	Photos, web images
PNG	Lossless	Yes	No	Universal	Screenshots, logos, graphics
WebP	Both	Yes	Yes	97%+ browsers	Web-optimized images
AVIF	Both	Yes	Yes	93%+ browsers	Maximum compression
HEIC	Both	Yes	Yes	Apple ecosystem	iPhone/Mac photos
JPEG-XL	Both	Yes	Yes	Limited (growing)	Future-proof archival

JPEG — The Universal Standard

JPEG has been the default photo format since 1992. It uses lossy compression — discarding data that the human eye is unlikely to notice.

Strengths:

• Universal support — every device, browser, and app reads JPEG
• Good compression for photographs
• Configurable quality (0–100)
• Progressive loading support

Weaknesses:

• No transparency
• Quality degrades with each re-save
• Not ideal for text, sharp edges, or line art
• No animation support

When to use: Photos, product images, blog hero images — anything photographic where transparency isn’t needed.

Typical compression: 60–80% size reduction at quality 75–85.

PNG — Pixel-Perfect Quality

PNG uses lossless compression, preserving every pixel exactly. It’s the go-to format for anything requiring transparency or precise reproduction.

Strengths:

• Lossless — zero quality degradation
• Alpha transparency (partial and full)
• Excellent for screenshots, icons, logos
• Wide support

Weaknesses:

• Much larger file sizes than JPEG for photos
• Not suitable for photographs (overkill)
• No animation (APNG exists but limited support)

When to use: Screenshots, UI elements, logos, graphics with text, anything needing transparency.

Typical compression: 10–30% size reduction (lossless optimization like metadata stripping).

WebP — The Modern Web Standard

Developed by Google, WebP offers both lossy and lossless compression with significantly better efficiency than JPEG and PNG. It’s become the de facto standard for web images.

Strengths:

• 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPEG quality
• Supports transparency (like PNG)
• Supports animation (replacing GIF)
• 97%+ browser support in 2026

Weaknesses:

• Slightly less compatible with older tools/editors
• Lossless WebP isn’t always smaller than optimized PNG
• Some social platforms still prefer JPEG

When to use: Almost all web images. WebP should be your default for websites in 2026.

Typical compression: 25–35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality.

AVIF — Maximum Compression

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest widely-supported format, offering the best compression ratios available today.

Strengths:

• 30–50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
• Supports transparency and HDR
• Excellent for photographic content
• Growing browser support (93%+ in 2026)

Weaknesses:

• Slower encoding than JPEG/WebP
• Limited support in some image editors
• Not yet universal (some older browsers)

When to use: Web images where maximum compression matters, especially hero images and large photo galleries.

Typical compression: 30–50% smaller than JPEG, 10–20% smaller than WebP.

HEIC — Apple’s Ecosystem Format

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple’s default photo format on iPhone and Mac. It uses the HEVC codec for excellent compression.

Strengths:

• Default on Apple devices — native support
• Excellent compression for photos
• Supports HDR, depth maps, Live Photos
• Transparency support

Weaknesses:

• Poor web browser support
• Limited Windows/Linux compatibility
• Not suitable for web publishing

When to use: Storing photos within the Apple ecosystem. Convert to WebP or AVIF for web use.

JPEG-XL — The Future Format

JPEG-XL aims to replace JPEG as the universal format, offering superior compression for both lossy and lossless use cases.

Strengths:

• Better compression than JPEG at all quality levels
• Lossless transcoding from existing JPEG (no quality loss)
• Supports transparency, HDR, animation
• Progressive decoding

Weaknesses:

• Very limited browser support in 2026
• Chrome dropped support (may return)
• Still building ecosystem adoption

When to use: Archival, future-proofing, lossless JPEG transcoding. Not yet recommended as a primary web format.

Format Selection Guide

Use Case	Recommended Format	Runner-up
Website photos	WebP or AVIF	JPEG
Screenshots / UI	PNG	WebP (lossless)
Logos with transparency	PNG or SVG	WebP
E-commerce product photos	WebP	AVIF
Photo archival	JPEG-XL	PNG
Apple ecosystem sharing	HEIC	JPEG
Social media uploads	JPEG	PNG
Email attachments	JPEG	WebP
Mac app icons	ICNS	PNG

Converting Between Formats with Zipic

Zipic makes format conversion seamless. During compression, choose your output format — Zipic handles the conversion automatically:

Common conversions:

• HEIC → WebP — iPhone photos optimized for web
• PNG → AVIF — screenshots with maximum compression
• JPEG → WebP — legacy photos updated for modern web
• TIFF → JPEG — large scans reduced for sharing

You can batch-convert entire folders, and even set up folder monitoring to auto-convert new files. For the full format guide, see the Zipic format documentation.

Key Takeaways

1. For web images in 2026: use WebP as your default, AVIF where maximum compression matters
2. For transparency: WebP, AVIF, or PNG
3. For photos: WebP > JPEG for web; HEIC for Apple devices
4. For archival: JPEG-XL or PNG (lossless)
5. Avoid: using PNG for photographs (needlessly large) or JPEG for screenshots (artifacts on text)

The right format can reduce your image sizes by 30–50% without any visible quality loss — that’s free performance for your website.

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Need to convert or compress images in any format? Download Zipic — supporting JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, JPEG-XL, and more.

Related Articles

• Lossy vs Lossless Compression Explained
• Optimize Images for Web Performance
• Zipic vs ImageOptim: Which Mac Image Compressor Wins?
• How to Compress Images on Mac

Learn more about format selection in the Zipic format guide.