JPG vs PNG vs WebP: which image format should you use?
Choosing the right image format is the single biggest decision for file size and quality. Here's the short version, then the detail.
Rule of thumb: Photos → JPG or WebP. Graphics, logos, screenshots, anything with transparency → PNG or WebP. When in doubt and your audience uses modern browsers → WebP.
JPG (JPEG)
JPG is a lossy format built for photographs. It throws away detail the eye barely notices, achieving small files at high visual quality. It has no transparency. Use it for photos, hero images and any full-frame photographic content. At ~82% quality, JPG is visually indistinguishable from the original for most images.
PNG
PNG is lossless and supports transparency (an alpha channel). It's perfect for logos, icons, screenshots, line art and anything with sharp edges or text. The downside: photographic PNGs are huge — often 5-10× larger than the equivalent JPG.
WebP
WebP is the modern format from Google, supported by every current browser. It does both lossy and lossless, supports transparency, and is typically 25-35% smaller than JPG and up to 90% smaller than PNG at equivalent quality. For web delivery in 2025, WebP is usually the best default.
Side-by-side
- Smallest for photos: WebP < JPG < PNG
- Transparency: PNG and WebP (not JPG)
- Lossless option: PNG and WebP (not JPG)
- Universal compatibility: JPG and PNG (WebP needs a modern browser, which is ~97% of users)
How to convert between them
Shrink44 converts any of these in your browser with no uploads:
- PNG to JPG and JPG to PNG
- JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP
- WebP to JPG and WebP to PNG
Or just open the image compressor, pick your output format, and it converts while compressing.