Guide
JPEG vs PNG vs WebP: which image format should you use?
September 2026 · 6 min read
Three formats, three jobs. Pick the right one and your files stay small and look right; pick wrong and you either bloat your page or break your transparency. Here is the short version.
1. JPEG — photos
JPEG was built for photographs. It throws away data your eye barely notices, which is why a camera JPEG can often shrink substantially with little visible difference. It does not support transparency, so any transparent areas get flattened onto a solid background (usually white). Use it for photos, product shots, and anything without transparency.
2. PNG — graphics & screenshots
PNG is lossless and supports transparency, which makes it perfect for logos, icons, UI screenshots, and anything with sharp edges or text. The trade-off is size: a photo saved as PNG can be 10× larger than the same photo as JPEG. Use PNG for graphics, not photos.
3. WebP — the modern all-rounder
WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression and handles transparency. At a similar visual quality it is typically smaller than JPEG, and often smaller than PNG for the same content. Most modern browsers support it. If you serve images on a website in 2026, WebP should be your default.
4. Converting between them
PixelPress lets you open any of these formats and export as JPEG, PNG, or WebP. The single biggest win for most people is converting PNG photos to WebP — the file often drops noticeably with little visible difference, transparency included.