Reference guide
JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC Compared
A concise reference for choosing an image format based on quality, file size, transparency and compatibility.
| Format | Best for | Transparency | Typical strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG/JPEG | Photos and broad compatibility | No | Small photographic files |
| PNG | Graphics, screenshots, transparency | Yes | Lossless image data |
| WebP | Modern web delivery | Yes | Efficient web compression |
| HEIC/HEIF | Modern phone photo storage | Format-dependent | Efficient high-quality photos |
When to use JPG
JPG remains a strong default for photographs when broad compatibility matters. It uses lossy compression, so repeated re-encoding can progressively reduce quality.
When to use PNG
PNG is useful when transparency or lossless preservation is important, especially for interface graphics and screenshots. Photographic PNG files can be considerably larger than equivalent JPG or WebP files.
When to use WebP
WebP is designed for efficient web images and supports both lossy and lossless modes as well as transparency. It is a useful delivery format when reducing page weight matters.
Why convert HEIC
HEIC can store phone photographs efficiently, but compatibility can still be less universal than JPG. Converting a copy to JPG is useful when a website, application or recipient cannot open HEIC.