The short answer
- Photos for the web: WebP (or AVIF if your platform supports it); JPG when you need maximum compatibility.
- Logos, icons, screenshots, images with transparency: PNG, or WebP for smaller files.
- Sending to anyone, printing, forms: JPG — it opens everywhere.
- Simple graphics that must stay sharp at any size: SVG.
Comparison table
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Best for | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Lossy | No | Photos | Everywhere |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Graphics, screenshots, cut-outs | Everywhere |
| WebP | Lossy or lossless | Yes | Web photos and graphics | All modern browsers |
| AVIF | Lossy or lossless | Yes | Smallest web photos | Modern browsers; creating it is slower |
| HEIC | Lossy | Yes | iPhone camera storage | Apple devices; limited elsewhere |
| GIF | Lossless, 256 colours | Yes (1-bit) | Simple animations | Everywhere |
| SVG | Vector | Yes | Logos, icons | Browsers, design tools |
JPG: the universal photo format
JPG uses lossy compression tuned for photographs. At quality 75–85% the difference from the original is hard to see, while the file is a fraction of the size. It does not support transparency, and repeated saving slowly degrades quality, so keep an original if you edit often.
PNG: lossless and transparent
PNG keeps every pixel exactly, which makes it ideal for text, logos, screenshots and cut-outs with a transparent background — for example after you remove the background. For photos, though, PNG files are often 5–10 times larger than JPG.
WebP and AVIF: smaller files for websites
WebP offers both lossy and lossless compression plus transparency. According to Google’s measurements, lossy WebP files are about 25–34% smaller than comparable JPGs. AVIF usually compresses even better, especially at low file sizes, but encoding takes longer and some older software cannot open it.
If you run a website or online shop, serving WebP is one of the easiest speed wins. You can convert images to WebP or compress them in bulk.
HEIC: great on iPhone, awkward elsewhere
iPhones save photos as HEIC to save storage. Windows programs, many websites and official forms still do not accept it, so it is best to convert HEIC to JPG before sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting JPG to PNG improve quality?
No. Converting cannot restore detail that JPG compression already removed; it only makes the file larger.
Which format is best for printing?
High-quality JPG (90–100%) or TIFF. Printing services almost always accept JPG.
Should I use WebP for email?
Not yet for everyone: some email clients do not display WebP. Use JPG or PNG in emails.