Every image you save forces a small decision: which format? Pick the wrong one and you get a blurry logo, a 15 MB screenshot or a file that a website refuses to accept. Here is how the four everyday formats differ and when to use each.
The short answer
- Photos to share, email or print: JPG.
- Screenshots, logos, anything with text or transparency: PNG.
- Images on your own website: WebP, or AVIF if you want the smallest files.
JPG: the universal photo format
JPG uses lossy compression tuned for photographs. It throws away detail the eye barely notices, which keeps files small.
- Opens on every device, app and upload form.
- Adjustable quality: 80–90% is a sweet spot for photos.
- No transparency, and sharp edges or small text can get fuzzy halos.
PNG: lossless and transparent
PNG keeps every pixel exactly and supports a full alpha channel.
- Perfect for screenshots, UI, diagrams and logos.
- Photos saved as PNG are often five to ten times larger than JPG.
- If a PNG photo is too big to send, convert PNG to JPG.
WebP: smaller files for the web
WebP was created by Google for websites. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation.
- Typically 25–35% smaller than an equivalent JPG or PNG.
- Supported by every current browser.
- Older desktop apps may not open it; WebP to PNG fixes that.
AVIF: the newest and most efficient
AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec and often beats WebP on file size at the same quality.
- Excellent for heavily optimised web pages.
- Encoding is slower, and support outside browsers is still limited.
- Need a file that opens anywhere? Use AVIF to JPG.
Side-by-side
| JPG | PNG | WebP | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Both | Both |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | APNG only | Yes | Yes |
| File size for photos | Small | Large | Smaller | Smallest |
| Works everywhere | Yes | Yes | Mostly | Browsers only |
A simple rule
Ask two questions. Does the image need transparency or crisp text? Use PNG. Is it going on your own website? Use WebP or AVIF. For everything else, JPG is still the safest choice.