PNG, JPG, WEBP or AVIF: which image format to use
2026-10-01
Choosing an image format comes down to three questions: is it a photo or a graphic, does it need transparency, and where does it have to work?
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Best for |
|---|
| JPG | Lossy | No | Photos, anything that must be accepted everywhere |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Screenshots, logos, text, graphics with flat colour |
| WEBP | Lossy or lossless | Yes | Images on websites: smaller than JPG or PNG |
| AVIF | Lossy or lossless | Yes | The smallest files for the web, where it is supported |
| GIF | Lossless, 256 colours | On/off only | Short animations |
| SVG | Vector | Yes | Logos and icons that must scale to any size |
Photo or graphic?
JPG is built for photographs. It handles gradual changes in colour well and struggles with sharp edges, which is why text in a JPG screenshot looks smudged. PNG is the opposite: perfect for sharp edges and flat colour, but a photo saved as PNG is usually several times larger than the same photo as a JPG.
What happens to transparency
JPG has no transparency. When you convert a transparent PNG or WEBP to JPG on this site, the transparent areas are filled with white. If you need to keep the transparent background, convert to PNG or WEBP instead.
Why WEBP and AVIF get rejected
Both formats are designed for websites and every current browser displays them. The problem is everything else: job application portals, government forms, print shops and older editing software often accept only JPG or PNG. That is the usual reason people convert WEBP to JPG, WEBP to PNG or AVIF to JPG: not for quality, but because the destination will not take the file.
Things converting will not change
- Dimensions. Converting here keeps the original width and height. A 4000-pixel photo stays 4000 pixels wide.
- Lost detail. Saving a JPG as PNG does not undo the JPG compression. The file gets larger and looks the same.
- SVG is rasterised. SVG to PNG draws the vector at the size written in the file. If you need a larger bitmap, change the width and height in the SVG first.
Quick picks
- An upload form wants "JPG or PNG": use JPG for a photo, PNG for a screenshot or scan of text.
- Images for your own website: PNG to WEBP or JPG to WEBP.
- A favicon: PNG to ICO, starting from a square image.
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Are online file converters safe? What happens to a file you upload
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