JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF: which image format should you use?

Choosing the right image format affects how big your files are, how good they look, and whether they open everywhere. Here’s a plain-English guide to the four formats that matter today — and when to use each.

JPEG is a lossy format that has been the web’s standard for photographs for decades. It compresses well and opens on virtually every device and app. The trade-offs: it discards some detail (lossy), it doesn’t support transparency, and re-saving repeatedly degrades quality. Use JPEG for photos when maximum compatibility matters.

PNG is lossless, so it keeps every pixel exactly, and it supports transparency. That makes it ideal for logos, icons, screenshots and graphics with sharp edges or transparent backgrounds. The downside: PNG files are large for photographs, because lossless compression can’t shrink complex images much.

WebP, developed by Google, is typically 25–35% smaller than JPEG or PNG at the same visual quality, and it supports both transparency and lossy/lossless modes. It’s supported by every modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), which makes it an excellent default for the web today.

AVIF is the newest mainstream format and usually the smallest — often around 50% smaller than JPEG at similar quality, and smaller than WebP too. It supports transparency and high dynamic range. Browser support is now broad (since 2024), though very old software may not open it. Use AVIF when file size is the priority and your audience is on modern browsers.

Photos on the web: WebP (or AVIF for the smallest files), with JPEG as a fallback. Logos, icons, screenshots, anything with transparency: WebP or PNG. Absolute smallest size: AVIF. Maximum compatibility with old software: JPEG or PNG. When in doubt, WebP is the safest modern choice.

You don’t have to pick once and live with it. With Dropsize you can convert any image to JPG, PNG, WebP or AVIF right in your browser — nothing is uploaded — and compare the resulting file sizes instantly.