JPG vs PNG vs WEBP vs AVIF: Which Image Format Should You Use?

JPG: the universal choice for photos

JPG uses lossy compression tuned for photographs, discarding detail the eye barely notices. It produces small files and opens on practically every device and program made in the last 25 years.

Weaknesses: no transparency, and text, sharp lines or flat colors develop fuzzy artifacts.

PNG: sharp graphics and transparency

PNG is lossless, so every pixel is kept exactly. It supports full transparency, which makes it the standard for logos, icons, screenshots and interface graphics.

Weakness: photographs saved as PNG are often many times larger than the same photo as JPG.

WEBP: smaller files for the web

WEBP can be lossy or lossless and supports transparency and animation. For the same visual quality it is usually smaller than both JPG and PNG, and every modern browser supports it.

Weakness: some older desktop software, printers and upload forms still do not accept it.

AVIF: the newest and most efficient

AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec and often compresses photos even better than WEBP. Current versions of major browsers display it.

Weakness: encoding is slow and support outside browsers is still limited, so convert AVIF to JPG or PNG when you need to share or edit.

GIF and BMP: legacy formats

• GIF is limited to 256 colors. It survives mainly for short animations; for still images PNG is better in every way.
• BMP stores pixels uncompressed and produces very large files. Use it only when an old program specifically requires it.

Quick decision list

• Photo for email, documents or sharing: JPG.
• Logo, icon, screenshot or anything with transparency: PNG.
• Images on your own website: WEBP, with the original JPG or PNG kept as a backup.
• Received an AVIF, HEIC or WEBP that will not open: convert it to JPG (photos) or PNG (graphics).
• Favicon for a website: ICO.