The one-paragraph version
JPG is the universal photograph format — small, lossy, supported everywhere. PNG is lossless and supports transparency, ideal for graphics, screenshots, and logos, but large for photos. WebP is a newer, more efficient format that beats both at their own games in file size, but has patchier support in older software.
JPG (JPEG) — the safe default
JPG uses lossy compression: it discards image data the human eye is least likely to notice, achieving dramatic size reductions with a manageable quality trade-off. It has no transparency support and shows compression artifacts if pushed too aggressively, but nothing beats it for universal compatibility — every browser, phone, printer, and 25-year-old piece of software opens a JPG without hesitation.
PNG — lossless, and the only one with real transparency
PNG doesn't discard any image data, which makes it the right choice for screenshots, logos, illustrations, and anything with sharp text or flat colors — areas where JPEG's compression tends to introduce visible fuzziness. Its standout feature is alpha transparency: a PNG can have genuinely see-through pixels, which JPG cannot represent at all. The cost is size — a PNG photograph is routinely 3–10× larger than an equivalent JPG.
WebP — smaller than both, if your target supports it
Developed by Google specifically for the web, WebP offers both lossy and lossless modes plus transparency support, typically landing 25–35% smaller than a comparable JPG or PNG at similar visual quality. Every modern browser supports it, which is why so many websites now serve WebP images automatically — but some older desktop software, some printers, and some upload forms still don't recognize it, which is the main reason people end up needing to convert WebP files back to JPG or PNG.
The simple decision rule
Pick by use case, not preference
- Sharing or uploading a photo anywhere → JPG. It's the format nothing rejects.
- Need transparency, or it's a screenshot/logo/graphic with text → PNG.
- Publishing images on your own website for speed → WebP, if your platform and audience's browsers support it.
- Downloaded a WebP or AVIF from somewhere and it won't open or upload → convert it to JPG or PNG for compatibility.