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

The short answer

If you only remember one thing, remember this:

• Website or online store: WebP for everything. Try AVIF for large photos if you want the smallest possible files.
• Sending photos by email, printing or uploading to older systems: JPEG.
• Screenshots, logos and graphics you will edit again: PNG (or lossless WebP on the web).
• Anything with transparency on a website: WebP or AVIF instead of PNG.

JPEG: the universal photo format

JPEG has been around since 1992 and opens on every device, app and service in existence. It uses lossy compression tuned for photographs: it throws away detail that the eye is not very sensitive to. At quality settings of 75–85 the loss is hard to see, which is why that range is the standard for the web.

JPEG’s weaknesses are sharp edges and flat colors – text, logos and user-interface screenshots get faint noise around their edges – and it has no transparency. Modern encoders such as MozJPEG squeeze out another 5–10% compared with older encoders while staying fully compatible.

PNG: lossless and editor-friendly

PNG stores every pixel exactly and supports transparency. That makes it ideal for screenshots, diagrams, logos and any image you plan to edit further. For photographs it is a poor choice: the same photo is often five to ten times larger as a PNG than as a good JPEG.

Because PNG is lossless, “compressing” a PNG means finding a more efficient way to store the same pixels. Tools like OxiPNG typically save 5–30% without changing a single pixel.

WebP: the best all-rounder for the web

Google’s WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency and even animation. Lossy WebP files are typically 25–35% smaller than JPEGs of similar quality, and WebP with transparency is usually far smaller than the equivalent PNG.

Every current browser – Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari 14 and newer – displays WebP, and platforms such as WordPress and Shopify accept it. WebP also encodes quickly, which matters when you are converting thousands of images. The main limitation is outside the browser: some older desktop apps and print services still don’t open it.

AVIF: the smallest files, at a cost

AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec. At the same visual quality it is often around half the size of JPEG and 20–30% smaller than WebP, and it supports transparency, wide color and HDR. All current major browsers support it.

The trade-off is encoding speed: AVIF can take several seconds per large photo, many times longer than WebP. Editing-software support is also still catching up. AVIF shines for the large hero and product images that dominate a page’s weight.

Side-by-side comparison

A quick reference for the typical case of a detailed photo on a website:

• File size: AVIF smallest, then WebP, then JPEG, with PNG by far the largest.
• Transparency: PNG, WebP and AVIF yes; JPEG no.
• Encoding speed: JPEG and WebP fast, PNG medium, AVIF slow.
• Compatibility outside browsers: JPEG and PNG everywhere; WebP widely; AVIF growing.
• Best for: JPEG – sharing and printing; PNG – editing and graphics; WebP – the web; AVIF – maximum savings on the web.

How to switch your images

You don’t need to choose once and for all. Keep your originals, and export web versions in WebP or AVIF. If you hand-write HTML, a picture element can offer AVIF first, WebP second and JPEG as the fallback, and each browser picks the best format it supports.

Asset Compressor converts whole folders between these formats in your browser without uploading anything, keeps your folder structure, and never gives you a larger file when you keep the original format.