JPG and PNG are the two most common image formats on the web. Choosing the wrong one can hurt your website speed, quality, or file size. In this guide, we'll compare both formats and help you decide which to use.
What is JPG?
JPG (or JPEG) is a lossy compression format. It sacrifices some image quality to achieve much smaller file sizes. This makes it perfect for:
- Photographs and realistic images
- Websites that need to load fast
- Social media posts
- Email attachments
The downside: JPG does not support transparency, and repeated editing degrades quality.
What is PNG?
PNG is a lossless compression format. It keeps every pixel exactly as-is, and supports transparency. It's ideal for:
- Logos and icons
- Graphics with transparent backgrounds
- Screenshots
- Images with text
The downside: PNG files are usually much larger than JPG.
JPG vs PNG: Quick Comparison
- File size: JPG is smaller
- Quality: PNG is lossless
- Transparency: Only PNG supports it
- Best for: JPG for photos, PNG for graphics
Which should you choose?
Use JPG when:
- You're uploading a photograph
- File size matters more than perfect quality
- Transparency isn't needed
Use PNG when:
- You need a transparent background
- Working with logos, icons, or text
- You want to preserve maximum quality
How to convert between JPG and PNG
Need to switch formats? Use our free tools:
- Convert JPG to PNG — add transparency support
- Convert PNG to JPG — reduce file size
All conversions happen directly in your browser. No upload, no signup, 100% free.
What about WebP?
WebP is a newer format by Google that combines the best of both worlds: small size + transparency. Consider it for modern websites. Convert JPG to WebP or PNG to WebP.