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Image Format Comparison: JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF

By Tooladex Team •
JPGPNGWebPAVIFImage OptimizationWeb PerformanceImage Converter
Image Format Comparison: JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF

Choosing the right image format is one of the highest-impact optimizations you can make for page speed, Core Web Vitals, and SEO. But the “best” format depends on what you’re shipping: photos, UI assets, transparency, compatibility needs, and how much time you want to spend on fallbacks.

This guide breaks down the four formats you’ll see everywhere:

  • JPG/JPEG (photos + universal compatibility)
  • PNG (transparency + sharp edges/text)
  • WebP (modern default for many sites)
  • AVIF (next-gen compression + smallest files in many cases)

You’ll also get a practical converter map so you can switch formats quickly with Tooladex.

Quick Comparison (Mobile-Friendly)

JPG (JPEG)

Best for: photos, gradients, complex images

Compression: lossy

Transparency: no

Typical size: baseline reference

Use it when: you need maximum compatibility or a simple “good enough” photo format.

PNG

Best for: logos, UI, text, screenshots

Compression: lossless (often)

Transparency: yes

Typical size: often larger than JPG for photos

Use it when: you need transparency or pixel‑perfect edges (and size isn’t your #1 constraint).

WebP

Best for: photos + many graphics

Compression: lossy or lossless

Transparency: yes

Typical size: often 25–35% smaller than JPG at similar quality (varies)

Use it when: you want a strong modern default with good support and smaller files.

AVIF

Best for: photo‑heavy pages, large hero images

Compression: lossy or lossless

Transparency: yes

Typical size: often smaller than WebP/JPG at similar quality (varies)

Use it when: you want the smallest images and can ship fallbacks for older browsers.

Note: file size depends heavily on image content (noise, detail, sharp text), dimensions, and quality settings.

When to Use Each Format

Use JPG (JPEG) when you need compatibility

JPG is still the safest default for photos when you don’t want to worry about fallbacks. It’s also widely used for email, downloads, and workflows where older tooling matters.

Need to standardize extensions?

Use PNG when you need transparency or crisp edges

PNG shines for:

  • Transparent logos/icons
  • UI assets
  • Screenshots and diagrams
  • Text-heavy images

If your PNG is large and you don’t actually need transparency, consider converting it to a photo format:

Use WebP as a “modern default”

WebP is a great choice for modern sites because it can replace many JPG and PNG uses with smaller files while still supporting transparency.

Common workflows:

Use AVIF for maximum compression (with fallbacks)

AVIF can deliver extremely small files (especially for large photographic images). The trade-off is that older browser versions may not support it, so it’s best paired with fallbacks.

Useful conversions:

File Size Examples (Real-World Intuition)

Exact sizes depend on your image and settings, but these examples show typical behavior when converting the same source image at a reasonable “web quality” level.

Example A: Photo (1200×800)

  • JPG (80%): ~320 KB
  • WebP (quality ~75–85): ~220 KB (often ~25–35% smaller)
  • AVIF (quality ~55–75): ~140 KB (often smaller than WebP)
  • PNG: ~900 KB (often much larger for photos)

Example B: Logo with transparency (800×800)

  • PNG: ~180 KB
  • WebP (lossless or high quality): ~110 KB (often smaller with transparency)
  • AVIF: ~90 KB (can be small, but test for sharp edges)
  • JPG: Not suitable (no transparency; background must be flattened)

Example C: Screenshot / UI (1400×900)

  • PNG: ~450 KB (crisp text)
  • WebP: ~260 KB (good compromise, still crisp in many cases)
  • AVIF: ~240 KB (may be small, but watch for text artifacts at lower quality)
  • JPG: ~300 KB (can introduce ringing/blur around text)

Takeaway: resize first, then pick the format. Dimensions often matter more than the last 5–10 points of “quality.”

How to Serve Modern Formats Safely (with Fallbacks)

If you want WebP/AVIF benefits without breaking older browsers, use <picture>:

<picture>
  <source srcset="/images/hero.avif" type="image/avif" />
  <source srcset="/images/hero.webp" type="image/webp" />
  <img src="/images/hero.jpg" alt="Hero image" width="1200" height="630" />
</picture>

This serves AVIF when supported, otherwise WebP, and falls back to JPG.

Converter Map (Links to ALL Tooladex Converters)

Below is a practical “from → to” map so you can jump straight to the converter you need.

JPG / JPEG conversions

PNG conversions

WebP conversions

AVIF conversions

GIF conversions (static GIFs)

HEIC / HEIF conversions (iPhone photos)

SVG conversions

Bonus: convert images to Base64 / data URIs

If your use case is embedding images into HTML/CSS (data URIs), use:

Want the Fastest Result? Compress First

If you’re not sure which format to choose, start with your goal:

  • Need universal compatibility? ship JPG/PNG and optionally add WebP/AVIF via <picture>
  • Need the smallest files for modern browsers? prefer AVIF/WebP with fallbacks

You can also quickly optimize images with our compressors:

Image Compressor

Compress images to reduce file size while maintaining quality. Perfect for optimizing images for web, email, or storage.

Try Tool Now