WebP vs PNG: Which Should You Use?

Both formats keep transparency, and both can be lossless. So why pick one over the other? The short answer: WebP wins on file size for the web, PNG wins on compatibility and on being the format everything accepts.

The short answer

• Use WebP for images on your own website, where smaller files mean faster pages.
• Use PNG when the file will be uploaded, emailed, printed or opened in older software.
• Use neither for photos if you can help it: a lossy WebP or a JPG is far smaller.

Side by side

File size: where WebP wins

Google, which created WebP, reports that lossless WebP images are about 26% smaller than the same pictures as PNG. The exact saving depends on the image: flat graphics and screenshots with few colours compress well in both formats, while photographic content gains more from WebP's better prediction. A lossy WebP with transparency goes further still, which PNG cannot do at all, because PNG has no lossy mode.

Compatibility: where PNG wins

PNG has been supported by practically every program since the late 1990s. WebP is supported by all current browsers, but a surprising number of desktop apps, print services, email clients and "upload your logo" forms still reject it. If you have ever seen a "file type not supported" message after downloading an image from a website, that was a WebP. See how to fix file type not supported for the common cases.

Quality: are they the same?

Lossless WebP and PNG both reproduce every pixel exactly, so there is no visible difference between them. Lossy WebP does throw away detail, like a JPG, so it is not suitable for images that must stay exact, such as screenshots with small text, line art or anything you will edit again. PNG also supports 16-bit colour, which matters for scientific or professional editing, while WebP stops at 8-bit.

Which to use for what

• Logos, icons and UI graphics on a website: lossless WebP, with a PNG fallback if you need old browsers.
• Screenshots and diagrams you share: PNG, so anyone can open them.
• Images with transparency for print or design software: PNG.
• Large hero photos: lossy WebP or JPG, not PNG.
• Product images for marketplaces: JPG or PNG, as many listings reject WebP. See images for Etsy, eBay and Amazon.

Converting between them

To turn a WebP into a PNG that keeps its transparency, use the WebP to PNG converter. To shrink a PNG for your site, use the PNG to WebP converter. Both run in your browser, so your files are not uploaded. If you want a JPG instead, use the WebP to JPG converter, and compare all three families in PNG vs JPG and WebP vs JPG.

Frequently Asked Questions

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