Format comparison
TIFF vs PNG
By Suprabhat Updated How we write these
The short answer
Both are lossless. TIFF is built for print, scanning and professional photo work — 16-bit color, CMYK, layers and many pages in one file. PNG is built for screens: every browser and app opens it, it keeps transparency, and it is usually smaller for screenshots and graphics.
Tagged Image File Format
Choose TIFF when
- Sending artwork to a printer or a print shop
- Archiving scans and film at full quality
- Multi-page scanned documents or faxes
Portable Network Graphics
Choose PNG when
- Websites, apps and anything shown on a screen
- Screenshots, logos and graphics with transparency
- Sharing an exact image with someone else
Side by side
| Property | TIFF | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tagged Image File Format | Portable Network Graphics |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Typical size | A scanned A4 page can be 20–50 MB | A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB |
| Support | Patchy | Opens everywhere |
| Opens on | Photo editors, macOS Preview and Windows Photos, but not Chrome, Firefox or most upload forms | Every browser, phone, computer and image editor |
| Best for | Scans, print production and long-term archiving | Screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with text or a transparent background |
| Introduced | 1986 | 1996 |
Watch out with TIFF
Multi-page TIFFs from scanners look like one picture in some viewers, so pages go unnoticed when converting.
Watch out with PNG
Photographs saved as PNG balloon in size. A holiday photo that is 3 MB as JPG can be 15 MB as PNG, because lossless compression can do very little with the fine grain of a real photograph.
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Questions
Is TIFF better than PNG?
Both are lossless. TIFF is built for print, scanning and professional photo work — 16-bit color, CMYK, layers and many pages in one file. PNG is built for screens: every browser and app opens it, it keeps transparency, and it is usually smaller for screenshots and graphics.
Which is smaller, TIFF or PNG?
PNG is usually smaller for the same content. TIFF: A scanned A4 page can be 20–50 MB. PNG: A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB.
How do I convert TIFF to PNG?
Use the free TIFF to PNG converter. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
How do I convert PNG to TIFF?
Use the free PNG to TIFF converter. It works the same way, entirely on your device.
More format comparisons
- Format comparison
PNG vs JPG: which should you use?
Use JPG for photographs and PNG for everything with sharp edges: screenshots, logos, diagrams and text. PNG never loses detail but makes photos several times larger; JPG keeps photos small but smudges lines and can’t be transparent. - Format comparison
WEBP vs PNG: which should you use?
For images on a website, WebP does everything PNG does, transparency included, in a noticeably smaller file. PNG is still the safer choice for files you send to other people or open in older software. - Format comparison
WEBP vs JPG: which should you use?
WebP makes photos about a quarter to a third smaller than JPG at the same visible quality, and every current browser shows it. JPG remains the format every upload form, printer and email client accepts without question. - Format comparison
AVIF vs WEBP: which should you use?
AVIF usually produces the smallest file of any image format at the same quality, especially for photos, but it is slower to encode and slightly less widely supported. WebP is the practical middle ground: small, fast and supported everywhere modern.