WEBP vs PNG
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.
WebP
Choose WEBP when
- The image goes on your own website
- You want transparency without PNG’s file size
- Page speed matters
Portable Network Graphics
Choose PNG when
- The file is going to someone else or into an editor
- Every pixel has to be exact
- Older apps need to open it
Side by side
| Property | WEBP | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | WebP | Portable Network Graphics |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Typical size | Typically 25–35% smaller than the same JPG | A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB |
| Support | Current browsers and apps | Opens everywhere |
| Opens on | Every current browser, but plenty of desktop apps, print shops and upload forms still refuse it | Every browser, phone, computer and image editor |
| Best for | Images on websites, where smaller files load faster | Screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with text or a transparent background |
| Introduced | 2010 | 1996 |
Watch out with WEBP
Images saved from websites arrive as WEBP even when the page looked like it showed a JPG, and then a document editor or upload form refuses them.
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.
Need to switch?
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Questions
Is WEBP better than PNG?
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.
Which is smaller, WEBP or PNG?
WEBP is usually smaller for the same content. WEBP: Typically 25–35% smaller than the same JPG. PNG: A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB.
How do I convert WEBP to PNG?
Use the free WEBP to PNG converter. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
How do I convert PNG to WEBP?
Use the free PNG to WEBP converter. It works the same way, entirely on your device.