Quick decision guide
| Use case | Best format | Convert from |
|---|---|---|
| Web photographs | AVIF or WebP | JPG → AVIF |
| Logos and icons | SVG | PNG → SVG |
| Screenshots | PNG | — |
| Favicon | ICO + SVG | PNG → ICO |
| TIFF | PNG → TIFF | |
| Archive masters | PNG | JPG → PNG |
JPG — the baseline
JPG has been the web's photo format for decades and remains widely compatible. Its lossy compression is well-tuned for natural images. The main reasons to move away from JPG are file size (WebP and AVIF are consistently smaller) and the lack of transparency support.
PNG — lossless and transparent
PNG is the right choice when you need pixel-perfect accuracy or a transparent background. It's lossless, meaning the image degrades nothing during storage. The trade-off is larger files — a photographic PNG can be 5–10× the size of an equivalent WebP.
WebP — the practical default for web
WebP handles both lossy and lossless compression, supports transparency, and produces files 25–35% smaller than JPG. Browser support is universal as of 2026. For most web images, WebP is the best default choice.
AVIF — maximum compression
AVIF achieves roughly 50% smaller files than JPG at equivalent quality and 20–30% smaller than WebP. It's well-supported in modern browsers. The downside is slower encoding, which makes it more practical for pre-generated assets than real-time conversion.
SVG — for anything that can be drawn
SVG is not a raster format — it stores shapes mathematically. This makes it infinitely scalable without any quality loss. Use it for logos, icons, charts, and illustrations. Convert raster originals with our PNG to SVG converter.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is AVIF ready for production use in 2026?
- Yes. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all support AVIF. For maximum compatibility, use AVIF as the primary format with a WebP fallback using the HTML
<picture>element. - Should I use PNG or WebP for logos?
- WebP lossless is around 26% smaller than PNG and supports transparency. It's a better choice for web logos if your workflow supports it. For logos that also need to be used in documents or offline contexts, keep a PNG version as well.
- What happened to JPEG XL?
- JPEG XL is technically impressive, but major browser support was removed after limited adoption. Stick with WebP and AVIF for new projects — they have solid, stable support across all modern browsers.