JPG vs WebP — Should You Switch Your Photos?
Quick answer: Use WebP for photos on a website — it's typically 25–35% smaller than JPG at the same quality. Stick with JPG when a file has to open in old software, email clients or hardware that may not understand WebP.
JPG has been the default photo format for decades, and it still works everywhere. WebP is the modern alternative that produces meaningfully smaller files at the same visual quality. For the web the maths usually favours WebP; outside the browser, JPG's universal compatibility still wins.
| Feature | JPG | WebP |
|---|
| Typical photo size | Baseline | ~25–35% smaller |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Compatibility | Universal, including old software | All modern browsers |
| Best for | Email, legacy apps, print | Website images |
| Quality at small sizes | Good | Slightly better |
The case for switching to WebP
On a typical photo WebP shaves 25–35% off the file size for the same perceived quality. Across an image-heavy page that adds up fast: faster loads, less data for mobile visitors, and a measurable improvement in the page-speed scores that affect search ranking. WebP also supports transparency, so it can replace PNG for some graphics too.
Because every current browser understands WebP, you rarely need a fallback for website use anymore.
When to keep JPG
JPG's strength is that it opens in literally everything — decades-old image viewers, every email client, photo kiosks, older phones. If you're emailing a photo to someone, attaching it to a document, or sending it somewhere you can't predict the software, JPG is the safer choice.
A good habit: keep your originals as JPG, and convert to WebP specifically for the versions you publish on the web.
Convert with the free Convert to WebP tool, or go the other way with Convert to JPG. To shrink without changing format, try Compress Image.