PNG vs JPG — Which Image Format Should You Use?
Quick answer: Use PNG for screenshots, logos and any image that needs transparency or pixel-perfect detail. Use JPG for photos and any large image where a 5–10× smaller file matters more than perfect fidelity.
PNG and JPG are the two formats almost every image ends up in, and choosing the wrong one is the most common reason a page loads slowly or a logo looks blurry. The difference comes down to one decision the format makes for you: PNG keeps every pixel exactly as it was, while JPG throws away detail your eye is unlikely to notice in exchange for a dramatically smaller file.
| Feature | PNG | JPG |
|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes (alpha) | No |
| Best for | Screenshots, logos, line art | Photos, gradients |
| Typical file size (1080p) | ~1–3 MB | ~150–400 KB |
| Browser support | Universal | Universal |
When PNG is the right choice
PNG is lossless, which means it reproduces every pixel exactly. That makes it the correct format for anything with sharp edges or flat colour: screenshots, logos, icons, diagrams, charts and any image where text needs to stay crisp. JPG's compression smears those hard edges into faint halos, so a screenshot saved as JPG almost always looks slightly dirty around the lettering.
PNG is also the only one of the two that supports transparency. If you need a logo to sit on top of a coloured background, or a product shot with the background removed, PNG (or its modern cousins) is the format that carries that transparent alpha channel.
When JPG wins
For photographs — anything with smooth gradients, skin tones or natural texture — JPG is almost always the better trade. A photo saved as PNG can be five to ten times larger than the same photo as a good-quality JPG, with no visible difference at normal viewing sizes. On a web page that weight directly slows down loading and eats your visitors' data.
A practical rule: if the image came out of a camera, reach for JPG. If it came out of a design tool or a screenshot, reach for PNG.
Need to convert? Try PNG to JPG or JPG to PNG — both run entirely in your browser, no upload required. To shrink a photo without changing format, use Compress Image.