Format Comparison
WebP vs PNG: Complete Comparison
Both WebP and PNG support transparency, but which format should you use for your website images? Here's everything you need to know.
Quick Summary
Choose WebP When:
- • File size is a priority
- • Optimizing for web performance
- • You can provide fallbacks for old browsers
- • Photos and complex images
Choose PNG When:
- • Maximum compatibility needed
- • Image editing and lossless quality
- • Simple graphics and logos
- • Print or professional work
Feature Comparison
| Feature | WebP | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy & Lossless | Lossless only |
| File Size | 26% smaller (lossless) | Larger files |
| Transparency | ||
| Animation | APNG only | |
| Browser Support | 97%+ | 100% |
| Color Depth | 8-bit + alpha | Up to 48-bit |
| Best For | Web images, photos | Graphics, logos, icons |
File Size Comparison
WebP's biggest advantage is compression efficiency
WebP uses advanced compression algorithms that can produce significantly smaller files while maintaining visual quality:
PNG (original)100%
WebP Lossless~74% (26% smaller)
WebP Lossy (90% quality)~45% (55% smaller)
Use Cases & Recommendations
Use WebP For:
- Website images and photos
- E-commerce product images
- Blog post images
- Hero images and banners
- Thumbnails and previews
Use PNG For:
- Logos and branding assets
- Screenshots and diagrams
- Icons (when SVG isn't suitable)
- Graphics with text
- Print-ready files
Best Practice: Use Both with Fallbacks
For optimal web performance, serve WebP with PNG fallbacks using the picture element:
<picture> <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp"> <source srcset="image.png" type="image/png"> <img src="image.png" alt="Description"> </picture>
Modern browsers will use WebP; older browsers fall back to PNG.
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