JPG vs PNG: Which Should You Use?
Use JPG for photos. Use PNG for logos, screenshots, graphics with text, and any image that needs a transparent background.
The reason is how each format saves your picture. JPG uses lossy compression: it throws away fine detail to make photos much smaller. PNG uses lossless compression: it keeps every pixel exactly, which is perfect for sharp edges and text but makes photos very large.
JPG vs PNG at a glance
| JPG (or JPEG) | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy, some detail is lost | Lossless, nothing is lost |
| Best for | Photos | Logos, icons, screenshots, text, diagrams |
| File size for photos | Small | Very large |
| File size for simple graphics | Often larger than PNG | Small |
| Transparent background | No | Yes |
| Quality setting | Yes, you choose | No, it is always exact |
| Quality after re-saving | Drops a little each time | Never changes |
| Opens everywhere | Yes | Yes |
JPG and JPEG are the same format. The shorter .jpg ending comes from old versions of Windows that only allowed three letters after the dot.
Test 1: a photo
We saved one detailed photo, 1,600 × 1,200 pixels, as both formats on 8 November 2026 using the sharp image library.
| Saved as | File size |
|---|---|
| PNG | 4,776 KB |
| JPG at 90% quality | 658 KB |
| JPG at 75% quality | 393 KB |
The JPG at 75% quality was about 12 times smaller than the PNG. At normal viewing size, the two looked almost the same. For photos on a website, in an email or on an upload form, that size difference matters far more than the tiny loss of detail.
Test 2: a simple graphic
We then saved our own share image, 1,200 × 630 pixels, with flat colours and text.
| Saved as | File size |
|---|---|
| PNG | 21 KB |
| JPG at 75% quality | 24 KB |
| JPG at 90% quality | 34 KB |
This time the PNG was smaller than the JPG, and it was a perfect copy. JPG struggles with sharp edges, so it also adds faint smudges around letters and lines. For graphics, PNG wins on both size and quality.
We saw the same with a simple 400 × 400 logo on a transparent background: 9.6 KB as PNG and 9.8 KB as a 90% quality JPG.
Test 3: transparency
That logo had a transparent background. When we saved it as JPG, the transparent areas turned solid black, because JPG has no way to store transparency. Other programs may fill it with white instead, but either way the see-through background is gone.
So if you need a logo that sits on any background, a sticker, or a product cut-out from a background remover, keep it as PNG. WebP also supports transparency. Our guide to making a background transparent shows four ways to do it.
When to use JPG
- Photos from your phone or camera.
- Pictures for websites, blogs and social media, where small files load faster.
- Photos you need to email or upload to a form with a size limit.
- Any image where a small loss of detail will not be noticed.
When to use PNG
- Logos and icons.
- Screenshots, especially of text, menus or code.
- Charts, diagrams and drawings with flat colours.
- Images with a transparent background.
- Images you are still editing and will save several times.
What about WebP?
WebP can do both jobs. It has a lossy mode for photos and a lossless mode for graphics, and it supports transparency. In our photo test, a WebP at 75% quality was 303 KB, smaller than the 393 KB JPG. All modern browsers show WebP, but some older software and upload forms do not accept it. If you have a WebP you need as a PNG or JPG, use our WebP to PNG or WebP to JPG converter.
For a deeper look at the two kinds of compression, read lossy vs lossless compression.
Can you convert between JPG and PNG?
Yes, but think about what each change does:
- PNG to JPG makes photos much smaller but removes transparency and loses a little detail.
- JPG to PNG does not bring back any lost detail. The file just gets bigger. It is only worth doing if a program or website demands a PNG.
Quick answers
- Photos: JPG.
- Logos, screenshots and text: PNG.
- Transparent background: PNG, or WebP.
- Smallest file for the web: usually WebP, then JPG for photos.
- Is PNG higher quality? It is exact, but for photos the difference is hard to see and the file is far bigger.
- Is JPG the same as JPEG? Yes.
- Need the image as a PDF? See how to convert PNG to PDF. The same steps work for JPG.
- Have a logo as an SVG file? See how to convert SVG to PNG at the size you need.
To shrink either format, try our free image compressor. It can save as JPG, PNG or WebP, shows the new size before you download, and works in your browser without uploading your images. For more ways to cut file size, see how to reduce image size without losing quality.