Image format comparison
Nine formats, and only three or four of them are worth choosing for a new project. This table puts the differences side by side, including the ones that decide whether a format will work at all.
The comparison table
Read the first four columns to decide whether a format can do the job; read the last to decide whether it is pleasant to use. Browser support is the column that most often rules a format out, regardless of its technical merits.
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Animation | Bit depth | Browser support | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Lossy only | No | No | 8-bit | Everything | Photographs, maximum compatibility |
| PNG | Lossless only | Yes (8-bit alpha) | Yes (APNG) | 8 or 16-bit | Everything | Logos, screenshots, text, transparency |
| WebP | Lossy + lossless | Yes | Yes | 8-bit | Every current browser | The safe modern default for the web |
| AVIF | Lossy + lossless | Yes | Yes | 10 or 12-bit | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari 16+ | Smallest files, HDR, gradients |
| GIF | Lossless, 256 colours | Binary only | Yes | 8-bit palette | Everything | Simple animations, small graphics |
| HEIC | Lossy + lossless | Yes | Sequences | 10-bit | Apple devices, OS codecs | iPhone photos before export |
| TIFF | Usually lossless | Yes | Multi-page | Up to 16-bit+ | Limited (Safari only) | Scans, print masters, archives |
| BMP | Uncompressed | Rarely | No | 8/24/32-bit | Everything | Legacy Windows software |
| SVG | Vector (not raster) | Yes | Yes (CSS/SMIL) | N/A (vector) | Everything | Logos, icons, diagrams, anything scalable |
What each format costs you
Size comparisons are the easiest way to pick wrongly, because they depend on the image. The ordering is stable though: AVIF smallest, then WebP, then JPG, with PNG far behind for photographs and far ahead for flat graphics.
- JPG: the smallest lossy format everyone can open, at the cost of 8-bit colour and no transparency
- PNG: lossless and transparent, but a photograph stored as PNG is several times larger than the same photo as JPG
- WebP: 25-35% smaller than JPG at the same visible quality, with transparency - the default choice for websites
- AVIF: 25-50% smaller than JPG, best in the low-quality range where JPG falls apart, but slow to encode
- HEIC: roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG with better colour, but almost nothing outside Apple opens it
- GIF: limited to 256 colours, which is why it survives only for simple animations
- TIFF and BMP: uncompressed or lightly compressed, so they are archive and intermediate formats, not delivery formats
- SVG: resolution-independent text-based vector, which is a different category entirely - it cannot store a photograph
Which conversions lose what
The direction of a conversion decides what survives. Moving to a format with fewer capabilities always discards something, and moving back never recovers it.
| Conversion | Size | Quality | What is lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any → JPG | Smaller | Slight loss | Transparency becomes white; 10-bit colour drops to 8-bit |
| Any → PNG | Much larger for photos | No further loss | Animation (unless APNG) and metadata |
| Any → WebP | Smaller | Slight loss (if lossy) | Compatibility with older desktop software |
| Any → AVIF | Smallest | Slight loss | Editor support; encoding is Chromium-only in browsers |
| JPG → PNG | Much larger | No gain | Nothing recovered - the detail was already gone |
| PNG → JPG | Much smaller | Slight loss | Transparency and any 16-bit depth |
| GIF → PNG/JPG | Smaller | No further loss | Every frame except the first |
Cite this page
Free to cite. Copy the reference below, or link to this page directly.
PicConv. "Image format comparison". https://picconv.com/resources/image-format-comparison/ (accessed 2026-11-01).
Tools that use this
JPG to WebP Converter
Convert JPG to WebP online and cut the file size by 25-35% with no visible change. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark.
→PNG to AVIF Converter
Convert PNG to AVIF online - the smallest web image format, with transparency. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark.
→AVIF to JPG Converter
Convert AVIF to JPG online for programs and upload forms that refuse AVIF. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark.
→HEIC to WebP Converter
Convert HEIC photos from your iPhone to WebP in the browser. Usually 25-35% smaller than JPG with transparency support - no upload, no signup.
→Frequently asked questions
Which format should I use for a website?
WebP as the default, AVIF with a WebP or JPG fallback if you control the markup and want the smallest files. Keep the original masters in whatever format they came in.
Is PNG better quality than JPG?
PNG is lossless, so it never loses quality - but that only matters for graphics, screenshots and repeated editing. For a photograph, PNG is several times larger than JPG at a quality nobody can distinguish.
Can I convert HEIC to JPG without losing quality?
Not fully: JPG is 8-bit and lossy, while HEIC is 10-bit. Most photographs survive the conversion invisibly; banding can appear in smooth gradients. Converting to PNG avoids further loss but produces a much larger file.
Why does my GIF lose its animation when converted?
Most image formats cannot store multiple frames. Converting a GIF to PNG or JPG keeps only the first frame. Use a dedicated video-to-GIF or GIF tool if animation must survive.
Is SVG a raster format?
No. SVG stores shapes as coordinates and curves, so it scales without losing sharpness and stays tiny. It is right for logos, icons and diagrams, and wrong for photographs, which are inherently raster.