The “best” image format for the web depends on what you’re displaying and which browsers you need to support, but there’s a clear default recommendation for most modern websites today.
The short answer: WebP, with a fallback if needed
For most website images, WebP offers the best balance of small file size and good visual quality, typically producing files 25–35% smaller than an equivalent-quality JPG. Browser support for WebP is now near-universal across modern browsers, which is why most major websites and content management systems now serve it by default or as the primary format.
When JPG is still the right call
If your website needs to support very old browsers or software with no WebP support, or if you’re distributing images outside your website (email attachments, downloads meant to open in older software), JPG remains the safest universal choice for photographic content.
When PNG is still necessary
Nothing has replaced PNG for images that require true transparency with sharp edges — logos, icons, and UI graphics. WebP does support transparency too, but PNG remains the more universally recognized choice when a file might be used outside a web context (handed to a printer, embedded in a document, etc.).
What about AVIF?
AVIF is an even newer format that can produce smaller files than WebP at comparable quality, and support has grown significantly. It’s worth using if your platform and audience’s browsers support it, but WebP remains the safer default for broad compatibility today, with AVIF as an option for sites specifically optimizing for maximum compression.
Practical recommendation
- Default choice for photos on your website: WebP
- Logos and icons needing transparency: PNG or WebP
- Files distributed outside the web (print, email, older software): JPG or PNG
- Maximum compression, willing to manage fallbacks: AVIF
Converting existing images to WebP doesn’t require re-shooting or re-designing anything — our resizer converts between JPG, PNG, and WebP in the same step as resizing, so upgrading an existing image library’s format is a quick batch job rather than a redesign project.