JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs HEIC — which format should you use and when?

Four image formats you'll encounter daily, but most people have no idea which to use when. Here's the practical breakdown.

JPG — best for photographs

JPG (also written JPEG) uses lossy compression — it discards some detail to achieve smaller file sizes. For photographs with lots of colour gradients (sky, skin, grass), the loss is virtually invisible. JPG is the right choice for product photos, portraits, and any image that doesn't need a transparent background. Typical savings: 60–80% compared to PNG.

PNG — best for graphics and transparency

PNG uses lossless compression — no detail is lost. It also supports transparency (alpha channel), which is why background-removed images must be saved as PNG. The trade-off is file size: a PNG of a photograph is 2–5× larger than the equivalent JPG. Use PNG for logos, screenshots, and any image with text or sharp edges where JPG artefacts would be visible.

WebP — best of both worlds

WebP is Google's modern image format. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, and it supports transparency. A WebP image is typically 25–35% smaller than an equivalent JPG, and 26% smaller than an equivalent PNG. All modern browsers support it. If you're optimising images for a website, WebP is almost always the right choice.

HEIC — what your iPhone actually saves

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the default photo format on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11. It produces files roughly 50% smaller than equivalent JPGs while retaining the same quality. The catch: HEIC isn't widely supported on the web or in older software. Most websites and marketplaces don't accept HEIC uploads directly.

HEIC vs PNG — which should you use?

For everyday photos, HEIC is the better format. It produces roughly 50% smaller files than PNG at equivalent quality, because PNG's lossless compression is built for graphics and screenshots, not photographs. Choose PNG instead when you specifically need transparency — a background-removed image or a logo — or guaranteed lossless quality for text and sharp edges, since HEIC targets photo storage, not graphics. So if you're weighing PNG vs HEIC for a photo you're about to share or upload, HEIC (or a JPG/WebP export, if the recipient can't open HEIC files) will almost always give you the smaller, more practical file.

HEIC vs WebP — which should you use?

WebP is the safer everyday choice. It's supported by virtually every website, browser, and piece of design software, while HEIC is really only native to Apple's own ecosystem. Both formats offer similar compression efficiency and both support transparency, so file size alone won't decide it for you. If your photos are staying on an iPhone or iCloud, HEIC is fine — it's the default for a reason. If you're uploading anywhere online — a website, a marketplace listing, an online form — convert to WebP or JPG first, since many platforms still reject HEIC uploads outright.

If you're uploading iPhone photos to our tools, you don't need to convert first — FreePhotoTools accepts HEIC natively. For other platforms, convert HEIC to JPG or WebP using our format converter before uploading.

Quick reference

• Product photo for eBay: JPG at 80% quality
• Logo or graphic: PNG
• Background-removed image: PNG (required for transparency)
• Website hero image: WebP
• Social media post: JPG (most platforms re-compress anyway)
• iPhone photo for background removal: HEIC (upload directly, no conversion needed)
• Deciding HEIC vs PNG: HEIC for photos, PNG for transparency/graphics
• Deciding HEIC vs WebP: WebP for anything you'll upload online