WebP vs AVIF vs PNG vs JPEG: A Practical Format Guide for 2026

After spending 2 years building an image compression tool, here's my no-nonsense format guide. ## The Rule | If it's... | Use... | PNG | WebP | AVIF | JPEG | ## Why? PNG — Lossless. Keeps text and sharp edges crisp. Supports transparency. But files are large for photos. JPEG — Works literally everywhere since 1992. Good compression for photos. No transparency support. At 80-85% WebP — The sweet spot. 25-35% smaller than JPEG with same quality. Supports both lossy and lossless. Supports For most