PNG vs JPG: Which Should You Use?

PNG and JPG can look identical on screen, but under the hood they’re built for different jobs. Picking the right one keeps your images sharp where it matters and small where it counts. Here’s the plain-English version.

The one-sentence answer

Use JPG for photographs (smaller files), and PNG for graphics, logos, screenshots, and anything that needs a transparent background or crisp edges (perfect quality).

What’s actually different?

JPG uses “lossy” compression: it throws away detail your eye is unlikely to miss to make files dramatically smaller. That’s ideal for photos, where a little softening is invisible — but it can blur sharp lines and text, and it can’t store transparency.

PNG is “lossless”: it keeps every pixel exactly, supports transparent backgrounds, and stays razor-sharp. The trade-off is much larger files, especially for photos.

When to use PNG

• Logos, icons, and graphics with flat colors or sharp edges
• Anything that needs a transparent background
• Screenshots, especially with text
• Images you’ll keep editing and re-saving (no quality loss each time)

When to use JPG

• Photographs and realistic images with lots of color
• Anything you’re emailing or uploading where file size matters
• Photos for websites, where smaller files load faster

How much smaller is JPG?

For a typical photo, the JPG is often a small fraction of the PNG’s size with no visible difference. For a flat logo, though, PNG can actually be smaller and sharper — so it really does depend on the image.

Converting between them

Switching formats takes seconds, and it all happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Going the other way (for example, to get a lossless copy for editing) is just as easy with the JPG to PNG converter. One caveat: converting a JPG to PNG won’t restore detail the JPG already discarded — it just prevents any further loss.

Frequently asked questions

Does converting JPG to PNG improve quality?

No. It locks in the current quality and avoids future loss, but it can’t recover detail already removed by JPG compression.

Which is better for websites?

Usually JPG for photos (faster loading) and PNG for logos or anything needing transparency. For the best of both, consider WEBP.

I need a transparent background — which one?

PNG. JPG fills transparent areas with white.