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JPG vs PNG

JPG vs PNG compared — compression, transparency, quality and file size, plus free converters and an image compressor.

JPG uses lossy compression that shrinks photos at the cost of some detail; PNG uses lossless compression and supports transparency, making it best for graphics, logos and screenshots.

JPG vs PNG at a glance

JPG PNG
Compression Lossy (smaller) Lossless (larger)
Transparency No Yes (alpha)
Best for Photographs Logos, icons, screenshots, text
Quality loss Yes, on each save None
File size Small Larger for photos

When to use JPG

Choose JPG for photographs and large images where small file size matters more than perfect detail or transparency.

When to use PNG

Choose PNG for graphics with sharp edges, text or transparency — logos, icons, UI screenshots — where lossless quality matters.

Tools for JPG & PNG

JPG vs PNG

Is PNG better quality than JPG?

PNG is lossless so it preserves exact pixels (better for graphics and text), but for photographs JPG looks nearly identical at a fraction of the size. Pick by content, not "quality" alone.

Which is smaller, JPG or PNG?

For photos, JPG is much smaller. For flat-colour graphics, PNG can be smaller and is lossless. Use the image compressor to shrink either further.