JPG vs PNG: Which Image Format Should You Use?

JPG and PNG are the two most common image formats on earth — and people pick between them wrong all the time, ending up with blurry screenshots or 8 MB photos. The rule is simple once you understand one difference.

The one difference that matters

• JPG is lossy: it throws away detail to keep files small. Great for photos; terrible for sharp edges.
• PNG is lossless: it keeps every pixel exact. Great for text, logos and screenshots; heavy for photos.

The 5-second rule

Your image	Use	Why
Photo from a camera/phone	JPG	Smooth gradients compress beautifully; small file
Screenshot with text	PNG	Lossless keeps letters razor sharp
Logo or icon	PNG	Sharp edges + transparency support
Image needing transparency	PNG	JPG has no alpha channel — ever
Photo to publish on the web	JPG or WebP	WebP is 25–35% smaller at equal quality

What JPG does to text (and why)

Lossy compression treats sharp color transitions as "noise" to smooth out. On a photo, you never notice. On a screenshot of a menu or a chat, letters grow fuzzy halos — especially after re-saving a JPG three times. Every re-save recompresses: quality ratchets down a little each generation. Rule: always edit from the PNG original, export to JPG last.

Transparency: the JPG dealbreaker

JPG fills transparent areas with solid white on save. If your logo needs to sit on a colored background, PNG is not optional — it is the only option of the two. (WebP also supports transparency and is smaller — see our PNG vs WebP guide.)

Real file sizes (same 1000×667 image)

Format	Typical size	Quality
PNG (lossless)	~1.2 MB	Pixel-perfect
JPG quality 90	~180 KB	Visually identical for photos
JPG quality 70	~90 KB	Fine for web, soft for printing
WebP quality 85	~100 KB	Visually identical

For publishing on the web, converting photos from PNG to JPG (or WebP) is one of the cheapest performance wins that exists.

Converting between them

All directions, free, and nothing uploaded:

• JPG / PNG / WebP Converter — any format to any format;
• PNG to WebP Converter — when you want the smallest modern format;
• Image Compressor — keep the format, cut the size;
• Image Resizer — exact dimensions before uploading anywhere.

FAQ

Can I convert JPG to PNG to recover quality? No — the detail JPG discarded is gone forever. Converting only prevents further loss.

Which is better for email? JPG for photos (smaller), PNG for screenshots that must stay readable.

Which for printing? Whatever keeps most quality: PNG or JPG at maximum quality, at 300 DPI.

Bottom line

Photos → JPG. Screenshots, logos, transparency → PNG. Publishing on the web → convert to WebP. Keep originals lossless, export lossy last.