HEIC vs JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF: which image format should you use?
Updated June 10, 2026 · 7 min read
Your iPhone shoots HEIC. Websites want WebP or AVIF. The form you're filling out only accepts JPG. Five formats coexist because each one made a different trade-off between file size, quality, and compatibility. Here's what each is actually for — and a simple rule for choosing.
The five formats at a glance
| Format | Size vs JPG | Compatibility | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG (1992) | baseline | universal — everything opens it | sharing, email, forms, printing |
| PNG (1996) | much larger for photos | universal | screenshots, graphics, transparency |
| HEIC (2017) | ~40–50% smaller | Apple devices; patchy elsewhere | storage on iPhone — convert before sharing |
| WebP (2010) | ~25–35% smaller | all modern browsers | website images, the safe web default |
| AVIF (2019) | ~50% smaller | modern browsers (2022+) | web images where size matters most |
JPG: the universal donor
Thirty years old and still the default for a reason: everything opens a JPG — every browser, every OS, every government form, every photo kiosk. Its compression is dated (newer formats fit the same quality in half the bytes), it can't do transparency, and recompressing it repeatedly degrades quality. But when a human or a system you don't control needs to open your image, JPG is the answer that never bounces.
PNG: for graphics, not photos
PNG is lossless — it preserves every pixel exactly, which makes it perfect for screenshots, logos, charts, and anything with sharp edges and text. It also supports transparency. The flip side: on photographs it produces enormous files, often 5–10× the size of an equivalent JPG. If your photo is a PNG for no particular reason, converting it is usually the single biggest size win available.
HEIC: great on your iPhone, awkward everywhere else
Apple made HEIC the iPhone default in 2017 because it stores the same photo in roughly half the space of JPG — significant when your camera roll holds 10,000 photos. The problem starts when the photo leaves the Apple ecosystem: Windows needs a paid codec to open it, many websites and upload forms reject it outright, and older software has never heard of it. That mismatch is why HEIC → JPG conversion is one of the most-searched file tasks on the web. Keep HEIC on the phone; convert copies when sharing.
WebP: the web's workhorse
Google built WebP for websites: photos compress about a third smaller than JPG at the same visual quality, it supports transparency (unlike JPG) without PNG's bulk, and every modern browser has supported it since 2020. For images on a website, WebP is the pragmatic default — meaningful savings, no compatibility anxiety.
AVIF: maximum compression, minor caveats
AVIF, derived from the AV1 video codec, is the current efficiency champion — commonly half the size of JPG at comparable quality, and it shines at low file sizes where JPG falls apart into blocky artifacts. The caveats: encoding is slower, very old browsers can't display it, and a few image tools still don't accept it. Use it where bytes matter most and you control the destination — your own website, for instance — and keep a fallback for everything else.
A simple decision rule
- Sending to another person or uploading to a form? JPG. Nothing bounces.
- Screenshot, logo, or graphic with text? PNG.
- Images for your own website? WebP — or AVIF if you're optimizing hard for speed.
- iPhone photos you're keeping? Leave them HEIC; convert copies when you share.
- Not sure? JPG at 80–85% quality is the answer that's never wrong.
Convert and compare formats yourself — free, no upload
The image compressor outputs JPG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF with a live before/after preview, so you can see exactly what each format does to your photo at each size.
Try the image compressor →Quick answers
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
Marginally — both are lossy formats, so a conversion re-encodes the image. At a high JPG quality setting (85%+) the difference is invisible in normal viewing. The original HEIC on your phone is untouched either way.
Is WebP always smaller than JPG?
Usually, not always — the savings depend on the image. Detailed photos typically save 25–35%; at very high quality settings a well-tuned JPG occasionally wins. A live preview that shows the actual output size beats any rule of thumb.
What format should I use for printing?
JPG at maximum quality (or PNG for graphics). Print shops universally accept JPG, and at high quality settings compression artifacts are far below what's visible in print.
Related: What is EXIF data — and why strip it before sharing photos?