// Image Formats · 2026
JPG VS PNG
The oldest question in image formats, and it has a genuinely simple answer. We compare compression, transparency and text handling - and give you the one-line rule.
Updated: August 2026 · 7 min read
↓ Skip to VerdictAt a Glance
| Category | JPG | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes (8-bit alpha) |
| Photographs | Excellent - small files | Poor - very large files |
| Text and sharp edges | Poor - visible artefacts | Excellent - pixel exact |
| Re-saving | Degrades every time | No loss ever |
| Typical use | Photos, camera output | Screenshots, logos, UI, diagrams |
| Support | Universal | Universal |
The one-line rule
Photograph? JPG. Anything with text, sharp edges or transparency? PNG. That single sentence resolves the overwhelming majority of real cases, and the rest of this page is just the reasoning behind it.
Why JPEG ruins text and PNG does not
JPEG compresses by discarding detail the eye is bad at noticing, working in 8x8 pixel blocks. That works beautifully on a photograph, where colour changes gradually. It works badly on a hard black-on-white edge, because a sharp transition is exactly the kind of high-frequency detail the algorithm throws away - producing the grey smudging around letters known as ringing. PNG stores pixels exactly, so an edge stays an edge.
Generational loss is the trap
Every time a JPEG is opened and re-saved it is re-compressed, and the damage accumulates permanently. A file edited five times is visibly worse than the original, and there is no way back. PNG has no such problem. If a file will be edited more than once, keep the working copy as PNG and export to JPEG only at the end.
Transparency only exists in one of them
JPEG has no alpha channel at all. A logo saved as JPEG gets a solid background - usually white, sometimes black - and there is no setting that changes this. If you need the background to disappear, the answer is PNG or WebP. This is the single most common reason a logo looks wrong on a coloured page.
File size in practice
For a photograph, JPEG is dramatically smaller - often five to ten times - and the quality difference is invisible at sensible settings. For a screenshot or a flat-colour graphic the relationship inverts: PNG compresses runs of identical pixels extremely well, so it is often smaller than JPEG as well as sharper. Converting a screenshot to JPEG to "save space" frequently makes the file bigger and uglier at the same time.
Our Verdict
Photographs go to JPG. Screenshots, logos, icons, diagrams and anything containing text go to PNG. Keep master copies as PNG while you are still editing, and export to JPG only when you publish. If you want JPG-like size with PNG-like sharpness and transparency, the modern answer to both is WebP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try it yourself
All of these run entirely in your browser — no signup, no watermark, and your files never leave your device.