// Image Formats · 2026
WebP VS PNG
Both keep transparency and both can be lossless. One is usually much smaller. We compare size, quality, support and the cases where PNG still wins.
Updated: August 2026 · 7 min read
↓ Skip to VerdictAt a Glance
| Category | WebP | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy and lossless | Lossless only |
| Transparency | Yes (8-bit alpha) | Yes (8-bit alpha) |
| Animation | Yes | No (APNG is a separate format) |
| Typical size vs PNG | Smaller - Google reports ~26% for lossless | Baseline |
| Browser support | All modern browsers | Universal, including very old ones |
| Best for | Web delivery of photos and graphics | Archival, exact pixels, email, print workflows |
| Editing round-trips | Lossy mode degrades on re-save | Safe - no generational loss |
The short version
For anything served on a web page, WebP is almost always the better choice: it does everything PNG does, including transparency, and produces a smaller file. Google, which created the format, reports lossless WebP as roughly 26% smaller than equivalent PNG. PNG remains the right answer when the file is an archive rather than a delivery format, when it has to open in anything at all, or when it will be edited repeatedly.
Lossless is the comparison that matters
PNG is lossless only. WebP has both a lossy and a lossless mode, and comparing lossy WebP against PNG is comparing two different jobs. The honest comparison is lossless WebP versus PNG - and there WebP still wins on size while producing a byte-for-byte identical image when decoded. If you are converting screenshots, logos or UI graphics, use lossless and you lose nothing at all.
Transparency behaves the same
A persistent myth is that WebP handles transparency worse. It does not - both formats carry a full 8-bit alpha channel, so soft shadows and anti-aliased edges survive equally in both. What differs is that lossy WebP also supports alpha, which PNG has no equivalent for: a photograph with a transparent background can be a fraction of the PNG size.
Where PNG is still correct
Three cases. Archival - PNG is older, simpler and will still open in fifty years. Interoperability - some desktop software, older email clients and print workflows still do not accept WebP. Repeated editing - if a file is opened and re-saved many times, staying lossless throughout avoids any risk of accidentally saving to lossy mode and quietly degrading the image each round.
Converting between them
Both conversions are lossless in the direction that matters, and both run entirely in your browser here: PNG to WebP to shrink files for the web, and WebP to PNG when you need something a stubborn application will accept. Nothing is uploaded in either direction.
Our Verdict
Use WebP for anything a browser will display, in lossless mode when the source is a graphic and lossy when it is a photograph. Keep PNG as your master copy and for anywhere the file has to be universally openable. The two are not really rivals: PNG is a good archive format and WebP is a good delivery format.
Frequently Asked Questions
For web delivery, usually yes. WebP supports the same 8-bit transparency as PNG and produces smaller files - Google reports lossless WebP as around 26% smaller than equivalent PNG. PNG is still better for archiving, for repeated editing, and anywhere the file must open in older or non-web software.
Yes, fully. WebP carries a full 8-bit alpha channel just like PNG, so soft shadows and anti-aliased edges are preserved identically. WebP also supports transparency in its lossy mode, which PNG has no equivalent for.
Not if you use lossless WebP - the decoded image is identical to the original. Quality is only lost if you choose lossy WebP, which is usually the right trade for photographs but not for logos, screenshots or text.
All modern browsers support WebP, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Support is no longer a practical reason to avoid it on the web. Very old browsers and some desktop and print software still do not accept it, which is why PNG remains useful as a fallback.
Three cases: archival storage where longevity and simplicity matter, files that will be opened and re-saved repeatedly, and anywhere the image must be accepted by older software, email clients or print workflows that do not recognise WebP.
Try it yourself
All of these run entirely in your browser — no signup, no watermark, and your files never leave your device.