What's the main difference between PNG and JPG?
The core difference is compression. PNG is lossless and keeps every pixel exactly, and it supports transparency. JPG is lossy: it discards some detail to produce much smaller files, and it has no transparency. That single trade-off decides which format is right for a given image.
PNG vs JPG at a glance
| Feature | PNG | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes (alpha channel) | No |
| File size (photos) | Large | Small |
| Best for | Logos, icons, text, screenshots | Photographs |
| Edge sharpness | Crisp | Can blur / show artefacts |
When should you use PNG?
Use PNG when you need a transparent background or perfectly sharp edges — logos, icons, illustrations, text, and screenshots. Because PNG is lossless, it never introduces the blocky artefacts JPG can show around hard edges and lettering.
When should you use JPG?
Use JPG for photographs and complex, colourful images where small file size matters more than pixel-perfect edges. A high-quality JPG of a photo is a fraction of the size of the same image as a PNG, with no visible difference to the eye.
How do you convert between PNG and JPG?
Both conversions run free in your browser: PNG to JPG shrinks a graphic into a smaller photo-style file, and JPG to PNG gives you a lossless, edit-friendly copy. New to the format? Start with what is a PNG.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is smaller, PNG or JPG?
- For photographs, JPG is far smaller because it uses lossy compression. For flat graphics and screenshots with few colours, PNG can be smaller and stays sharp.
- Does JPG support transparency?
- No. JPG has no alpha channel, so it cannot store transparency. Any transparent area becomes a solid colour, usually white. Use PNG or WebP for transparency.
- Is PNG better quality than JPG?
- PNG is lossless, so it keeps every pixel exactly, while JPG discards some detail. For graphics and text that difference is visible; for photographs, a high-quality JPG looks practically identical at a fraction of the size.
- Can I convert PNG to JPG without losing quality?
- Converting to JPG always applies lossy compression, but at high quality the loss is usually invisible. Converting JPG to PNG stops further loss but cannot restore detail already discarded.