Best Image Format for Websites in 2026: WebP vs AVIF vs PNG vs JPG

Why Image Format Matters for Websites

Images account for roughly 50% of a typical web page's total size. Choosing the right format directly impacts page load speed, which affects both user experience and search engine rankings. Google uses Core Web Vitals — including Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — as ranking factors, making image optimization critical for SEO.

The Four Main Contenders

JPG (JPEG)

The original web image format, best for photographs and complex images with many colors.

• Pros: Universal support, good for photos, adjustable compression
• Cons: No transparency, older compression algorithm, larger files than modern formats
• Best for: Legacy browser support, email attachments

PNG

The go-to format for images requiring transparency or pixel-perfect quality.

• Pros: Lossless quality, transparency support, great for graphics
• Cons: Large file sizes, not ideal for photographs
• Best for: Logos, icons, screenshots, images with text

WebP

Google's modern image format, widely adopted since 2020.

• Pros: 25-35% smaller than JPG, supports transparency and animation, near-universal browser support
• Cons: Slightly slower encoding than JPG
• Best for: General web use — the best default choice for most websites

AVIF

The newest contender, offering the best compression available.

• Pros: 30-50% smaller than JPG, excellent quality, transparency and animation support
• Cons: Slower encoding, Safari support only since 16.4, some older browsers lack support
• Best for: Performance-focused sites that can provide WebP fallbacks

Format Comparison at a Glance

Our Recommendation for 2026

For most websites: Use WebP as your primary format. It offers the best balance of compression, quality, and browser support. Use the HTML <picture> element to serve AVIF to supported browsers with WebP as fallback:

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

For logos and icons: Use SVG (vector) when possible, or PNG for raster graphics that need transparency.

For maximum performance: Use AVIF with WebP fallback. This approach gives you the smallest possible file sizes for modern browsers while maintaining compatibility.

Convert Your Images

Ready to optimize your website images? Use our free converters:

• JPG to WebP — reduce photo sizes by 30%+
• PNG to WebP — optimize graphics for the web
• JPG to AVIF — next-gen compression for maximum speed
• PNG to AVIF — dramatically shrink PNG files