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HEIC vs JPG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
If you’ve ever wondered whether to save an image as HEIC, JPG, or WebP, the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re doing with it. Each format is the best choice for a different job.
Here’s the quick version, then the details.
Quick answer
| Your goal | Best format |
|---|---|
| Maximum compatibility (share, email, upload) | JPG |
| Smallest files for a website | WebP |
| Smallest files on your iPhone | HEIC |
| Lossless quality or transparency | PNG |
If you only remember one thing: use JPG when in doubt, WebP for the web.
HEIC — small files, Apple’s world
HEIC is what your iPhone saves photos as by default. It uses modern compression to make photos roughly half the size of JPG at the same quality, and it can store extras like depth maps and Live Photos.
The catch is compatibility. HEIC is brilliant inside Apple’s ecosystem, but Windows, older Android phones, and many websites and upload forms can’t open it. The moment a HEIC photo leaves your iPhone, it often becomes a problem — which is why most people end up converting it. (More on that in Why are iPhone photos HEIC?.)
Best for: keeping your iPhone’s storage from filling up. Convert it before sending it anywhere else.
JPG — works literally everywhere
JPG (also written JPEG) is the most widely supported image format on the planet. Every phone, camera, browser, app, and website understands it. It’s been the default for photos for decades.
It’s a lossy format — it throws away some data to stay small — but at high quality settings the loss is invisible. Its main limitations: no transparency, and larger files than HEIC or WebP at the same quality.
Best for: sharing, email, uploads, printing, and anywhere you need something that “just works.”
WebP — the modern web format
WebP is Google’s format built for the web. At the same visual quality it’s typically 25–35% smaller than JPG, it supports transparency (like PNG), and it can even do animation (like GIF). All modern browsers support it.
Its weakness is outside the browser: some older apps, editors, and upload forms still reject WebP.
Best for: images on websites — faster page loads and lower bandwidth.
What about PNG?
PNG is lossless: it keeps every pixel perfectly and supports transparency, but the files are large. It’s the right choice for screenshots, logos, graphics with sharp edges, and any image you’ll edit repeatedly. It’s a poor choice for photos, where it produces needlessly huge files.
Side-by-side comparison
| HEIC | JPG | WebP | PNG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File size (photos) | Smallest | Large | Small | Largest |
| Quality | Lossy | Lossy | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compatibility | Apple only | Everywhere | Modern browsers | Everywhere |
| Best for | iPhone storage | Sharing anything | Websites | Graphics, editing |
So which should you use?
- Sending a photo to someone, or uploading it somewhere? → JPG.
- Putting an image on your website or blog? → WebP.
- Editing a graphic, or need transparency? → PNG.
- Just keeping photos on your iPhone? → leave them as HEIC, convert when you export.
How to convert between them
Pixore converts between all of these in your browser — your files are never uploaded, so they never leave your device. It’s free and needs no sign-up:
- HEIC to JPG — the most common fix for iPhone photos
- JPG to WebP — shrink images for your website
- PNG to WebP — shrink screenshots and graphics (keeps transparency)
- WebP to JPG — when something won’t accept WebP
- PNG to JPG — make graphics smaller for sharing
Frequently asked questions
Is WebP better than JPG? For the web, almost always — same quality, smaller files, plus transparency. For maximum compatibility outside the browser, JPG is still safer.
Does converting between formats lose quality? Converting a lossy format re-encodes the image, so there’s a small generational loss. At high quality it’s visually identical. Convert to PNG if you need a truly lossless copy.
Which format is smallest? For photos, HEIC is usually smallest, followed by WebP, then JPG, then PNG. For graphics with few colours, WebP and PNG can both be very efficient.