JPG is the most widely used lossy format for photos. JPG opens in most environments, but another format such as WebP may suit some uses better.
WebP is a web format that is smaller than JPG and supports transparency and animation. When you convert JPG to WebP, the file gets smaller and you get a format that supports transparency. See the comparison below for what changes.
This converter reads the file itself to confirm it is JPG, then converts it to WebP right in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.
JPG vs WebP: what's the difference?
| Item | JPG | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparent background | No | Yes |
| Animation | No | Yes |
| Introduced | 1992 | 2010 |
| Support in programs and upload forms | nearly everywhere | moderate |
| Shown directly in browsers | Yes | Yes |
| Photo file size (JPG = 1) | baseline (1×) | about 0.7× |
What is JPG?
JPG (JPEG) is a lossy format standardized in 1992. It drops information the human eye is less sensitive to, making photos very small. It is the format cameras and smartphones save by default, so it is the one you meet most often.
What is WebP?
WebP is a web image format Google released in 2010. At the same quality it can be roughly 25-35% smaller than JPG, and it handles lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation in a single format.
What changes when you convert JPG to WebP
Converting doesn't add a transparent background
JPG has no transparency information, so converting to WebP keeps the background as it is. To remove a background you need a separate background-removal tool.
An already-compressed image is compressed again
Both JPG and WebP are lossy, so converting JPG to WebP adds a little more degradation. Keeping quality at 90 or higher usually avoids visible differences, and it's best to convert from the original only once.
You can adjust quality, size and background color
When converting JPG to WebP, you can use the quality slider (default 90), exact width-and-height sizing with margin fill, and percentage resizing. JPG is already lossy, so pushing quality too low stacks up visible degradation. Even when size matters, try not to go below 80.
How the file size changes
At the same quality, WebP tends to be smaller than JPG (roughly 30% smaller). This is for photos; for simple images such as logos and screenshots, PNG can actually come out smaller.
WebP has narrower support than JPG
JPG support is nearly everywhere and WebP support is moderate. Check that the recipient can open WebP first, and if you're not sure, JPG or PNG is safer.
When to convert
- You need to shrink a JPG file for an email attachment or an upload size limit
- You want to make JPG images lighter so pages load faster
- You're preparing an image for typical WebP uses (optimizing website images, transparent web graphics)
JPG → WebP: practical tips
At the same quality the size typically drops by about 20-35%. You can see the actual reduction right in the result screen.
Compressing JPG with a lossy format again degrades it a tiny bit more. If you have the original, convert from it to WebP, with quality between 80 and 90 recommended.