WebP vs PNG: when to use which

WebP and PNG both support transparency, so which should you reach for? The answer comes down to where the image will live and who needs to open it.

Reach for WebP on the web

For anything served to a modern browser, WebP is the better default. It’s smaller than PNG at the same visual quality and every current browser supports it.

Smaller files mean faster pages, which is reason enough for most production sites.

Reach for PNG for editing and hand-off

PNG is lossless and universally supported, which makes it the safe format for source assets, screenshots, and anything you’ll hand to another tool or person.

If someone downstream might not support WebP, PNG removes the risk.

A quick rule of thumb

Ship WebP, archive PNG. Export your working files as PNG and convert to WebP at the point of delivery.