JPG and PNG are the two formats everyone has on their drive, and they're optimized for opposite jobs. Here's the difference that actually matters, and a one-line rule for choosing.
The core difference: lossy vs lossless
JPEG compresses by discarding detail the eye is unlikely to miss — 'lossy' compression. Each save re-discards a little more, which is why a repeatedly-edited JPEG slowly degrades. PNG compresses without losing a single pixel value — 'lossless' — by finding shorter ways to describe the same data.
When JPEG wins
- Photographs and anything with smooth gradients and natural textures.
- Situations where file size matters more than pixel-perfect fidelity.
- Images without transparency — JPEG has no alpha channel.
When PNG wins
- Screenshots, UI graphics, charts — anything with flat color areas and text.
- Images that need transparency (JPEG can't store an alpha channel at all).
- Graphics you'll edit and re-save repeatedly, where generation loss would add up.
| Property | JPEG/JPG | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes (full alpha) |
| Best for | Photos | Screens, logos, text |
| Worst for | Sharp text edges | Large photos |
| File size (photo) | Small | Very large |
The one-line rule: photos → JPEG, everything else → PNG. When you need both small and sharp, that's WebP's job — see WebP vs JPG. You can switch formats any time with the image converter.
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