WebP vs PNG

In addition, WebP is a newer format that uses more advanced compression algorithms than PNG, making it a better choice for images that need to load quickly on the web. PNG, short for Portable Network Graphics, is a popular raster graphics file https://wizardsdev.com/en/news/webp-or-png-to-choose/ format. Known for its lossless compression, PNG is ideal for images that require high quality and transparency, such as logos or icons. It supports a wide range of colors and is widely compatible with various image editing tools. Because of its universal support, it’s a reliable choice for many web designers.

Technical Specifications

WebP vs PNG

Its ability to serve high-quality images with reduced file sizes makes it the most efficient choice for most use cases. The choice between lossy and lossless largely depends on the image’s purpose. For example, product images, detailed graphics, and UI elements often benefit from lossless formats. Blog post illustrations and lifestyle photography typically perform well with lossy compression.

Cons of PNG File

  • The format is characterized by its flexibility in balancing compression level and image quality, allowing users to choose the right trade-off based on their needs.
  • The goal was to develop a format that could deliver high-quality images at smaller file sizes, thereby reducing bandwidth usage and speeding up website load times.
  • Both formats are popular among web developers for faster load times and better user experience.
  • So your 3 MB photo could drop to around 150 KB in WebP, which is half the size of a JPG, and still clear.

The format is also bitstream-compatible with VP8, using 14 bits for width and height encoding, making it an efficient and compact solution for web images. Programming language The VP8L bitstream ensures proper representation of image dimensions and quality. WebP images are stored in a container format based on Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF). RIFF containers are very lightweight, with an overhead of only 20 bytes (while it is possible to add more metadata). The RIFF container can support images with a side length of up to 16,383 pixels. WebP images are easy to identify by their .WEBP extension and can be opened in various ways.

  • It will take up storage, data, and time.Either way, we would suggest that you pick whichever format fulfills your requirements in a better and efficient manner.
  • For websites prioritizing speed, WEBP and AVIF are the best options.
  • It also supports transparency, making it ideal for web elements like logos and icons.
  • Each format has its strengths and weaknesses, and your choice can significantly impact your website’s performance and user experience.
  • PNG delivers high-quality images and works seamlessly for complex and simple images.
  • Despite this, using alt text, descriptive file names, and implementing proper compression can still optimize PNG images for SEO.
  • This makes it ideal for use on the web, where smaller file sizes can lead to faster load times and less bandwidth usage.

Choosing between PNG vs WebP in WordPress

WebP images are up to 34% smaller than comparable PNG images, which can improve website speed and reduce bandwidth usage. Almost all browsers and image editing software support PNG, so you can use it without worrying about compatibility issues. PNG uses filtering to reduce repetitive patterns and the DEFLATE algorithm (combining LZ77 and Huffman coding) to compress data efficiently while maintaining image quality. WebP lossy images are 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images at equivalent SSIMquality index.