Modern image formats can make photos far smaller than JPEG at the same visible quality. Which one to use depends on where the image is going.
The short answer
- For websites: AVIF for the smallest files, or WebP for the widest support and faster encoding. Keep a JPEG fallback if you support very old browsers.
- For sending to people: JPEG. Every device opens it.
- For logos, icons and screenshots with flat colour: PNG, ideally with a reduced palette, or lossless WebP.
- For archiving and Apple-centred workflows: JPEG XL is worth a look; check support first.
JPEG
The universal format since 1992. Every browser, app and device opens it. Files are larger than the modern formats at the same quality, and it has no transparency.
WebP
Released by Google in 2010. Supports lossy and lossless compression and transparency. Supported by all current major browsers. Typically smaller than JPEG at similar quality, though the saving varies by image.
AVIF
Based on the AV1 video codec. Often the smallest of the widely supported formats at the same visible quality, and it supports transparency and HDR. Supported in current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. Encoding is slower than WebP.
JPEG XL
A newer format that compresses well and can losslessly repack existing JPEGs into smaller files. Safari supports it; support in other browsers has changed over time, so check caniuse.com before relying on it for the web.
PNG
Lossless, with transparency. Ideal for graphics with few colours, wasteful for photographs. Reducing the palette can shrink a PNG dramatically.
Do not trust the chart, trust your photo
Which format wins depends on the image: a sunset, a product shot and a screenshot compress very differently. Rules of thumb are a starting point. The reliable answer is to compare your actual photo.
Shrinker Studio’s Formats view does exactly that: it shows your photo as JPEG, WebP, AVIF and JPEG XL at once and marks the smallest. Pair it with Looks the same and each format is compared at the quality where it still looks identical to the original, so you compare like with like.
Serving modern formats with a fallback
To use AVIF or WebP on a website while keeping JPEG for older browsers, use the HTML <picture> element:
<picture><source srcset="photo.avif" type="image/avif"><source srcset="photo.webp" type="image/webp"><img src="photo.jpg" alt="…"></picture>