HEIC vs JPG vs WEBP: Which Image Format is Best?

If you have ever tried to upload a photo from your iPhone to a website and received an "Unsupported File Type" error, you have experienced the image format war firsthand.

With so many acronyms—JPG, PNG, HEIC, WEBP, AVIF—it can be overwhelming to know which file type you should actually be using. In this guide, we break down the big three formats and tell you exactly when to use each.

1. JPG (JPEG): The Universal Standard

Created in the 1990s, the JPG format is the undisputed king of digital images.

• The Good: Absolute universal compatibility. Every browser, phone, app, and computer on Earth can open a JPG. It is excellent at shrinking photos while keeping them looking good.
• The Bad: It is an older technology. It cannot handle transparent backgrounds, and compared to modern formats, it takes up more storage space to maintain the same level of quality.
• When to use it: When compatibility is your number one priority. If you need to guarantee a file will open for a client or on an older system, use JPG.

2. HEIC: Apple's Space-Saving Format

Apple introduced HEIC as the default photo format for iPhones to save storage space. It uses the same advanced technology used to shrink high-definition videos.

• The Good: It stores incredible quality at roughly half the file size of an equivalent JPG. It can also store multiple images in one file (like Live Photos).
• The Bad: Poor compatibility outside of Apple devices. Many Windows computers, Android phones, and websites cannot open HEIC files.
• The Fix: If you have HEIC photos from your iPhone that you need to use elsewhere, you can easily convert them using our free HEIC to JPG Converter.

3. WEBP: The Web Standard

Developed by Google specifically to make the internet faster, WEBP is the modern standard for websites and designers.

• The Good: Unbeatable space savings. WEBP files are typically 25% to 35% smaller than JPGs of the same quality. It can create tiny files for speed or perfect copies for quality, and it supports transparent backgrounds.
• The Bad: Very old software or old browsers might struggle with it, though almost every modern device supports it now.
• When to use it: If you run a website or a blog, all your images should be WEBP. It will make your pages load much faster and improve your search rankings. You can bulk convert your images using our JPG to WEBP tool.

Summary

• Shooting photos on an iPhone? Keep them in HEIC to save space.
• Sending files to clients or uploading to legacy systems? Convert them to JPG using our PNG to JPG or WEBP to JPG tools.
• Building a website or writing a blog? Always optimize and convert your assets to WEBP for maximum performance.