JPG: The Format That Runs the World Born: 1992 · Created by: Joint Photographic Experts Group "This image format comparison covers everything you need to know about HEIC, AVIF, WebP, and JPG — file size, quality, compatibility, and exactly when to use each one." JPG (also written JPEG) is the most widely used image format in human history. Estimates suggest over 4 trillion JPG images are stored or shared every year. It's the format your email client expects, social media platforms prefer, and every single device on the planet can open without question. How it works: JPG uses lossy compression. When you save a JPG, the algorithm discards data the human eye is least likely to notice — fine grain, subtle colour variations, sharp noise. The result is a small file with acceptable quality loss. What JPG is good at: Universal compatibility — works on every device, app, OS, and platform without exception Reasonable file sizes for photographs Fast decoding — older hardware handles it without breaking a sweat Wide ecosystem support (cameras, printers, scanners, medical equipment, etc.) What JPG is bad at: Each re-save degrades quality (generation loss) — saving a JPG as a JPG again makes it worse No transparency support — backgrounds are always white or solid colour Visible artefacts at high compression — blocky "ringing" around edges Poor performance on graphics, text, and flat colours (PNG is better there) Bottom line: JPG is not the best format technically. It's the best format socially — because everyone can open it without thinking. WebP: The Pragmatic Modern Choice Born: 2010 · Created by: Google Google released WebP as a direct replacement for JPG and PNG — one format to handle both photos and graphics, with better compression for both. After a slow start, WebP is now supported by 97%+ of browsers globally and is widely considered the safe, practical step up from JPG for web use. How it works: WebP uses a compression algorithm derived from the VP8 video codec. It supports both lossy and lossless modes. Lossy WebP is typically 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPG; lossless WebP is typically 25% smaller than equivalent PNG. What WebP is good at: Significant file size reduction over JPG and PNG with similar visual quality Transparency support (unlike JPG) Animation support (like GIF, but much smaller) Near-universal browser support as of 2022 onwards Fast encoding and decoding What WebP is bad at: Desktop app support is still patchy — Photoshop added support only in 2022; many older apps still can't open WebP Not natively supported on iOS before iOS 14 / Safari 14 Less impressive compression than AVIF at equivalent quality Bottom line: WebP is the sensible choice for web developers who want better-than-JPG performance today without gambling on AVIF's tooling immaturity. If you're building a website in 2026 and not serving AVIF yet, WebP should be your default. AVIF: The Best Compression Available — With Caveats Born: 2019 · Created by: Alliance for Open Media (Google, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Mozilla) AVIF is the newest format in this comparison and, on pure technical merit, the winner. It delivers compression that typically beats JPG by 40–50% and WebP by 20–30% at the same visual quality. Netflix has been serving AVIF to compatible devices since 2020. Google Images switched to AVIF delivery in 2021. Shopify began offering AVIF by default on their CDN in 2023. How it works: AVIF uses the AV1 video codec's intra-frame compression — the same algorithm that powers high-efficiency video streaming, repurposed for still images. This gives it exceptional performance on fine detail, colour gradients, and high dynamic range content. What AVIF is good at: Best-in-class compression — same quality as JPG at roughly half the file size HDR and wide colour gamut (P3, Rec. 2020) support Transparency (alpha channel) Animation Near-lossless mode with tiny file sizes Supported in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge What AVIF is bad at: Slow encoding — creating an AVIF file takes significantly more CPU time than JPG or WebP Poor desktop software support — Windows Photo Viewer, Photoshop, and Lightroom all struggle with AVIF Downloaded AVIF files often can't be opened without converting first No native support in most operating systems prior to 2024 Bottom line: AVIF is the right choice for delivering images on the web to modern browsers. It's the wrong choice for anything that leaves the browser — emailing, editing, sharing, printing. When you download an AVIF and need to actually use it, convert it to JPG first. HEIC: Apple's Brilliant, Frustrating Format Born: 2017 · Created by: Apple (based on the HEIF standard by MPEG) HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format your iPhone has been using by default since iOS 11. Apple adopted it because it stores the same quality as JPG at roughly half the file size — a genuine benefit when you're taking thousands of photos on a device with limited storage. HEIC is technically similar to AVIF in that both use efficient video-codec-derived compression. The key difference is origin: HEIC comes from Apple's ecosystem; AVIF comes from the open web ecosystem. What HEIC is good at: Excellent compression — comparable to AVIF, significantly better than JPG Live Photos and burst sequences in a single file Depth maps and portrait mode data embedded in the file HDR support Native support across all Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) What HEIC is bad at: Almost no support outside Apple's ecosystem Windows requires a paid or separately installed codec to open HEIC natively Most Android devices cannot open HEIC files Not accepted by most websites, social platforms, or professional tools Email clients often fail to display HEIC images inline Bottom line: HEIC is great inside the Apple ecosystem. The moment you need to share a photo with someone on Windows, Android, or any web platform, you'll need to convert HEIC to JPG. Most iPhone users discover this the hard way. The Head-to-Head Comparison File Size (same image, equivalent visual quality) FormatRelative file sizeNotesJPG100% (baseline)Varies significantly with contentWebP (lossy)~65–75% of JPGConsistently smallerHEIC~50–60% of JPGApple devices onlyAVIF~45–55% of JPGBest compression availablePNG150–400% of JPGLossless — not comparable for photos Compression ratios vary by image content. Photographic content with complex colour benefits more from AVIF/HEIC than simple graphics. Compatibility FormatWindowsmacOSiPhoneAndroidAll BrowsersPhotoshopEmailJPG✅✅✅✅✅✅✅PNG✅✅✅✅✅✅✅WebP⚠️ partial✅✅✅✅✅ (2022+)❌HEIC❌ (needs codec)✅✅❌⚠️ Safari only❌❌AVIF❌✅ (Sequoia+)✅ (iOS 16+)⚠️ varies✅ modern❌❌ Feature Support FormatTransparencyAnimationHDRLosslessLossyJPG❌❌❌❌✅PNG✅❌❌✅❌WebP✅✅❌✅✅HEIC✅✅ (Live Photo)✅✅✅AVIF✅✅✅✅✅ Which Format Should You Actually Use? If you're a regular person sharing photos Use JPG. Every platform accepts it, every person can open it, every device supports it. The slightly larger file size is irrelevant when you're sharing on WhatsApp or emailing a photo. Don't overthink this. If your photos are coming off an iPhone as HEIC, convert them to JPG before sharing. SnapConvert's HEIC to JPG converter does this free in your browser with no upload required. If you're a web developer or running a website Use AVIF with a WebP fallback and JPG as the final fallback. The HTML pattern looks like this: html Description This serves AVIF to browsers that support it (Chrome, Firefox, Safari), WebP to browsers that support WebP but not AVIF, and JPG to everything else. You get the best compression available for each visitor without breaking anything. If managing multiple formats is too complex, WebP alone is a practical simplification — it's supported by 97%+ of browsers and gives you 25–35% better performance than JPG with no compatibility risk on modern browsers. If you're a photographer or designer Keep originals in the highest quality format possible — PNG for graphics, TIFF or RAW for photography. Export to JPG for delivery to clients, social media, or print services. Don't touch HEIC or AVIF for professional work until software support improves significantly. If clients send you HEIC or AVIF files that won't open in your editing software, convert to PNG first (not JPG) to preserve maximum quality before editing. SnapConvert's any-to-any converter handles this free in seconds. If you manage an iPhone and take lots of photos You can change your iPhone's capture format to JPG directly: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. This shoots in JPG by default, eliminating the conversion problem entirely — at the cost of roughly double the storage per photo. Alternatively, keep shooting HEIC (better quality and storage efficiency) and convert only the photos you need to share. The Future: Where Image Formats Are Heading In 2026, the format landscape is settling into a clear hierarchy: AVIF is winning the web. Every major CDN and image delivery platform now supports AVIF. Google's Core Web Vitals make image size a direct ranking factor, pushing developers toward the most efficient format available. WebP is becoming the floor, not the ceiling. Two years ago, WebP felt cutting-edge. In 2026 it's the minimum viable modern format — better than JPG, but now clearly outperformed by AVIF. HEIC is an Apple island. Apple has shown no interest in pushing HEIC beyond its own devices. It will remain excellent for iPhone photo storage and irrelevant for anything cross-platform. JPG will not die. Its compatibility moat is too wide. Every camera, printer, scanner, medical device, and enterprise system in the world understands JPG. It will still be in widespread use in 2036. The real story is the conversion gap. As AVIF and HEIC proliferate — delivered by websites and shot by cameras — the need to convert between formats is growing, not shrinking. The tools that bridge that gap are increasingly essential infrastructure. Frequently Asked Questions Is AVIF better than WebP? For compression and image quality, yes — AVIF is measurably better than WebP in most tests, with 20–30% smaller files at equivalent quality. But WebP has broader software support and faster encoding. For web delivery to modern browsers, AVIF wins. For compatibility and tooling, WebP is safer. Is HEIC the same as HEIF? Almost. HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is the container format standard. HEIC is Apple's specific implementation of HEIF using the HEVC (H.265) video codec. They're related but not identical — though in everyday use, the terms are interchangeable. Why does my iPhone send HEIC photos that Windows can't open? iPhone shoots in HEIC by default because it saves storage. Windows doesn't include an HEIC codec out of the box (it's available as a paid add-on from the Microsoft Store). The quickest fix is to convert HEIC to JPG before sharing. Should I convert my photo archive to AVIF? Not recommended. AVIF encoding is slow, software support for viewing AVIF archives is poor, and re-encoding already-compressed JPGs introduces generation loss. Keep archives as JPG or PNG and use AVIF only for new content intended for web delivery. What format does Google Images use? Google Images serves AVIF to browsers that support it, WebP as a fallback, and JPG as a final fallback. This is considered best practice for web image delivery in 2026. Can I convert between any of these formats for free? Yes. SnapConvert converts between HEIC, AVIF, SVG, JPG, PNG, and WebP — free, in your browser, with no uploads. Batch up to 20 files at once. Summary JPGWebPAVIFHEICBest forUniversal sharingWeb deliveryWeb performanceiPhone storageCompression★★☆☆☆★★★☆☆★★★★★★★★★☆Compatibility★★★★★★★★★☆★★★☆☆★★☆☆☆Software support★★★★★★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★☆☆☆Transparency❌✅✅✅HDR❌❌✅✅ The format that's "best" depends entirely on what you're doing. For sending, sharing, and universal compatibility: JPG. For web performance: AVIF. For iPhone storage: HEIC (and convert when you need to share). When you need to bridge the gap between any of these formats, SnapConvert converts them all — free, instant, and without uploading your files to any server.