WebP

A modern web image format that covers JPEG's and PNG's use cases in one file type, typically 25–35% smaller than either.

Representation

binary

Compression

VP8 intra (lossy), WebP lossless

Lossy

Yes

Transparency

Yes

Animation

Yes

File signature

52 49 46 46 .. .. .. .. 57 45 42 50

Open specification

Yes

Introduced

2010

Created by

Google

1. 2010Announced by Google, lossy only
2. 2012Lossless and alpha support added
3. 2020Safari 14 completes browser support
4. 2024Standardised as RFC 9649

• Windowsfull
• macOSfull
• Linuxfull
• Androidfull
• iOSfull

Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari 14+, Edge.

Applications: Photoshop 23+, GIMP, Figma, Affinity.

• One format for photos, graphics, transparency and animation
• Roughly a third smaller than equivalent JPEG or PNG
• Supported by every current browser

• Older desktop applications and some print workflows still reject it
• Animation tooling is weaker than GIF's ecosystem

• Website imagery
• App assets
• Replacing animated GIFs

Lossless WebP replaces PNG cleanly; lossy WebP replaces JPEG at similar visual quality.

• WebP to JPG
• WebP to PNG
• WebP to AVIF
• WebP to PDF
• WebP to GIF

Every conclusion below is derived from the structured facts on this page — nothing is written by hand.

• Transparency100/100

  • Because it supports transparency.
  • Because it stores a full alpha channel, allowing soft edges and partial opacity.

• Animation100/100

  • Because it stores multiple frames, so animation is supported natively.

• Browser compatibility100/100

  • Because every major browser engine renders it natively.
  • Because at least one shipping browser renders it.

• Operating system compatibility100/100

  • Because Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS all open it without extra software.
  • Because most platforms handle it natively.

• Software compatibility100/100

  • Because a broad range of applications read and write it.
  • Because several mainstream applications support it.

• Web suitability100/100

  • Because browsers render it natively, so no conversion step is needed at request time.
  • Because lossy compression keeps transfer sizes and Core Web Vitals in check.
  • Because the specification is open, so tooling and CDNs implement it freely.

• Cloud compatibility100/100

  • Because an open specification means cloud SDKs can implement it without licensing friction.
  • Because it converts into many other formats, which suits automated pipelines.

• Everyday consumer usage100/100

  • Because it opens by double-clicking on every mainstream device.
  • Because small files are easy to email, message and upload.
  • Because it is a current format that people and services still expect.

• Metadata support100/100

  • Because it carries EXIF-style embedded metadata.
  • Because it embeds colour-profile metadata.

• Open standards100/100

  • Because the specification is published openly.
  • Because an official specification document is publicly reachable.

• Popularity100/100

  • Because it sits at the centre of the format ecosystem, with many documented relationships.
  • Because mainstream applications ship support for it.
  • Because every mainstream operating system handles it.

• Decode performance100/100

  • Because smaller payloads mean less I/O and faster first paint.
  • Because mature formats benefit from hardware and SIMD-optimised decoders.

• Future-proofing75/100

  • Because it is actively maintained and current.
  • Because open specifications outlive the companies that create them.
  • Because it is a modern design rather than a legacy carry-over.

• Compression efficiency69/100

  • Because it compresses lossily, which produces much smaller files than lossless coding.
  • Because it defines a documented compression scheme.

• Image quality33/100

  • Because it discards detail during encoding, and every re-save compounds the loss.

• WebP → PNG

  Image quality improves by 67 points because it is lossless, so decoding returns the original pixels exactly.

  Trade-off: Animation drops by 100 points because it is a single-frame format and cannot animate.

  Convert WebP to PNG

• WebP → JPEG

  Licensing improves by 33 points because an openly specified format can be implemented without a licence negotiation.

  Trade-off: Transparency drops by 100 points because it has no transparency, so transparent areas are flattened onto a solid colour.

  Convert WebP to JPEG