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June 29, 2026 · 6 min read
If you've looked into speeding up a website, you've almost certainly been told to "use WebP." It's one of the most recommended image optimisations of the last decade — but what actually is WebP, how much does it really save, and is it the right choice for you? Here's a plain-English answer.
WebP is an image format developed by Google, designed specifically for the web. Its goal is simple: deliver the same visual quality as JPEG and PNG in a noticeably smaller file. It does this with more modern compression than either of those older formats, and it can do the jobs of both — photographs and graphics — in a single format.
Unlike JPEG, which is lossy only, and PNG, which is lossless only, WebP offers both modes. That flexibility is a big part of why it caught on.
In lossy mode, WebP is typically 25–35% smaller than a JPEG at the same visual quality. In lossless mode, it's usually around 20–30% smaller than an equivalent PNG. On a page full of images, that easily translates into hundreds of kilobytes — often megabytes — of savings, which means faster loading, lower bandwidth costs and better search rankings.
Those numbers vary with the image: photos with lots of fine detail save less, flat graphics save more. But in almost every case, WebP wins on size.
WebP supports transparency (an alpha channel), just like PNG — so you can use it for logos, icons and overlays with transparent backgrounds while keeping the file lighter. It also supports animation, making it a lighter modern alternative to animated GIFs.
In other words, WebP can replace JPEG, PNG and GIF all at once, which simplifies how you handle images on a site.
This used to be the main objection to WebP, but it's no longer a real concern: every major browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — has supported WebP for years. In practice, well over 95% of users can view WebP images without any issue.
The main exceptions are very old software and some desktop applications or email clients that expect a classic format. So for the open web, WebP is safe; for a file you're emailing to someone or uploading to an unknown system, a JPEG or PNG is still the safer bet.
For images on your own website: yes, almost always. The size savings are real and the compatibility is there. If you want a safety net for ancient browsers, serve WebP with a JPEG or PNG fallback — most website platforms and CMSs can do this automatically.
For images you send to people or upload elsewhere: stick with JPEG for photos and PNG for graphics, since you can't control what software will open them. Converting is easy either way: drop your image into our compressor, choose WebP as the output format, and download the lighter version — it all happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.