4 min read

In this digital world, there are many types of images according to their format but PNG and JPEG (or JPG) are most commonly used on the websites. At first glance, both images might seem identical but when you dig into the data, there is a quite difference between them. Don’t worry I am going to cover both of the popular file formats, PNG vs JPG, including when to use them and why. 

Each image format comes with its own pros and cons, so it is understood that a single format is not always better than others in any particular circumstance or business requirements including image quality, file size, background transparency and more. 

In order to understand the concept, you need to ask yourself some questions for making a better decision. Is it a casual image or a detailed graphic? Are you planning to publish it on the company website? Is it your personal image? Answers to these questions will help you to select your optimal file type. 

What is a JPG or JPEG File Format? 

In the 1990s, it was difficult to share the photographic files to another location, so photographers put their efforts to make the smaller images. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) team had developed the image file type known as JPG (pronounced as Jay-peg) in 1992. 

In fact, compressing an image from 200MB to 20MB has a minor loss in quality that is practically negligible. Because a compressing algorithm named Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) checks similar pixels and merges them together in entities that are known as tiles. So, you can use many tools to compress your JPG images in order to increase your website loading speed. But if you are still facing speed issues then check the internet latency for better results. 

But keep in mind, once the extra pixels are merged you can never get them back and if you ever need to make edits again you will experience loss of quality. Due to this reason, the JPEG image format is not suggested as an archival file format and illustrations or lines because it will be blurred due to anti-aliasing. 

Pros and Cons of JPG

The biggest advantage of using JPEG files is the great ratio between image compression and smaller size without compromising quality. So, if you are going to build an e-commerce store then hundreds or thousands of images will be published on your store. If each image is compressed having a smaller size then it will help you to decrease your website loading time and gives a wonderful browsing experience to your potential customers. 

JPG has integrated EXIF support and widely used for web applications where image size has a direct impact on performance.

JPEG or JPG is based on lossy compression and doesn’t considered ideal for CMYK printing. When we talk about PNG vs JPG, the major thing which comes into the mind is transparency that is no supported in JPG. 

What is PNG File Format? 

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless file format that was created in October 1996 and defined in RFC 2083. It was originally designed for a better alternative to the Graphic Interchange Format (GIF).  Unlike JPG, PNG relies on LZW compression which is also used for GIF and TIFF image formats. 

PNG vs JPG: The biggest advantage of PNG over JPG is transparency and lossless compression that means there is no loss in the quality each time opened and saved again. It is the default format of screenshots because it provides a perfect pixel-to-pixel representation of the screen. 

PNG has greater worth in web and digital marketing because it is used to clearly render a logo, illustrations, or text over other elements on a website. PNG is the ideal image format when the images are complex and there are no size issues with progressive display options. 

Pros and Cons of PNG

PNG files can be saved over and over again without any loss in quality because of lossless compression. It is considered the best option for taking screenshots with a faithful representation of the actual screen. 

The most known feature of PNG is its support for transparency, it means you can design your logos without any background. 

The important disadvantage of PNG is its larger file size than JPEG which is not suitable for those places where quick loading speed is required. Moreover, it has no native EXIF support that contains the information coming from the camera such as ISO, Shutter speed, and Aperture, etc. 

JPG vs PNG – Which one is more suitable for you?

Ultimately, both image formats have their own importance in a particular situation. So, it is purely depending on what you need to do with that image. 

When JPG is The Right Choice: 

• Social media pictures (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.)
• Images used for online magazines, websites, blogs, etc. where faster loading time is important
• Simple images with small resolution pictures where quality doesn’t matter
• Images designed for third-party websites where other image formats may not be supported

When PNG is The Right Choice: 

• When you need long-term image archiving
• Images with transparent background
• Complex images having text or diagrams with best quality 
• Business logos that can be easily imported and exported

Final Words

Both image formats are valid and used for websites but slower loading speed is not always caused by high-resolution images, it can also be caused by limited resources. So, it is necessary for you to get your own cloud-based VPS server or dedicated host from the nearest data center where all server resources are reserved for your own website to deliver optimum quality results.