WebP vs PNG: Which Is Better for Your Website in 2025?

When optimizing images for websites, the choice between WebP vs PNG can have a visible impact on page load time, graphic quality, and overall site performance. WebP is Google’s latest format that offers better compression with little quality degradation, while PNG is the de facto standard for images with transparency and complex graphics.

Which is right for your project? In this article, we’ll explore both formats’ principal strengths and weaknesses so that you can select the proper one for your WordPress site.

Understanding the basics of PNG vs WebP

In selecting an image format within WebP vs PNG vs JPG options, it will be helpful to know the architecture of each file type and what advantages they present. PNG vs WebP are two widely used formats utilized for various purposes in web design and development.

What is PNG?

Unlike WebP vs JPG, Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is one of the web’s most standard image file formats. PNG has a deep colour palette and provides high-quality non-loss data (an uncompressed format). Transparency is one of the main strengths of PNG, as it is a good choice for logos, icons, interface controls, and images that require crisp edges.

PNG comes in two main forms:

1. PNG-8: This can handle up to 256 colors and is well suited for simple images such as icons or graphics.
2. PNG-24: It can handle millions of colors and is, therefore, well suited for intricate graphics with gradients and texture.

Compared to WebP vs JPG, the largest drawback of PNG is that it consumes a lot of space. Since PNG lacks lossy compression, the images are extremely large, and this affects web page loading time.

What is WebP?

Among PNG vs WebP vs JPG, WebP is a new image format developed by Google for improved compression with minimal loss of quality. It provides both lossless compression (such as PNG) and lossy compression (such as JPEG). WebP allows you to compress files 30-50% less than PNG, which significantly speeds up page loading.

Discussing PNG vs JPEG vs WebP, the main advantages of WebP are:

• Smaller file size: pages load faster, improving user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO).
• Alpha channel support (transparency): similar to PNG, WebP allows you to create images with transparent backgrounds.
• Animation support: WebP can be utilized to replace GIFs since it offers better quality and a smaller file size.

Compared to the JPG vs PNG vs WebP battle, the crucial disadvantage of WebP is that it’s poorly supported in older browsers, particularly Internet Explorer. Nearly all the new browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari (latest versions), though, support WebP fully now.

WebP vs PNG: feature-by-feature comparison

Using WebP vs PNG is a decision that depends on whose format image qualities are more important to your WordPress site. To make a knowledgeable decision, let’s contrast the formats against key parameters.

WebP vs PNG compression methods

PNG uses the lossless method, so the entire information of the image is preserved even after WebP vs PNG compression. It works well for graphics where absolute clarity is important, e.g., logos or infographics.

WebP provides lossless vs lossy image compression:

• Lossless: identical quality to PNG but with smaller size.
• Lossy: significantly reduces the file size by applying advanced compression algorithms without worsening visual perception.

Discussing WebP vs PNG compression, WebP allows you to strike a balance between quality and the speed of website loading.

WebP vs PNG quality differences

PNG provides high detail and accurate color reproduction without distortion. This is especially important for detailed illustrations or professional design items.

Lossless WebP vs PNG is not worse in quality, but in lossy mode, it can lose some details. However, such a loss is normally not noticeable to the human eye, particularly if the compression level is selected correctly.

WebP vs PNG size comparison

One of the main advantages of WebP is that it is smaller in PNG vs WebP size comparison. WebP lossless is usually 25-30% lighter in weight compared to PNG, and in lossy mode, the saving can reach 50% and above. This significantly speeds up web page loading and improves SEO.

For example, a 500KB PNG image as WebP can be only 250KB without any noticeable loss in quality, which is especially important for sites with lots of graphics.

Transparency and animation: PNG vs WebP

PNG does offer transparency (alpha channel). It’s indispensable for images with partially transparent backgrounds, such as logos or graphical elements.

As far as animation is concerned, WebP is the winner because you can have animated images that are of higher quality and lower file size compared to GIFs. PNG does not even support animation.

WebP file vs PNG performance for website speed and SEO

Image optimization is a crucial component of website loading speed and SEO positions. Large files slow down WebP vs PNG performance, impacting user experience, and Google positions.

Load time and PageSpeed Insights

Google PageSpeed ​​Insights measures website performance, including page loading time. Among the most significant factors is image size.

PNG, although high-definition, is large, which slows page loading. Large files increase server response time and reduce Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), an extremely significant Core Web Vitals metric.

WebP, on the other hand, uses efficient compression to compress images to as little as 30-50% smaller than PNG. This boosts page loading and improves PageSpeed ​​Insights scores.

Testing shows that a transition to WebP from PNG can increase your overall PageSpeed ​​Insights performance score by 5-10 points. This improves SEO and your website’s search engine ranking.

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Mobile optimization with WebP vs PNG

As the majority of traffic now comes from mobile devices, mobile page speed is crucial. Mobile performance is also taken into account by Google for website ranking, and a slow website can lose traffic and conversions. 

WebP files load significantly faster on mobile because they are smaller in size, hence conserving mobile data usage. Also, they improve First Contentful Paint (FCP) — the time it takes for a user to see the first piece of content. Moreover, they reduce Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — reducing content “bouncing” due to slow image loads.

Browser and CDN compatibility

Support from browsers is among the deciding factors for choosing an image format. In 2025:

• WebP is supported by all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari (from version 14 onwards).
• PNG is supported everywhere, even in outdated browsers, so it can be used universally.

In the case of CDN (content delivery network), most modern CDN’s like Cloudflare, Akamai, and Amazon CloudFront do support WebP. That means that WebP-enabled websites will be able to cache and deliver images to end users faster, which enhances the performance of a site even more.

Use cases: when to use WebP image vs PNG

WebP vs PNG choice relies on your website’s requirements and the type of content you publish. Understanding when to use each of them is necessary.

Scenarios ideal for PNG format

PNG is best suited for images where high quality and clarity should be there no matter what. These are the cases where you should use PNG:

Branding and logos

PNG offers excellent transparency, making it easy to use logos on different backgrounds without compromising on clear outlines. This is especially important on websites where the brand needs to be easily recognizable.

Infographics

Images with thin lines and text, such as charts or infographics, stand to lose clarity if lossy formats are used, hence making PNG an ideal choice for such images.

Extremely detailed images

In case you have graphic material or complex images where every little detail counts (such as technical diagrams), WebP will allow you to maintain high accuracy and detail.

Best uses for WebP format

If compraing WebP format vs PNG, WebP is a great option for most of the cases where it is essential to reduce file sizes and load pages faster without sacrificing much in terms of quality. Below are some scenarios where WebP is the best choice:

Images and large images

WebP allows you to compress file sizes greatly on images without sacrificing a lot of image quality. If your site consists of many product images or hi-res images, WebP will provide instant loading and better performance.

Mobile site versions

WebP is suitable for mobile site versions due to its smaller size, so loading speed is crucial. Traffic is conserved and user experience is optimized.

Animation

As animated images must be employed, WebP is a suitable option over PNG. WebP also supports animation, but it is much smaller in size than usual GIFs.

Combining PNG vs WebP for optimal web performance

The optimal approach for the majority of websites is to utilize WebP format vs PNG in combination, based on your specific needs. For example, use PNG for logos and infographics where quality and transparency are not to be compromised, and WebP for images, banners, and product cards to reduce file sizes and improve loading.

In order to ensure compatibility with browsers that do not support WebP, you can implement two-phase loading of images and implement WebP for most browsers and PNG. This will ensure high performance and bandwidth usage optimization for users of all devices.

Tools and plugins: PNG to WebP conversion

Below is a rundown of both free and paid PNG to WebP converters as well as the best WordPress image optimization plugins.

Best tools to convert PNG to WebP

Free solutions:

XnConvert is a free powerful image conversion tool that is able to work with most image formats like PNG vs WebP. Also, Squoosh is a Google web app where you can simply convert images to WebP and other formats.

Paid solutions:

Adobe Photoshop (with WebP plugin) — while using Photoshop, you can save in WebP via the WebP plugin. It is a paid method that offers total control over the file size and quality of the image saved as WebP.

ImageOptim is a Mac and Windows application that allows you to efficiently optimize images and convert them into WebP.

WordPress image optimization plugins

To readily convert and optimize images to WebP on your WordPress site, you can use the following popular plugins:

Smush

It is the most popular image optimization plugin on WordPress. Smush has automatic image conversion to WebP, and even allows you to compress images and reduce their size without losing quality.

EWWW Image Optimizer

This is another modern image compression plugin with inbuilt PNG-to-WebP auto-conversion support.

ShortPixel

It is a plug-and-play image optimizer for your website that can translate PNG to WebP, among other things.

WebP Express

This is a plugin that is tailored specifically to automatically transform images to WebP when they are uploaded to your website by users.

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Future outlook: is WebP replacing PNG?

Web image types are under constant development, and WebP is one of the most optimal types for optimizing web content. It is an issue, though, whether WebP will render the traditional PNG format.

Google’s support for next-gen image formats

Google is one of the leading advocates of the WebP format, and the company’s backing of the format has helped boost its popularity in the market. Google is also actively integrating WebP into its suite of services, including Google Search and Google Photos, where the format enjoys significant file size savings and faster page loading.

Therefore, the advocacy for WebP will only grow stronger, and it has every possibility of becoming the web standard format, especially in efficiency-driven sites such as WordPress. PNG is not without an advantage under specific situations, especially when unchanged image quality or transparency is critical.

WebP, AVIF, and the future of image compression

An important aspect of the future of image compression is the growing usage of the AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) format. AVIF also provides even greater compression than WebP, good image quality but at a considerably smaller file size.

But despite AVIF’s possible advantages, WebP remains supreme since it is supported by the majority of modern platforms and browsers. AVIF is not supported in some of the most well-known browsers, such as Safari, although support for this format is expanding. In the future, both formats are sure to complement one another so that web developers have the potential to utilize the best format for specific situations.

WordPress web design: best image format for website

The structure of the images greatly affects page loading speed, and, therefore, choosing the right one among PNG vs WebP can greatly improve the performance of your WordPress website.

Choosing between PNG vs WebP in WordPress

WordPress is also one of the most popular platforms for building websites. It allows you to work with various types of web-friendly image formats.

1. Determine the type of images that are on your website

If your site is filled with clear graphics, such as logos, icons, or design patterns, PNG is the best choice. The PNG format offers high-quality images with lossless transparency, important for accurate color and edge representation.

2. Consider WebP speed ​​advantage

If your page consists of large images, pictures, or some graphic content, WebP could work because it helps with a whopping reduction in the file size with little loss in quality. It actually makes loading a page considerably quicker and aids SEO.

3. Check quality vs. speed ​​tradeoff

If you need high image quality but also need to optimize file size, use WebP with lossless compression. This allows you to maintain image quality while reducing file size.

4. Review browser compatibility

While support for WebP is growing, it is not currently supported across all browsers, including older versions of Safari. If cross-browser compatibility is important to you, use PNG for critical images or fallbacks to offer WebP support in those browsers that do support it.

5. Optimize with plugins

Utilize image optimization WordPress plugins, which can automatically compress uploaded images to WebP. In this PNG vs WebP battle, you can get the advantages of both: retain images in PNG for special events and WebP for regular images to reduce file size and boost the speed of the website.

Custom WordPress web design services 

Our agency specializes in designing custom WordPress website designs with a focus on optimal effectiveness and page speed. We know the importance of making the right decisions in terms of tools and formats to achieve the best outcome.

We will help you decide between WebP vs PNG formats based on your project details, design needs, and website performance optimization requirements. Our designers and web developers employ the best image optimization techniques to deliver instant loading without compromising on quality.

Conclusion

WebP vs PNG for website is a decision based on your needs and priorities. For WordPress sites, it is recommended to adopt a hybrid approach: WebP for main images and PNG where quality is paramount. This will give you a balance between speed, quality, and cross-browser compatibility.

Want to optimize your WordPress site and make it run faster? Our WordPress agency will help you set up the right SEO image formats, minimize page load, and improve SEO. Contact us now!

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