Why WebP Is the Better Image Format for the Web

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google specifically for the web. It provides significantly better compression than JPEG and PNG — WebP images are typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than equivalent JPEG images at the same visual quality, and 26 percent smaller than PNG images. Smaller images mean faster page loads, lower bandwidth costs, and better Core Web Vitals scores, all of which contribute to better SEO rankings.

WebP supports both lossy compression (like JPEG, good for photos) and lossless compression (like PNG, good for graphics and screenshots), as well as transparency (like PNG) and animation (like GIF). It is genuinely a better choice than older formats in almost every situation where you need an image on the web.

Browser Support for WebP

WebP is supported by all modern browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera — covering over 97 percent of global web users as of 2026. Safari added full WebP support in version 14 (2020), which means even Apple users on relatively recent devices can view WebP images without any issues.

For the very small percentage of users on older browsers, you can use the HTML<picture> element to serve WebP with a JPEG fallback:

<picture>
      <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
      <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
    </picture>

Quality Settings Explained

The quality slider controls the balance between file size and visual fidelity. For most web images, a quality of 80 to 85 produces output visually indistinguishable from the original at significantly reduced file size. Drop to 60 to 75 for images where maximum compression matters more than perfect quality, such as thumbnails. Use 90 to 100 only for images where every detail matters, like product photography or portfolio work.