Everyone says WebP is smaller. But how much smaller, really? We grabbed a photo, a screenshot, and a logo — saved each as JPG, PNG, and WebP — and put the numbers side by side.
| Image | PNG | JPG (85%) | WebP (85%) | WebP savings vs JPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo (1920×1080) | 4.2 MB | 312 KB | 218 KB | 30% smaller |
| Screenshot (1920×1080, text) | 847 KB | 289 KB (blurry) | 156 KB (sharp) | WebP wins |
| Logo (800×600, transparency) | 124 KB | N/A (no alpha) | 42 KB | 66% smaller than PNG |
For photos, WebP is consistently 25-35% smaller than JPG at the same quality. For graphics with transparency, lossy WebP crushes PNG — often 3-5x smaller. The only scenario where PNG wins: screenshots with lots of text and sharp edges, where PNG's lossless compression is both smaller AND sharper than lossy alternatives.
Want to see the difference yourself? Grab a file and convert between formats — you'll see the file sizes change in real time.