If you’ve ever run a performance audit and got scolded for “serve images in next‑gen formats”, that warning is basically pointing at WebP (and AVIF). WebP is the practical one: it’s smaller than JPEG/PNG most of the time, it works in modern browsers, and you don’t have to rethink your whole image pipeline to start using it.
Below is the stuff that actually matters: when WebP is a clear win, when it isn’t, and which settings are worth touching so you don’t spend an afternoon nudging a quality slider by 1%.
TL;DR
- WebP offers 25-50% smaller files than equivalent JPG/PNG quality
- Supports both lossy (like JPG) and lossless (like PNG) compression
- Supports transparency (alpha channel, like PNG)
- All modern browsers support WebP (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Use TinyUtils Image Compressor to convert any image to WebP
What is WebP?
WebP is an image format developed by Google, first released in 2010 as part of the WebM video project. It uses predictive coding to compress images—analyzing blocks of pixels and predicting values based on neighboring blocks, then encoding only the differences. This approach, borrowed from video compression, explains why WebP achieves such impressive size reductions.
The format supports both lossy and lossless compression modes, transparency (alpha channel), and even animation. It's essentially a single format that can replace JPEG, PNG, and GIF for most web use cases.
Benefits of WebP
Dramatically Smaller Files
WebP typically produces files 25-35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality. For lossless images, WebP is 26% smaller than PNG on average. These aren't marginal gains—they compound across every image on every page load for every user.
Faster Page Loading
Smaller files mean faster downloads. On mobile networks especially, image weight directly impacts load time. A page with 2MB of images loads noticeably slower than one with 1MB. WebP can cut your image payload in half without visible quality loss.
Better Core Web Vitals
Google's Core Web Vitals metrics—particularly Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)—are directly affected by image size. Switching to WebP can measurably improve your LCP scores, which affects both user experience and search rankings.
Transparency Support
Unlike JPEG, WebP supports alpha channel transparency. Unlike PNG, it achieves this with much smaller file sizes. For images that need transparent backgrounds—logos, product photos, UI elements—WebP with transparency is typically 30-50% smaller than equivalent PNG files.
Animation Support
WebP can replace GIF for animated images with significantly smaller file sizes. Animated WebP maintains quality while reducing file size by 50% or more compared to GIF.
Lossy vs Lossless WebP
Lossy WebP
Lossy WebP is analogous to JPEG—it achieves smaller files by discarding some image data. The compression is intelligent, focusing on details humans don't easily perceive. At quality levels of 75-85%, most viewers can't distinguish lossy WebP from the original. Use lossy WebP for photographs and images where perfect pixel accuracy isn't required.
Lossless WebP
Lossless WebP preserves every pixel exactly, like PNG. No data is discarded. Use it for images where exact reproduction matters—screenshots with text, diagrams, UI mockups, or any image that will be edited further. Lossless WebP is typically 26% smaller than PNG.
Quality Settings Guide
| Quality Level | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 100% (Lossless) | Screenshots, diagrams, exact reproduction | No quality loss, larger files |
| 90-95% | High-quality photographs, portfolio images | Visually indistinguishable from original |
| 80-85% | General web images, blog photos | Recommended default for most uses |
| 70-75% | Content images, article illustrations | Good balance of size and quality |
| 60-65% | Thumbnails, preview images | Noticeable compression but acceptable |
| Below 60% | Rarely recommended | Visible artifacts in most images |
How to Convert to WebP
Using TinyUtils Image Compressor
- Open TinyUtils Image Compressor
- Drag and drop your images (JPG, PNG, GIF, or any other format)
- Select WebP as the output format
- Adjust quality slider (80-85% recommended for most use cases)
- Click to convert and download WebP files
For batch conversion, drop multiple files at once. The tool processes them in parallel and provides individual downloads or a ZIP archive.
Batch Conversion
Converting an entire site's image library? Upload multiple files at once. The converter handles batch processing and delivers all WebP files in a single ZIP download, maintaining your original filenames with the .webp extension.
Browser Compatibility
As of 2024, WebP is supported by every modern browser:
- Chrome: Supported since 2010 (version 9)
- Firefox: Supported since 2019 (version 65)
- Safari: Supported since 2020 (macOS Big Sur, iOS 14)
- Edge: Supported since 2018 (version 18, earlier on Chromium)
- Opera: Supported since 2012
The only browser that lacked WebP support was Internet Explorer, which Microsoft officially retired in 2022. For any practical web development scenario today, WebP is universally supported.
Serving WebP on Your Website
Simple Approach: WebP Only
If you're confident all your users have modern browsers, simply serve WebP directly:
<img src="image.webp" alt="Description" width="800" height="600">Progressive Enhancement with Picture Element
For maximum compatibility, use the <picture> element to serve WebP with JPEG fallback:
<picture>
<source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
<source srcset="image.jpg" type="image/jpeg">
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description" width="800" height="600">
</picture>
Browsers that support WebP load the WebP source. Others fall back to JPEG. The <img> tag is the safe fallback.
Server-Side Content Negotiation
Configure your server to detect browser support and serve the appropriate format automatically:
# Apache .htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_ACCEPT} image/webp
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.webp -f
RewriteRule ^(.+)\.(jpe?g|png)$ $1.$2.webp [T=image/webp,E=REQUEST_image]
</IfModule>CDN-Based Conversion
Many CDNs (Cloudflare, Fastly, Imgix, Cloudinary) can convert images to WebP automatically based on browser support. This is the most hands-off approach—upload one format, serve the optimal format to each user.
Optimization Tips
Start with Quality 80
For most web images, quality 80 is the sweet spot—significant file size reduction with imperceptible quality loss. Adjust up or down based on your specific needs.
Consider Dimensions
Compression quality isn't the only factor. Serving a 4000px image at 400px display size wastes bandwidth. Resize images to appropriate dimensions before or during compression.
Use Lossless for Text
Screenshots, diagrams, and images with text look terrible with lossy compression. Use lossless WebP for these to maintain sharpness.
Test Visual Quality
Always check your compressed images at intended display size. What looks fine at 100% zoom might be acceptable at the actual display size, allowing lower quality settings.
WebP vs Other Formats
WebP vs JPEG
WebP beats JPEG on file size at equivalent quality—typically 25-35% smaller. WebP also supports transparency, which JPEG can't do. For photographs on the web, WebP is the better choice.
WebP vs PNG
Lossless WebP is ~26% smaller than PNG. Both support transparency. For web use, WebP is generally better. PNG remains useful for print workflows and applications that don't support WebP.
WebP vs AVIF
AVIF is newer and can achieve even smaller files than WebP—about 20% smaller at equivalent quality. However, AVIF has less browser support (no Safari on older iOS), slower encoding, and less tooling. WebP is the safer choice today; AVIF may dominate eventually.
WebP vs GIF
Animated WebP is dramatically smaller than GIF with better quality. The only advantage GIF retains is universal support in contexts like email clients where WebP might not work.
Common Use Cases
E-commerce Product Photos
Product pages often have dozens of images. Converting to WebP reduces page weight dramatically, improving load times and potentially conversion rates. Faster product pages mean fewer abandoned sessions.
Blog and Content Sites
Articles with multiple images benefit significantly from WebP. A blog post with 10 images might drop from 3MB to 1MB—noticeable improvement on any connection.
Image Galleries and Portfolios
Photography portfolios need high quality. WebP at 90% quality preserves visual fidelity while significantly reducing bandwidth for galleries that might load dozens of images.
Social Media Assets
When creating images for web sharing, WebP provides smaller files that upload faster. Note that some social platforms convert to JPEG on their end regardless.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I convert all my images to WebP?
For web use, yes. The file size savings are substantial with no practical downsides. Keep original files for archives, but serve WebP to browsers.
Is WebP better than AVIF?
AVIF achieves slightly better compression but has less browser support and slower processing. WebP is the safe, universally-supported choice today. Consider AVIF as a future enhancement.
Can I use WebP in email?
Email client support for WebP is inconsistent. Outlook, Apple Mail, and some webmail clients support it; others don't. For email, JPEG/PNG remain safer choices.
Does WebP work on iOS?
Yes. Safari on iOS has supported WebP since iOS 14 (2020). All current iOS devices display WebP natively.
What quality setting should I use?
Start at 80% for photographs. Go higher (90%+) for hero images where quality is critical. Go lower (70%) for thumbnails. Test and adjust based on your specific images.
Can I convert WebP back to JPEG?
Yes, but you'll lose quality in the round-trip. Lossy WebP discards data; converting back to JPEG doesn't recover it. Always keep your original source files.
Why Use an Online Converter?
- No installation: Convert from any device with a browser
- Always current: Latest encoding optimizations without updates
- Batch processing: Convert many images at once
- Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile
- Consistent output: Same quality settings produce same results everywhere
Ready to Optimize?
Switch to WebP for smaller, faster-loading images. Open TinyUtils Image Compressor, convert your images, and start serving the modern format that browsers expect.
For related guides, see optimizing PNG for web, converting HEIC to WebP, and batch image compression.