WebP Tools
Free online WebP tools for converting, compressing, and editing WebP images — no software required.
About WebP
WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that delivers superior compression for images on the web. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as transparency (alpha channel) and animation — making it a versatile replacement for JPEG, PNG, and GIF in most web contexts.
WebP lossy images are typically 25–35% smaller than comparable JPEGs at equivalent visual quality. Lossless WebP files are around 25% smaller than equivalent PNGs. That reduction in file size translates directly into faster page loads and lower bandwidth usage.
When to Use WebP
WebP is the right choice in most modern web publishing scenarios:
- Web images where performance matters — smaller files mean faster load times, which improves user experience and search rankings
- Photographs on the web — lossy WebP matches or exceeds JPEG quality at significantly smaller file sizes
- Graphics with transparency — WebP supports a full alpha channel at smaller file sizes than PNG
- Animated images — WebP animation produces far smaller files than GIF while supporting full color
- CMS and e-commerce images — product photos, hero images, and thumbnails all benefit from WebP compression
For archival, print, or workflows requiring maximum software compatibility, PNG or TIFF remain better choices.
WebP vs. JPEG
JPEG has been the dominant format for photographic web images for decades. WebP improves on it in almost every measurable way: smaller files, better quality at equivalent compression, and support for transparency that JPEG entirely lacks.
The main reason JPEG persists is inertia and compatibility. Older software, email clients, and some print workflows expect JPEG. For anything displayed in a modern browser, WebP is the better choice. All major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge — have supported WebP since 2020.
WebP vs. PNG
PNG is lossless and widely supported, but its files are larger than WebP for most use cases. Lossless WebP is typically 25% smaller than PNG at equivalent quality. For transparency, both formats work, but WebP delivers the same result in a smaller file.
The tradeoff is compatibility. PNG works everywhere — in every browser, design tool, OS viewer, and print workflow. WebP is the better choice for web delivery; PNG is the safer choice when you need universal support or are working outside the browser.
WebP vs. AVIF
AVIF is a newer format that can achieve even smaller file sizes than WebP, particularly at lower quality settings. However, AVIF encoding is slower, software support is less universal, and the tooling ecosystem is less mature. WebP hits the right balance of compression efficiency, encoding speed, and broad compatibility for most web projects today.
WebP Transparency and Animation
WebP supports a full alpha channel, meaning individual pixels can be fully transparent, fully opaque, or semi-transparent — the same capability PNG offers, at smaller file sizes. This makes it suitable for logos, icons, and UI elements that need to sit cleanly on any background.
WebP also supports animation through a container format that stores multiple frames with timing data. Animated WebP files are dramatically smaller than equivalent GIFs — GIF is limited to 256 colors per frame and has no lossy compression option, while WebP supports full color and both lossy and lossless frame compression.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WebP supported in all browsers?
Yes. As of 2020, all major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari (14+), and Edge — support WebP. For virtually all modern web traffic, WebP is safe to use without fallbacks. If you need to support very old browsers, providing a JPEG or PNG fallback via the HTML <picture> element is straightforward.
Can I convert a JPEG to WebP without quality loss?
Converting from JPEG to lossy WebP will re-compress the image, which can introduce additional artifacts on top of existing JPEG compression. For best results, convert from an original uncompressed source. Converting JPEG to lossless WebP preserves the existing pixel data without further quality loss, but won't recover quality already lost in the JPEG.
Does WebP work for print?
WebP is designed for screen and web use. Professional print workflows use CMYK color mode, which WebP does not support. For print, use TIFF or PDF. For web images that may occasionally be printed casually, WebP is fine.
Why is my WebP file larger than the original JPEG?
This can happen when converting a heavily compressed JPEG to lossless WebP — the lossless format faithfully preserves all the compression artifacts without the space savings of re-compressing them. Try converting to lossy WebP instead, or start from a higher-quality source image.
Can WebP replace PNG for all uses?
For web delivery, WebP is a better choice than PNG in most cases. For archival storage, design source files, or workflows where software compatibility is uncertain, PNG's universal support makes it the safer option.