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Should I compress my store photos as JPEG or WebP?

Pick WebP when it is actually smaller on your photos and the platform you upload to accepts it; otherwise pick JPEG. The common belief is that WebP always wins, but measurement says otherwise: on some photos it is clearly smaller, on others the two come out almost identical. The tool lets you switch between them on your own image and read both sizes before deciding.

Published · 3 min read

What the numbers say

Worked example

Three images compressed in Chrome at quality 80 in both formats:

A 1600×1200 product photo of 689.5 KB: 250.9 KB as JPEG and 252.7 KB as WebP. Practically a tie, with JPEG slightly smaller.

A 640×480 photo of 271.3 KB: 35.2 KB as JPEG and 26.5 KB as WebP. Here WebP clearly wins.

An 800×600 photo that was already WebP, 72.7 KB: 49.2 KB as JPEG and 34 KB as WebP.

The takeaway is not that one format always wins, but that the result follows the content of the picture. Figures can also shift a little between browsers, so the best judge is a test on your real photos.

A one-minute comparison

  1. Open the Image compressor and add a sample of five photos that represent your range: a product on white, a detailed product, and a cutout if you use them.
  2. Leave quality at 80, choose JPEG and read the Total line under the table.
  3. Switch to WebP; everything is re-encoded automatically. Read the total again.
  4. If the gap is small, go with JPEG because it works everywhere. If WebP is clearly smaller and your platform accepts it, go with WebP.

Where the photo is going decides it

  • Your online store: many platforms accept WebP now, but check your platform's current guidance before replacing every image.
  • Sending to customers in chats or email: JPEG is safer, because some apps and older devices may not handle WebP the way you expect.
  • Transparent cutouts: of these two formats, only WebP keeps transparency, since JPEG fills it with a color.
  • Photos you will edit later in design software: keep the original and never start from a compressed copy in either format.

Should I keep both versions?

If you sell on several channels, that is a practical option: a WebP version for your store when it is lighter, and a JPEG version for marketplaces and messages. Make each one from the original, never from the other compressed copy, so you do not stack two rounds of loss. And if you later need to change a file's format without compressing it, the Image format converter is the right tool.

Common questions

Is quality 80 in JPEG the same as quality 80 in WebP?

No. The same number does not mean the same look in the two formats, so compare the previews with your eyes, not just the number.

I chose WebP and got an error. Why?

Saving WebP needs a browser that can encode it. If yours cannot, you get a clear message; try another browser or choose JPEG.

Can I compress some photos as JPEG and others as WebP in the same batch?

No. Format and quality apply to every image in the batch, so run each group separately.