It’s time for WebP

And Ditch JPEG/PNG/GIF for God’s Sake

The World of Web with JPEG, PNG & GIF

For decades, JPEG and PNG have been the default choices for web images. JPEG dominates due to its lossy compression suited for photos, while PNG provides lossless compression, ideal for graphics with transparency.

While GIFs have held strong for animations, PNG’s animated counterpart (APNG) has struggled to gain similar popularity. GIFs’ wide compatibility continues to make them a staple for basic animations.

And WebP too Exists

Developed by Google, WebP is a modern image format offering lossy and lossless compression. Its goal is to reduce file size while maintaining image quality, optimized for faster web performance. WebP as many advantages:

• Reduced File Size: WebP files are 25–34% smaller than JPEGs and PNGs​.
• Supports Transparency and Animation: Combines features of PNG and GIF.
• Wide Compression Range: Supports both lossy and lossless formats.

WebP is Also Well Supported

WebP adoption began slowly but gained traction as browser compatibility expanded. Here’s a detailed view:

If you are worried about Safari just ‘recently’ supported WebP then you should know that Apple users update very fast on latest, especially when it comes to software updates.

In other words, 97.17% of browsers usage had WebP support globally¹. Yet, 76% website uses JPG and 80% website use PNG ².

Do We Still Need Backward Compatibility?

Data Trends: Most internet users update browsers frequently. Recent data suggests <2% of users rely on outdated browsers without WebP support​.

Target Audience: If your audience includes legacy system users, fallback strategies like serving JPEG/PNG can be implemented conditionally.

The internet has advanced beyond the limitations of JPEG and PNG. With WebP, we have a format that reduces file sizes without compromising quality, offering superior performance for websites. Yet, the web developer’s reluctance to embrace this open and efficient format fully is amusing. The numbers don’t lie: only a tiny fraction (<2%) of users are stuck on outdated browsers without WebP support. Why should modern websites cater to this fringe when the majority of users can benefit from faster load times and improved performance?

Google and Apple: A Call to Consistency

Even industry leaders like Google, the creators of WebP, face challenges in fully integrating the format. While Google Photos supports WebP, it often defaults to HEIC for mobile camera uploads. This choice reflects device-side efficiency but can complicate workflows for developers seeking a uniform standard like WebP across platforms. Even more surprising, the cash cow of Google – the Ads platfrom doesn’t allow WebP images for ad!

Apple, on the other hand, appears fixated on HEIC, a format it has championed with little consideration for web compatibility. The App Store, for instance, refuses WebP images for app screenshots. These decisions force developers into clunky workflows, converting between formats when WebP could have simplified the process. I mean, shouldn’t WebP undisputed choice for screenshot for App Store with its sharp edges and lower size? If Apple truly values innovation, it’s time for them to support WebP with open arms.

Decision-Makers’ Fear: A Barrier to Progress

Corporate leadership often prioritizes backward compatibility, citing risks to alienating legacy users. This mindset hinders engineers, who are forced to support outdated formats for the sake of appeasing technically uninformed decision-makers. It’s 2025, and the internet is no longer a luxury; it’s an expectation. If users aren’t updating their browsers or decades old technology, either you or your users are dinosaurs – better make friends with people who have future!

Be Bold, Choose WebP

WebP is the clear choice for forward-thinking developers. Its benefits outweigh the perceived risks of adoption, and fallback strategies for older formats can easily mitigate concerns about compatibility. The industry must move past its hesitation, embrace WebP fully, and prepare for even better formats like AVIF. It’s time to stop pandering to outdated systems and start building the internet of tomorrow.

And to dear web developers, have WebP as your default and if you really have to – let those optimization plugins for WordPress do the job for service those 3% population. Ask your artists to give WebP images, 3 times larger than the pixel size required. Optimize, Resize and rename the larger WebP images into 1x, 2x and 3x format.

Mass Image Compressor’s Support

Mass Image Compressor allows you to bulk convert your existing JPEG and PNG images into WebP format without compromising quality. With support for advanced features like dimension resizing (See How to Create 1x, 2x, and 3x Images for Web) and batch processing, MIC ensures your web assets are optimized for modern browsers. For developers and content creators, MIC is a powerful ally in embracing the future of web imagery.

1. CanIUse: WebP image format ↩︎
2. w3techs.com: Usage statistics of image file formats for websites ↩︎