WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web. Released in 2010, it took years to gain browser support — but as of 2026, WebP is supported by every major browser and has become the preferred format for web performance optimization.
WebP Advantages
Google's own benchmarks show WebP produces files that are 25-34% smaller than equivalent JPEG files and 26% smaller than PNG files with comparable quality. In real-world testing, the savings are even more dramatic for certain types of images:
- Lossy WebP vs JPEG: 25-35% smaller at equivalent visual quality
- Lossless WebP vs PNG: 26% smaller on average
- WebP with alpha vs PNG with alpha: 3x smaller on average
Key Features
WebP combines the best features of JPEG, PNG, and GIF into a single format. It supports lossy compression (like JPEG), lossless compression and transparency (like PNG), and animation (like GIF). This versatility means you can often use a single WebP workflow to replace three separate format pipelines.
Browser Support in 2026
All major browsers now support WebP: Chrome, Firefox, Safari (14.0+), Edge, Opera, and all Chromium-based browsers. The only exception is some older embedded browsers and specialized applications. For maximum compatibility, serve WebP with a JPEG/PNG fallback using the HTML <picture> element.
When to Use WebP
Use WebP for virtually all web images in 2026. The file size savings directly improve page load times and Core Web Vitals scores. Convert your existing JPEG and PNG assets to WebP using our JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP converters.
Limitations
WebP is not ideal for print production (limited software support), email newsletters (inconsistent client support), or archival storage (TIFF remains the standard). Some older image editing tools also lack WebP support, though this is improving rapidly.