JPG, PNG or WebP: choosing a format for product images
Checked against our tools on 19 October 2026
On your own website, use WebP: Google measured it 25% to 34% smaller than JPG for photos and 26% smaller than PNG for graphics. For marketplace listings, upload JPG, the one format every marketplace takes, and use PNG only where the marketplace keeps transparency. Keep a full-size original of every photo.
Go straight to the tool: Image converter, Resize and compress images
What each format is good at
| JPG | PNG | WebP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos | Good, small files | Very large files | Good, smaller than JPG |
| Logos, text, screenshots | Soft edges | Sharp | Sharp, in lossless mode |
| Transparent background | No | Yes | Yes |
| Accepted by every marketplace | Yes | Mostly | No |
How much smaller WebP is
Google, which made WebP, says lossy WebP files are 25% to 34% smaller than JPGs of the same visual quality, and lossless WebP files 26% smaller than PNGs (developers.google.com/speed/webp, read 19 October 2026). Your own photos will vary, so check: the image converter shows each file's size before and after, and Compare puts the two side by side.
Every current browser shows WebP, including Safari, so there's no need to keep JPG copies on your own site as a fallback.
What marketplaces accept
As stated in each one's help pages on 19 October 2026. Check before relying on a detail, because these change.
| Marketplace | Accepted | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | JPEG, TIFF, PNG, non-animated GIF | JPEG recommended; no WebP |
| Etsy | JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG, HEIC | Transparent areas of a PNG show as black, so flatten cut-outs onto white first |
| eBay | JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, GIF, BMP, TIFF | Everything is converted to JPG on upload |
| Google Merchant Center | JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF | The file extension must match the format |
Which to use, job by job
- Product photo on your own site: WebP at around 80, the converter's default.
- Product photo on a marketplace: JPG at 90, and let the marketplace resize it.
- Cut-out product shot: on a marketplace, put it on a white background and save as JPG, since Etsy shows transparent areas as black; on your own site, WebP keeps the transparency.
- Logo or badge: SVG if your platform takes it, otherwise PNG or lossless WebP.
Before you convert
Resize before you worry about format. A 4,000-pixel photo shown at 1,000 pixels wastes most of its bytes whatever the format. Resize and compress images sets exact dimensions or a maximum file size for a whole batch, and Pad to exact size puts every product on the same-shaped white canvas, so a grid of products lines up. It comes with a Square product photo, 2048 × 2048 preset, and you can save your own so the next batch takes one click.
Don't convert a JPG to PNG to improve it. The file gets several times bigger and gains no detail, because the detail JPG threw away is gone. Converting a JPG to WebP is fine, as long as you keep the original, because each lossy save loses a little more.
The converter saves to WebP in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. If your browser can't, Safari included on some devices, the tool says so before you convert. Converted files carry no EXIF data, which also removes any GPS location from photos taken on a phone.
Sources
Google: developers.google.com/speed/webp and support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350. Amazon: Seller Central, Technical image file requirements. Etsy: help.etsy.com/hc/articles/115015663347. eBay: developer.ebay.com, picture hosting guide. All read on 19 October 2026.