WebP Format Explained — What It Is and Why Your Website Needs It

What is WebP?

WebP is an image format developed by Google for the web. It uses both lossy and lossless compression and supports transparency and animation. WebP files are typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than equivalent JPG files and 20 to 40 percent smaller than PNG files at the same visual quality.

WebP vs JPG vs PNG

JPG uses lossy compression, no transparency, no animation. PNG uses lossless compression, supports transparency, no animation. WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation — at smaller file sizes.

Browser support in 2025

WebP is supported by all major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. Browser support exceeds 97 percent globally. There is no practical reason to avoid WebP for web use.

When to use WebP

Use WebP for all images on your website, hero images, product photos, and CDN-served assets. Stick with JPG or PNG for email attachments (some clients do not support WebP), social platforms that reject WebP, and print work.

Impact on Core Web Vitals

Switching to WebP images can meaningfully reduce your Largest Contentful Paint score. Smaller images load faster and improve Core Web Vitals. Google PageSpeed Insights specifically recommends serving next-gen formats like WebP.

FAQ

Can I use WebP for Next.js? Yes. The Next.js Image component automatically serves WebP when the browser supports it.

Will converting to WebP change how my image looks? At equivalent quality settings, WebP looks visually identical to JPG.