WebP Format Explained: Benefits and Compatibility

WebP is a modern image format that promises smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality. Developed by Google and introduced in 2010, WebP has gained significant traction on the web, but many users still don't understand what it is or why it matters.

This comprehensive guide explains everything you need to know about WebP: how it works, its advantages and disadvantages, browser compatibility, and whether you should use it.

What is WebP?

WebP (pronounced "weppy") is an image format developed by Google as a more efficient alternative to PNG and JPG. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation - making it a versatile format for web use.

WebP History

• 2010: Google announces WebP based on VP8 video codec technology
• 2011: First browser support (Chrome 9, Opera 11)
• 2013: Animated WebP introduced (alternative to GIF)
• 2018: Firefox adds WebP support
• 2020: Safari 14 adds WebP support (major milestone)
• 2021: Windows 11 includes native WebP support
• 2025: ~95% of web browsers now support WebP

Technical Specifications

WebP offers impressive technical capabilities:

• Compression: Both lossy (like JPG) and lossless (like PNG)
• Transparency: Full alpha channel support (like PNG)
• Animation: Supports animated images (like GIF)
• Color depth: 24-bit RGB color with 8-bit alpha channel
• File extension: .webp
• MIME type: image/webp
• Based on: VP8 video codec technology

How WebP Works

WebP uses sophisticated compression algorithms to achieve smaller file sizes:

Lossy WebP Compression

Similar to JPG, lossy WebP:

• Removes imperceptible image details
• Uses predictive coding to compress efficiently
• Achieves 25-35% smaller files than equivalent JPG
• Maintains visual quality comparable to JPG

Lossless WebP Compression

Similar to PNG, lossless WebP:

• Preserves all image data perfectly
• Uses advanced compression techniques
• Achieves 26% smaller files than equivalent PNG
• No quality degradation

WebP with Transparency

Like PNG, WebP supports transparency:

• Full 8-bit alpha channel
• 22% smaller than equivalent PNG with transparency
• Smooth gradients and semi-transparency

Animated WebP

Alternative to GIF and APNG:

• 64% smaller than equivalent animated GIF
• Supports transparency in animations
• Smooth playback
• Better quality than GIF

WebP Advantages: The Good

WebP offers compelling benefits, especially for web use:

1. Smaller File Sizes

WebP's primary advantage is significant file size reduction:

Lossy WebP vs JPG:

• 25-35% smaller at equivalent visual quality
• Example: 2 MB JPG → 1.4 MB WebP

Lossless WebP vs PNG:

• 26% smaller on average
• Example: 5 MB PNG → 3.7 MB WebP

Animated WebP vs GIF:

• 64% smaller for animations
• Example: 10 MB GIF → 3.6 MB WebP

2. Faster Website Loading

Smaller files = faster loading:

• Improved user experience: Pages load faster
• Better SEO: Google rewards faster sites
• Reduced bandwidth: Lower hosting costs
• Mobile-friendly: Faster on slower connections

Real-world impact:

• 1 second load time improvement = 7% more conversions
• 0.1 second improvement = 1% revenue increase (Amazon data)

3. Versatility

WebP combines features of multiple formats:

• Lossy compression (like JPG) for photos
• Lossless compression (like PNG) for graphics
• Transparency (like PNG) for overlays
• Animation (like GIF) for motion graphics

One format handles all use cases.

4. Better Quality at Same File Size

Due to advanced compression:

• Less color banding
• Better gradient handling
• Fewer compression artifacts
• Smoother edges

5. Modern Standard

WebP is part of the modern web:

• Developed specifically for web use
• Supported by major browsers
• Recommended by Google PageSpeed Insights
• Industry momentum behind it

WebP Disadvantages: The Bad

Despite advantages, WebP has limitations:

1. Limited Software Support

Many applications can't open WebP:

Cannot Open WebP:

• Windows Photo Viewer (pre-Windows 11)
• Older versions of Photoshop (pre-23.2)
• Many photo editing apps
• Most mobile apps (non-browser)
• Printing services
• Legacy operating systems

Can Open WebP:

• Modern web browsers (95%+)
• Windows 11 (native)
• macOS Big Sur+ (Safari 14+)
• Recent Photoshop/GIMP versions
• Google Photos
• Modern image viewers

2. Not Ideal for Print

WebP is optimized for web, not print:

• Print shops rarely accept WebP
• Professional printing requires TIFF, PNG, or high-quality JPG
• Not a standard format in print workflows

3. Slower Encoding/Decoding

WebP requires more processing:

• Encoding: Creating WebP is slower than JPG/PNG
• Decoding: Opening WebP uses more CPU
• Battery: Slightly higher battery consumption on mobile

Modern devices handle this well, but older hardware may struggle.

4. Lossy is Permanently Lossy

Like JPG:

• Quality loss is permanent
• Re-saving degrades quality further
• Not ideal for master copies

Best practice: Keep original format, export WebP for web use.

5. Compatibility Still Improving

While 95% of browsers support WebP:

• 5% of users still can't view WebP
• Many apps and services don't support it
• Fallback images often necessary

WebP Browser Compatibility

WebP support has grown significantly:

Desktop Browsers

Mobile Browsers

Current Support: ~95%

As of 2025, approximately 95% of global web traffic comes from browsers supporting WebP.

Holdouts:

• Internet Explorer (all versions)
• Very old mobile devices
• Legacy browser versions

When to Use WebP

WebP is ideal for specific scenarios:

1. Modern Websites

Use WebP for:

• Hero images and backgrounds
• Product photos (e-commerce)
• Blog post featured images
• Image galleries
• Thumbnails

Implementation: Serve WebP with JPG/PNG fallback for old browsers.

2. Web Applications

Progressive web apps benefit from WebP:

• Faster loading
• Better performance
• Lower bandwidth usage
• Improved user experience

3. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

CDNs often automatically convert to WebP:

• Cloudflare (automatic)
• Cloudinary (automatic)
• Imgix (automatic)
• AWS CloudFront (with Lambda@Edge)

4. Google Services

Google strongly supports WebP:

• PageSpeed Insights recommends it
• Search ranking benefits from faster loading
• Google Photos uses WebP
• YouTube thumbnails use WebP

5. High-Traffic Websites

Bandwidth savings matter at scale:

• News websites
• E-commerce platforms
• Social media sites
• Content-heavy applications

Cost savings example:

• 1 million page views/month
• 10 images per page = 10M image loads
• Average 100 KB per image = 1 TB bandwidth
• 30% savings with WebP = 300 GB saved
• At $0.05/GB = $15/month savings

When NOT to Use WebP

Avoid WebP in certain situations:

1. Sharing with Others

If recipients may not have WebP support:

• Email attachments
• Sending to clients/colleagues
• Posting to platforms without WebP support
• Sharing with non-technical users

Better: Use JPG or PNG for sharing.

2. Print Projects

Professional printing requires standard formats:

• Flyers and brochures
• Business cards
• Professional photography
• Print-on-demand services

Better: Use PNG (lossless) or high-quality JPG for print.

3. Archival Storage

Long-term archiving requires universal formats:

• Family photo archives
• Historical documentation
• Professional archives

Better: Use PNG (lossless) or high-quality JPG for archival.

4. Photo Editing Workflows

Many editing tools have limited WebP support:

• Batch processing
• Automated workflows
• Legacy software
• Professional retouching

Better: Edit in original format, export WebP for web delivery.

WebP vs Other Formats

Let's compare WebP head-to-head:

WebP vs JPG

Winner: WebP for web, JPG for compatibility.

WebP vs PNG

Winner: WebP for web, PNG for compatibility and editing.

WebP vs AVIF

AVIF is an even newer format:

Winner: WebP for now (better support), AVIF in future.

How to Implement WebP on Websites

Implementing WebP requires fallback support:

Method 1: HTML <picture> Element

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

Browsers load WebP if supported, otherwise fall back to JPG.

Method 2: Server-Side Detection

Server detects browser support and serves appropriate format:

# Apache .htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_ACCEPT} image/webp
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.webp -f
  RewriteRule ^(.+)\.(jpe?g|png)$ $1.webp [T=image/webp,E=accept:1]
</IfModule>

Method 3: CDN Automatic Conversion

Use CDN with automatic WebP conversion:

• Cloudflare (automatic)
• Cloudinary (automatic)
• Imgix (automatic)

Method 4: WordPress Plugins

WordPress plugins automate WebP conversion:

• ShortPixel - Converts to WebP automatically
• Imagify - WebP conversion and optimization
• EWWW Image Optimizer - WebP delivery

Converting to/from WebP

Create WebP Images

Using ConvertFast:

1. Upload JPG or PNG
2. Convert to WebP (coming soon!)
3. Download optimized WebP

Using Command Line:

# Install Google's cwebp tool
# Convert JPG/PNG to WebP
cwebp -q 80 input.jpg -o output.webp

Convert WebP to JPG/PNG

If you need to convert WebP back:

Use ConvertFast:

• WebP to PNG Converter - Lossless conversion
• WebP to JPG Converter - For photos

Learn more about converting WebP

WebP Quality Settings

Choosing the right quality:

Lossy WebP (for photos)

• Quality 80: Good balance (recommended)
• Quality 85: Better quality, slightly larger
• Quality 90: Excellent quality
• Quality 75: Smaller files, acceptable quality

Lossless WebP (for graphics)

No quality setting - always perfect preservation.

Compression Effort

WebP allows compression effort levels:

• Level 0: Fastest encoding, larger files
• Level 4: Balanced (default)
• Level 6: Slower encoding, smallest files

Future of WebP

WebP's future looks bright:

Growing Adoption

• More browsers adding support
• More tools supporting WebP
• More developers implementing it
• More CDNs offering automatic conversion

Competition from AVIF

AVIF offers even better compression:

• 20% smaller than WebP
• But slower encoding
• Limited support (67% currently)

Prediction: WebP will remain dominant for next 3-5 years.

Long-Term Outlook

WebP will likely:

• Become standard for web images
• Replace most JPG/PNG on modern websites
• Coexist with JPG/PNG for compatibility
• Eventually be supplemented/replaced by AVIF

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WebP better than JPG?

Yes, for web use. WebP is 25-35% smaller with equivalent quality. However, JPG has better compatibility for sharing and offline use.

Does Google prefer WebP?

Yes. Google's PageSpeed Insights recommends WebP for faster loading, which improves SEO rankings.

Can I use WebP on my iPhone?

iPhone (iOS 14+) supports viewing WebP in Safari, but the Camera app doesn't capture in WebP format.

Why can't I open WebP files?

Your software doesn't support WebP. Convert to JPG or PNG for universal compatibility. Use our WebP to JPG converter.

Should I convert all my images to WebP?

Only for web delivery. Keep original JPG/PNG files as masters, and serve WebP versions on your website with fallbacks.

Is WebP lossless or lossy?

Both! WebP supports both lossless (like PNG) and lossy (like JPG) compression modes.

Can I print WebP images?

Technically yes, but most print services don't accept WebP. Convert to PNG or high-quality JPG for printing.

Conclusion

WebP is a powerful modern image format that offers significant file size savings for web use. While it's not perfect for every situation, it's become the standard for web images in 2025.

Key Takeaways:

• WebP is 25-35% smaller than JPG/PNG at equivalent quality
• 95% of browsers support WebP (with fallbacks for older browsers)
• Best for web use, not ideal for sharing or printing
• Implement with fallbacks to JPG/PNG for compatibility
• Keep originals in standard formats, export WebP for web

Convert WebP Images

Need to convert WebP images to more compatible formats?

• WebP to PNG Converter - Preserve transparency
• WebP to JPG Converter - Smaller files for photos
• Universal Image Converter - Convert any format

Related Articles

• How to Convert WebP Images
• PNG vs JPG: When to Use Each
• What is HEIC Format?

Have questions about WebP? Leave a comment below!