What Is WebP? Everything You Need to Know

WebP uses predictive coding derived from the VP8 video codec. In lossy mode it predicts pixel values from surrounding blocks and encodes only the difference (residuals), then applies a discrete cosine transform similar to JPEG- But with a more efficient entropy coder. Lossless WebP uses LZ77 compression plus a colour-transformation step that exploits local colour correlation.

At equivalent perceived quality, WebP files are typically 25–35% smaller than JPEG and 20–30% smaller than PNG for photographic content. Exact savings vary with image complexity and the quality setting used.

Global browser support exceeds 97% as of 2024.

• Web pages where page-load speed matters and you control the serving environment
• Replacing PNG sprite sheets or UI graphics where transparency is needed alongside small file sizes
• Social media and app assets optimised for mobile networks

WebP is not ideal if you need to share images with people who may open them in older software that lacks WebP support- In that case, JPEG or PNG remains the safer choice.