If you are choosing between JPG and WebP for your WordPress images, the short version is this: WebP almost always wins on file size and page speed, and JPG wins on nothing except universal compatibility and habit.
But almost always is not always, so here is the honest comparison, when JPG still makes sense, and exactly how to convert your images the right way. If image handling is on your mind, it pairs well with getting your featured image size right too.
What is JPG?
JPG, also written JPEG, is the format the web ran on for thirty years. It uses lossy compression, which means it throws away image data your eye is unlikely to notice in order to shrink the file.
It is supported literally everywhere, it handles photographs well, and it is the default output of almost every camera. Its limits are real, though: no transparency, no animation, and visible blocky artefacts once you compress it hard.
If the JPG and JPEG naming confuses you, we settled it in our JPG vs JPEG comparison.
What is WebP?
WebP is a modern image format Google built to replace JPG, PNG, and GIF with a single, smaller format. It does both lossy and lossless compression, it supports transparency through an alpha channel, and it even supports animation.
The headline number is the one that matters most: by Google’s own measurement, WebP lossy images are 25 to 34 percent smaller than comparable JPEG images at the same quality.
What is predictive encoding?
Also called delta encoding, predictive encoding compresses images by predicting each pixel’s value from its neighbours and storing only the prediction error. This is a big part of how WebP cuts file size with no visible quality loss.
JPG vs WebP compared
Here is the side-by-side. The pattern is consistent: WebP matches or beats JPG on almost every line that matters for a website, and only trails on raw universal support, where the gap is now small.
| Factor | JPG | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy only | Lossy and lossless |
| Image quality | Good, but shows artefacts at high compression | Generally better, especially on detailed or textured images |
| Transparency | Not supported | Supported (alpha channel) |
| Animation | Static only | Supports animation |
| Browser support | 100% of browsers in use | ~96% of browsers in use |
| File size | Larger files | 25% to 34% smaller at the same quality |
| Loading speed | Slower, more bytes to download | Faster, fewer bytes to download |
| SEO impact | Neutral to slightly negative on heavy pages | Positive, helps Core Web Vitals |
| WordPress support | Native since forever | Native since WordPress 5.8 (July 2021) |
JPG vs WebP: image quality
At the same file size, WebP usually looks as good or better than JPG, and the gap widens on detailed or textured images where JPG starts showing blocky artefacts.
Flip it around and the point is the same: at the same quality, WebP simply weighs less. If your uploads ever look soft, that is usually a sizing problem rather than a format one, which we cover in how to fix blurry images in Elementor.
JPG vs WebP: file size
This is the whole reason WebP exists. Google’s WebP compression study measured lossy WebP at 25 to 34 percent smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality.
On a page with a dozen images, that is the difference between a snappy load and a visitor who leaves before it finishes.
Which is faster: JPG or WebP?
WebP, because faster is mostly a function of fewer bytes.
Smaller files download quicker, which improves your Core Web Vitals, which Google uses as a ranking signal. For the same picture at the same quality, WebP is the faster choice every time.
When should you still use JPG?
Honesty matters here, so a few cases where JPG is still the right call. Use JPG when a tool or platform in your workflow does not accept WebP, when you are handing a file to someone on genuinely old software, or when an image is so small that the savings are irrelevant.
For the open web in 2026 those cases are shrinking fast, since roughly 96 percent of browsers in use already support WebP, but they are not zero.
Which is the best image format for WordPress?
For almost every WordPress site, the answer is WebP. WordPress has supported WebP uploads natively since version 5.8, released in July 2021, so you can upload and serve them with no extra plugin at all.
Reach for JPG only where something downstream forces your hand. If speed is the goal driving this decision, it fits into the wider work we lay out in 25+ ways to speed up an Elementor website.
Do you Manage WordPress Websites? Download Our FREE E-Book of 20+ Checklist for WordPress Site Maintenance.
How to convert JPG to WebP the right way
One thing to get straight before the steps: converting means re-encoding the image, not just changing its name. There are two practical ways to do it.
Method 1: an online converter (for a few images)
For one image or a handful, an online converter is the fastest route. A free tool like Pixelied does it in seconds: upload your JPG, set the conversion to JPG to WebP, and download the result.
Method 2: a WordPress plugin (for a whole library)
Converting images one at a time does not scale to an existing media library. For that, a plugin converts your uploads to WebP in bulk and serves them automatically, with a JPG fallback for the few browsers that still need it. WebP Express, Imagify, and ShortPixel all do this. This is the route for a real site.
Does renaming .jpg to .webp work? No.
It is worth killing a common myth, because plenty of guides still repeat it. Renaming a file from photo.jpg to photo.webp does not convert it. The extension is only a label.
The bytes inside are still a JPEG, so the file ends up mislabelled and most browsers will simply fail to display it. Real conversion re-encodes the actual pixels, which is exactly what the two methods above do and a rename does not.
Wrapping up
For WordPress in 2026, WebP is the default choice. It is 25 to 34 percent smaller than JPG at the same quality, it is supported by roughly 96 percent of browsers and by WordPress core since 5.8, and it is a free, measurable Core Web Vitals win.
Keep JPG only where something downstream demands it. Convert with an online tool for one-offs or a plugin for your whole library, and never by just renaming the file. If you build with Elementor, The Plus Addons for Elementor and its free version on WordPress.org pair well with a fast, WebP-first media setup.
Check out the Complete List of 120+ Widgets and Extensions here. Start building your dream website without coding!
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