Image to WebP Converter

Why Convert to WebP?

WebP is Google's image format built specifically for the web. It typically produces files 25-35% smaller than JPEG at the same visual quality, and significantly smaller than PNG while still supporting transparency. If you're optimising a website, switching to WebP is one of the easiest performance wins available.

WebP supports both lossy compression (like JPEG) and lossless compression (like PNG), plus transparency and even animation. It's essentially one format that can replace JPEG, PNG, and GIF for most web use cases.

Browser support for viewing WebP covers over 97% of users globally: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera all display WebP natively. For encoding WebP (what this tool does), the picture is narrower. Safari on macOS and all iOS browsers cannot encode WebP via the browser canvas API, so Safari users will see an error message rather than a silently incorrect PNG file. Use Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for conversion.

File Size Comparison

What this means for you: Switching to WebP across a typical website can cut total image weight by 25-35%, directly improving page load times and Core Web Vitals scores. Figures are indicative; your savings depend on the source image and quality setting.

Quality Settings Explained

The quality slider sets how hard the WebP encoder compresses. Higher values keep more detail and produce a larger file; lower values shrink the file but soften fine detail. This tool encodes lossy WebP through the browser, so even 100% is a high-quality lossy result rather than a perfect copy. There is no single "right" number, it depends on how the image will be used.

Rule of thumb: start at 85%, look at the result, and only drop lower if you need the extra saving. At normal viewing sizes most people cannot tell 85% from the original.

When NOT to Use WebP

WebP vs AVIF: The Next Generation

WebP is the safe choice today, wider support and faster encoding. AVIF offers better compression but slower encoding and slightly less browser coverage. The ideal setup is a <picture> element serving AVIF with WebP fallback.

How to Serve WebP on a Website

You don't have to choose between WebP and broad compatibility. The <picture> element lets the browser pick the best format it supports and fall back to JPEG on anything older. Convert your image to WebP here, then reference both files like this:

<picture>
  <source srcset="hero.avif" type="image/avif" />
  <source srcset="hero.webp" type="image/webp" />
  <img src="hero.jpg" alt="Mountain at sunrise"
       width="1200" height="630" loading="lazy" />
</picture>

The browser reads top to bottom and uses the first format it understands, so modern browsers get AVIF or WebP and older ones get the JPEG. Always set width and height so the layout doesn't jump while the image loads, and add loading="lazy" to images below the fold.

WebP and Core Web Vitals

On most pages the largest thing a visitor waits for is an image, often the hero photo. That image is usually the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) element, one of Google's Core Web Vitals and a factor in how pages are ranked and how fast they feel. The recommended target is an LCP under 2.5 seconds.

Because a WebP hero is typically 25 to 35% lighter than the JPEG equivalent, it downloads sooner, paints sooner, and pulls your LCP down with it. The effect is biggest on mobile connections, where every saved kilobyte counts most.

Format is only part of the picture. Set width and height on every image so the page does not jump as it loads (that protects your Cumulative Layout Shift score), lazy-load anything below the fold, and resize images to the size they actually display. WebP plus those habits is one of the cheapest performance wins on the web.

Worked Example: Lightening a Recipe Blog

Common Mistakes

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