JPG vs GIF
How do JPG and GIFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.jpg
Full guide →Joint Photographic Experts Group
JPG (also known as JPEG) is the most widely used image format for photographs and complex images. It uses lossy compression to significantly reduce file size while maintaining acceptable visual quality.
.gif
Full guide →Graphics Interchange Format
GIF is a widely recognized format best known for animated images and short loops. While limited to 256 colors, GIF's animation support and universal compatibility make it a staple of web culture.
| Specification | JPG | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joint Photographic Experts Group | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Extension | .jpg | .gif |
| MIME type | image/jpeg | image/gif |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | Joint Photographic Experts Group | CompuServe |
| Year introduced | 1992 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
JPG advantages
- Very small file sizes for photographs
- Universally supported everywhere
- Adjustable compression quality
- Ideal for web and email sharing
JPG limitations
- Lossy compression — quality degrades with each save
- No transparency support
- Not suitable for text or sharp-edge graphics
- Artifacts visible at high compression
GIF advantages
- Animation support — multiple frames in one file
- Universal browser and platform support
- Small file sizes for simple graphics
- Supports basic transparency
GIF limitations
- Limited to 256 colors per frame
- Poor quality for photographs
- Large file sizes for animations compared to video
- Binary transparency only (no partial transparency)
Which should you use?
Both JPG and GIF have their strengths. JPG excels at photography and photo sharing, while GIF is better for animated images and memes.
Best uses for JPG
Best uses for GIF
Convert between JPG and GIF
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.