WebP vs BMP
How do WebP and BMPcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.webp
Full guide →Web Picture Format
WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides superior compression for images on the web. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation — all in one format.
.bmp
Full guide →Bitmap Image File
BMP is an uncompressed raster image format native to Windows. While it produces very large files, BMP preserves every pixel with zero quality loss, making it useful for raw image data and legacy applications.
| Specification | WebP | BMP |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Web Picture Format | Bitmap Image File |
| Extension | .webp | .bmp |
| MIME type | image/webp | image/bmp |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | Microsoft | |
| Year introduced | 2010 | 1986 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
WebP advantages
- 25-35% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
- Supports transparency like PNG
- Supports animation like GIF
- Both lossy and lossless modes available
WebP limitations
- Not supported by some older browsers
- Limited support in desktop editing software
- Less universal than JPG or PNG
- Maximum dimension of 16383x16383 pixels
BMP advantages
- Zero quality loss — completely uncompressed
- Simple format, easy to read and write
- Native Windows support
- No compression artifacts
BMP limitations
- Very large file sizes
- No transparency support in most versions
- Not suitable for web use
- Outdated format for most modern applications
Which should you use?
Choose WebP for smaller file sizes, especially for photos and web content. Choose BMP when you need lossless quality, transparency, or pixel-perfect output.
Best uses for WebP
Best uses for BMP
Convert between WebP and BMP
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.