Image Format Comparison

PNG vs JXL (JPEG XL) — Lossless PNG vs Modern JPEG XL

PNG is the universal lossless image format for the web — established, ubiquitous, supported everywhere. JPEG XL (JXL) is its potential successor: dramatically more efficient lossless compression, plus a powerful lossy mode. JXL's adoption has stalled due to browser politics, but the technical advantages are clear.

PNGvsJXL

Quick Verdict

Use PNG when…

Use PNG for production websites in 2026. Universal browser support makes it the only safe choice today for lossless web images.

Use JXL when…

Use JXL for personal archives, photography workflows, and forward-looking projects. JXL files are 30–50% smaller than PNG at identical quality, but you must commit to a JXL-aware viewing pipeline.

PNG vs JXL: Feature Comparison

Feature	PNG	JXL
Generation	1996	2021
Compression efficiency	Moderate	Excellent — 30–50% smaller than PNG
Lossy mode	No	Yes (excellent quality)
Browser support	Universal	Safari (and behind a flag in others)
Maximum bit depth	16-bit	32-bit float
Animation support	APNG variant	Yes (native)

When PNG wins

✓Generation: 1996
✓Compression efficiency: Moderate
✓Lossy mode: No

When JXL wins

✓Generation: 2021
✓Compression efficiency: Excellent — 30–50% smaller than PNG
✓Lossy mode: Yes (excellent quality)

Frequently asked questions

Why isn't JXL supported in Chrome?

Google removed JXL support from Chrome in 2023, citing 'lack of interest from the ecosystem' — a controversial decision. Mozilla supports JXL behind a flag. Apple Safari supports it natively. The format is technically excellent but politically constrained.

Can I convert PNG to JXL losslessly?

Yes — JXL has a 'JPEG transcoding' mode that losslessly converts PNG and JPG to smaller JXL files: `cjxl input.png output.jxl --lossless_jpeg=0 --quality=100`. The result is bit-perfect when decoded back to PNG.