JPG vs. SVG: Which Format is better?

When is JPG better than SVG?

JPG images use lossy compression to delete unnecessary information, resulting in smaller, high-web-responsive files. In contrast, SVG images use lossless compression to preserve all image data, resulting in larger, high-quality, low-web-responsive files. 

As a result, a .jpg file extension balances smaller file sizes and image quality, making it suitable for archiving a larger collection of photos, email attachments, and web images on storage devices with limited space. 

When is SVG better than JPG?

SVG images are vector-based, making them scalable upwards and downwards without distortions or loss of image resolution. In contrast, JPG images are raster-based, consisting of pixels, which makes them blurry, indistinct, or grainy when scaled up or down. 

As such, SVG is suitable when creating sharp, professional, dynamic, and interactive charts and application icons of varying sizes that easily update in real-time.

The benefits of SVG images include their ability to be printed in high quality at any resolution, their easy editing using CSS and JavaScript, and their support for interactivity, making them ideal for responsive web design, including high-resolution hyperlinks and animations.

SVG versus JPG Table Comparison

Differences and similarities between JPG and SVG images

JPG images are bitmapped or pixel-based, whereas SVGs are vector-based. Despite structural differences, SVG and JPG are similar in browser support. 

Nonetheless, SVG versus JPG exhibit disparities in image quality, web performance, structure, animation and transparency support, file size, compression, and storage requirements. 

Transparency

JPG does not support transparency, while SVG does. JPG hardly permits web developers and designers to incorporate transparent backgrounds into their created images. The file format does not allow non-rectangular logos and graphics with many texts to function correctly. 

JPG encounters problems merging flawlessly with websites with different background colors. The transparent pixels in JPGs are often filled with white, a solid color that hardly permits alpha channel transparency. In contrast, SVG uses a lossless technique, supporting varying levels of transparency. 

The SVG files have the 'Default' transparent background, where features have names indicating their specific functions. SVG is based on HML, which is integrally transparent. Hence, its support for transparency permits designers to create transparent images easily embedded over other web elements.   

File Size

Generally, lossy JPG files are significantly smaller than lossless SVG files. The SVG file format generates and stores images defined using mathematical equations rather than pixels, resulting in larger file sizes than the bitmapped JPG files. 

SVG’s formulas define and anchor images on grid lines, points, curves, and shapes, allowing them to be scaled upwards or downwards to fit any screen dimension. Moreover, for very complex photographs or images, SVG’s file size can be comparatively larger than a JPG. 

For instance, while JPGs support a maximum image size of 65,535 x 65,535 pixels, which equals 4G pixels for the characteristic ratio 1:1, SVG is a high-res format with no definite file size limits. It can be resized using CSS and JavaScript to any file size yet remaining crispy and sharp.

Image Quality

SVGs are vector-based and allow upward and downward scaling while preserving image quality and high-resolution levels. SVG files are outstanding for receptive website designs, where images must be adjusted to meet the demands of varying screen sizes.

In contrast, JPGs are raster graphics, which means they easily lose image quality with upward or downward scaling. When scaled up, they become blurry, grainy, or pixelated. Similarly, when scaled down limitlessly, they become slurred or indistinct. 

Also, SVG files use lossless compression, allowing all image details and high quality to be preserved, while JPGs support lossy compression, deleting unnecessary image data and hence lowering image quality and resolution. 

Performance

SVG files are significantly larger than JPG files. While JPG supports and displays complex details, its lossy compression technique deletes excess image data, making it smaller and loading faster on websites. On the other hand, SVG preserves all image data with lossless compression, lowering image loading times. 

Structure

JPG is a raster-based file format. Its structure comprises a series of segments beginning with a marker with several binary OxFFXX data. The first marker has a binary value, 'OxFFD8', and ends with a binary value, 'OxFFD9'. The makers designate the time of the JPG data or information.

In contrast, the SVG is a vector-based file format that stores images using mathematical formulas. The formulas define and anchor images on grid lines, shapes, curves, and points. The file format uses the XML markup language, which defines vector-based graphics.   

Animation

SVG file extension supports animation, while JPG does not. The SVG file format has a markup that supports lively content and presents website animations. It is accessible from JavaScript, a feature allowing SVG files to support animation elements through scripting or CSS.

SVG images can be manipulated using JavaScript and CSS. Users can readily amend the appearance of an SVG file extension on a webpage by tuning specific codes without creating another image file. The ability to manipulate SVG files is prompt, making creating lively or interactive animated web content easier.

Storage

The SVG file format is written in XML code, storing image information or text data as literal texts instead of shapes. SVG supports lossless image compression, preserving all image details, resulting in significantly larger files than lossy JPG images, which delete unnecessary image details.

The larger SVG files need more storage space than JPG files. The cramped SVG data are paralleled in multi-layer trees of items in SVG DOM, consuming more bytes and bandwidth than JPGs. However, files or images in both formats can be stored indefinitely depending on handling, storage mediums, and conditions.  

SVG images or files can also be stored in XML text and HTML documents but can be defined using vector graphics formats. On the other hand, JPG files or images require less storage space and can be stored in file systems, folders, DVDs, CDs, cloud, hard drives, floppy drives, and Content Delivery Networks.     

Compression 

JPG uses lossy compression, while SVG supports lossless compression. SVG’s lossless compression minimizes file size while preserving image details, leading to higher quality retention. SVG images compressed using the gzip algorithm produce 20-50% smaller images than the original file. They can also be scaled up and down while retaining their high resolution.

JPG’s lossy compression reduces the image size by deleting excessive data. The method assumes block-based compression. Subsampling color information reduces the original file data through re-ordering, Huffman Coding, and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficients. 

Browser Support

JPG has lived longer than SVG, but the latter is among the next-generation file formats. However, JPG and SVG are widely supported and compatible with almost all browsers. Both file formats are compatible with modern and older web browsers like Firefox, Discord, Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, Brave, Opera, and Safari.

While JPG is compatible with almost all browsers, it is unsupported by Internet Explorer 6, while SVG is not supported by Internet Explorer 8.    

Converting JPG to SVG or SVG to JPG

Convertjack helps convert JPG to SVG easily. People convert JPG to SVG because SVG images can be easily scaled up or down without losing resolution levels, are high quality, can be simply manipulated, and, unlike raster-based JPG files, allow animated images or lively content to be created. 

In contrast, convertjack appears to be the most efficient SVG to JPG converter. Users convert their SVG to JPG because JPG files/images are smaller than SVG, consume fewer bytes, and are widely supported and compatible with most programs and software, which allows them to be easily interchanged online.