SVG vs PNG: Which Image Format Should You Use? (2025 Guide)

SVG vs PNG: The Quick Answer

Use SVG for: Logos, icons, illustrations, UI elements, animations
Use PNG for: Photos with transparency, screenshots, complex raster art

Technical Comparison

| Feature | SVG | PNG |
|---------|-----|-----|
| Type | Vector (math-based) | Raster (pixel-based) |
| Scalability | Infinite | Fixed resolution |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes (PNG-24) |
| Animation | Yes (CSS/JS/SMIL) | No |
| Color depth | Unlimited | Up to 48-bit |
| Compression | Text (gzip) | Lossless |
| Browser support | 98.5% | 100% |

File Size Comparison (Real Examples)

Simple Logo (128x128 display)

| Format | File Size | Load Time (3G) |
|--------|-----------|----------------|
| SVG | 2.3 KB | 0.02s |
| PNG | 15.7 KB | 0.13s |
| PNG @2x | 42.1 KB | 0.35s |
| PNG @3x | 89.4 KB | 0.74s |

Winner: SVG (85% smaller, one file for all densities)

Photo with Transparency (800x600)

| Format | File Size | Quality |
|--------|-----------|---------|
| PNG-24 | 450 KB | Excellent |
| PNG-8 | 120 KB | Good (256 colors) |
| SVG (traced) | 2.1 MB | Poor |

Winner: PNG (photos don't vectorize well)

When to Use SVG (Always)

1. Logos

SVG is non-negotiable for logos:

One file: favicon to billboard

Easy color changes

Tiny file sizes

Perfect at any zoom level

2. Icons

Modern icon best practices:

Benefits over PNG icons:

90% smaller file sizes

CSS color control

No blurry icons on retina

Accessibility built-in

3. Illustrations

Flat or geometric illustrations should always be SVG:

Hero graphics

Feature illustrations

Infographics

Diagrams

4. UI Elements

Buttons and badges

Form elements

Progress indicators

Loading animations

When to Use PNG

1. Photographs with Transparency

When you need a photo cutout:

Product photos on colored backgrounds

Team member photos

Portfolio images

2. Complex Raster Artwork

Digital paintings

Photorealistic renders

Heavily textured graphics

3. Screenshots

App screenshots

Tutorial images

UI demonstrations

4. Very Complex Graphics

If your SVG exceeds 100KB, consider:

Simplifying the design

Using PNG with srcset

Hybrid approach (SVG shapes + PNG textures)

Performance Impact

Core Web Vitals Effect

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

SVG hero: 0.8s faster average

Reason: Smaller files, no resolution variants

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

SVG: 0 shift (intrinsic sizing)

PNG: Requires explicit dimensions

Real Site Performance Data

| Metric | SVG Site | PNG Site |
|--------|----------|----------|
| Page weight | 450 KB | 1.2 MB |
| Load time | 1.2s | 2.8s |
| LCP score | 95 | 72 |
| Mobile score | 92 | 68 |

Converting Between Formats

PNG to SVG

Use AI-powered tools like VectoSolve:

1. Upload PNG

2. AI vectorizes in seconds

3. Download clean SVG

Best results with:

Logos and icons

Solid colors

Clean edges

SVG to PNG

Most design tools export both:

Figma: Export → PNG

Illustrator: Export As → PNG

Online: svgtopng.com

When to export PNG from SVG:

Email clients (many don't support SVG)

Legacy systems

Specific size requirements

2025 Best Practices

For Web Development

For Design Handoff

Always provide:

1. SVG for all vector graphics

2. PNG @1x, @2x, @3x for photos

3. Source files (Figma, AI)

Conclusion

The rule is simple:

Vector graphics → SVG (logos, icons, illustrations)

Photographic content → PNG (or WebP/AVIF)

For most websites, converting appropriate graphics to SVG can reduce page weight by 40-60% while improving quality on all devices.

Convert your graphics: Use VectoSolve to instantly convert PNG logos and icons to optimized SVG.