PNG vs SVG
PNG stores a fixed grid of pixels. SVG stores shapes and text as instructions that are redrawn at any size. Both support transparency, but they suit very different images and are accepted in different places.
Short answer
Use SVG for logos, icons, charts and illustrations made of shapes, especially on websites, because they stay sharp at every size and are often tiny. Use PNG for screenshots, anything photographic, and anywhere SVG isn’t accepted, such as social media, email and most upload forms.
| PNG | SVG | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Raster: a grid of pixels | Vector: shapes, paths and text in XML |
| Compression | Lossless pixel compression | Plain text; gzip or Brotli by the server |
| Scaling | Blurry or jagged when enlarged | Sharp at any size |
| Transparency | Full alpha channel | Yes; undrawn areas are transparent |
| Animation | APNG | CSS, built-in animation or scripts |
| File size for photos | Large but workable | Not suitable |
| File size for graphics | Grows with pixel dimensions | Depends on complexity, not dimensions |
| Browser support | Universal | All current browsers |
| Social media and uploads | Widely accepted | Usually rejected |
| Editing | Image editors; edits are pixel-based | Vector tools or a text editor; fully editable |
Pixels vs instructions
A 512×512 PNG logo is exactly 512 pixels wide. Shown at 1,024 pixels on a high-density phone screen, the browser has to invent the missing pixels, so edges look soft. You can export bigger PNGs, but the file grows with every step up.
An SVG of the same logo says something like “draw this curve, fill it with this color.” The browser redraws it at whatever size is needed, so it is crisp on every screen, and the file stays the same size. The catch is that only images made of shapes can be described this way; a photo would need millions of tiny shapes.
Which should I use?
Most teams end up using both:
- Logo and icons in your website’s header and navigation: SVG
- Logo for a social media profile, email signature or slide deck: PNG
- Charts in a web article: SVG; the same chart pasted into a document: PNG
- Screenshots and anything containing a photo: PNG
- Favicons: an SVG favicon where supported, with ICO and PNG fallbacks
- SVG artwork needed for a platform that only takes images: SVG to PNG at 2× or more
Practical gotchas
SVGs exported from design tools are often padded with metadata and overly precise coordinates; Compress SVG trims them safely. Text in an SVG depends on the viewer’s installed fonts unless it has been outlined.
Because SVG files can contain scripts, many platforms refuse SVG uploads for security reasons. That is one reason a PNG export is still part of any logo package. When rasterizing, render at the largest size you’ll need, since you can always scale a PNG down cleanly but not up.
Switch between PNG and SVG
SVG to PNG
Turn vector logos, icons and illustrations into PNG images at the size you choose.
COMPRESS · PNGCompress PNG
Cut PNG screenshots, icons and graphics down by reducing them to a smaller color palette.
COMPRESS · SVGCompress SVG
Strip the extra markup design tools leave in SVG files and shorten path data.
Questions
Is SVG better than PNG for logos?
On websites, usually yes: an SVG logo is sharp on every screen and often smaller than a PNG. But many platforms, email clients and office tasks need a PNG. Keep the SVG as your master and export PNGs at the sizes you need.
Can I convert a PNG to SVG?
Not directly in a meaningful way. Embedding a PNG inside an SVG file keeps it a pixel image. Real conversion means tracing the shapes, which works for simple, flat logos but not for photos or screenshots. Pixellin converts SVG to PNG, not the reverse.
What size should I export my SVG to PNG?
Use at least the largest size the image will be displayed at, and double it for high-density screens. A logo shown at 300 pixels wide on a website looks crisp at 600 pixels. Pixellin lets you choose a 1× to 4× scale or an exact width.
Why is my SVG file larger than the PNG?
Complex artwork with many paths, effects or embedded images can produce a large SVG, while the PNG’s size depends only on its pixels and colors. Optimizing the SVG often helps. For very detailed illustrations, a PNG or WebP can genuinely be the better choice.