Every page here ends with a recommendation rather than “it depends on your needs”. You came to decide something; a comparison that refuses to conclude has wasted your time. Where the honest answer genuinely is conditional, we say what the condition is.
Images
- WebP vs AVIFAVIF for the smallest files; WebP when you need guaranteed support everywhere.
- JPG vs PNGJPG for photographs. PNG for screenshots, logos and anything needing transparency.
- Compressing vs Resizing an ImageResize first, then compress. Resizing does far more for file size.
Video
- H.264 vs H.265 vs VP9H.264 unless you have a specific reason. H.265 or VP9 when file size matters more than compatibility.
- MP4 vs WebMMP4 for compatibility. WebM for the open web, with an MP4 fallback.
Audio
- MP3 vs AAC vs OpusMP3 for compatibility, AAC for general use, Opus for speech and the smallest files.
Documents
- PDF to Word vs PDF OCRIf you can select the text, use PDF to Word. If you cannot, run OCR first.
Related
- Glossary — the terms these pages use
- All tools
- Guides and tutorials