✏️ SVG vs 🖼️ PNG
SVG vs PNG: scalability, file size, browser support, use cases, and when to choose each. Learn why logos and icons use SVG while photos stay PNG.
Use SVG for logos, icons, illustrations, and any graphic that must look sharp at any size — from a 16×16 favicon to a 4K monitor. Use PNG for photographs, screenshots, and complex images with millions of colours where a vector equivalent is impractical.
SVG vs PNG: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Property | SVG | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Vector (mathematical paths) | Raster (pixel grid) |
| Scalability | ✅ Infinite — crisp at any size | ❌ Fixed resolution — blurs when enlarged |
| Typical file size | Tiny for logos/icons | Depends on dimensions & colours |
| Transparency (alpha) | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported |
| Animation | ✅ CSS/SMIL animations | ❌ Not supported |
| Browser support | All modern browsers | Universal (all browsers) |
| Editable with code | ✅ XML text — editable in text editor | ❌ Binary — requires image editor |
| Best for | Logos, icons, charts, UI graphics | Photos, screenshots, complex images |
When to use SVG
- Company logos and brand marks (must look sharp on any device)
- Navigation icons and UI elements
- Data visualisations and charts
- Animated icons and illustrations
- Favicons (modern browsers accept SVG favicons)
When to use PNG
- Photographs and camera images
- Website screenshots and UI mockups
- Complex illustrations with gradients and textures
- Any image that cannot be recreated as vectors
- Profile photos and product images
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do logos use SVG instead of PNG?
SVG is a vector format — it stores the logo as mathematical paths rather than pixels. This means an SVG logo looks perfectly sharp at 16px in a favicon and at 2000px in a billboard, from exactly the same file. A PNG is a fixed pixel grid; enlarging it causes visible blurring or pixelation.
Can I use SVG on all browsers?
Yes. SVG is supported in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. It can be used in tags, as CSS background images, or inline in HTML. Very old browsers (IE 8 and below) do not support SVG, but those represent a negligible fraction of traffic in 2026.
Is SVG smaller than PNG?
For simple graphics (logos, icons, line art), SVG is typically much smaller than PNG. A simple logo might be 2–5 KB as SVG and 30–100 KB as a high-resolution PNG. For complex photographic images, PNG is smaller because SVG would need millions of paths to represent the same detail.
How do I convert SVG to PNG?
Use the free SVG to PNG converter at allio.tools/tools/image/svg-to-png/ — paste your SVG code or upload an SVG file and download the PNG at any resolution you need.