ICO (Icon) vs WebP: Which Format is Better?

A detailed comparison between ico and webp. Learn the differences in compression, quality, and when to use each format.

ICO

ICO (Icon)

ICO is a computer icon format that contains one or more small images at multiple sizes and color depths.


Pros
  • Can store multiple sizes in one file
  • Standard for Windows and Web favicons
Cons
  • Very specific use case
Best For: Website favicons and Windows application icons.

WEBP

WebP

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web.


Pros
  • Superior compression (smaller than JPG & PNG)
  • Supports transparency
  • Supports animation
Cons
  • Not supported by some very old browsers
Best For: Modern web delivery, improving PageSpeed, replacing both JPG and PNG.

The Verdict

Choose ICO when you need raster benefits such as can. On the other hand, WEBP is the better choice for modern web delivery, improving pagespeed, replacing both jpg and png..