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BMP vs PNG

Comparing Bitmap Image File and Portable Network Graphics - which format should you use?

	BMP	PNG
Full Name	Bitmap Image File	Portable Network Graphics
Extension	.bmp	.png
MIME Type	image/bmp	image/png
Category	image	image

BMP Pros

+Zero compression artifacts
+Fast to render (no decompression)
+Simple format, easy to parse
+Native Windows support

BMP Cons

-Extremely large file sizes
-No transparency support
-No web browser optimization
-Obsolete for most modern use cases

PNG Pros

+Lossless compression - no quality loss
+Full alpha transparency support
+Wide browser and software support
+Good for graphics, logos, screenshots

PNG Cons

-Larger file sizes than JPEG for photographs
-No animation support (use APNG or GIF)
-Not ideal for print (use TIFF or PDF)
-No EXIF metadata support

Use BMP when...

-Windows system graphics
-Legacy application support
-Simple image processing pipelines

Use PNG when...

-Website graphics and logos
-Screenshots and UI mockups
-Images requiring transparency
-Digital art and illustrations

Learn more about BMP Learn more about PNG