Format Showdown

PNG VS BMP

The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Portable Network Graphics and Bitmap Image File.

PNG

png

Lossless format supporting transparency, ideal for logos and digital art.

Pros

Lossless quality
Alpha channel transparency
Wide support

Cons

Larger file sizes than JPG
Not good for print (RGB only)

BMP

bmp

Uncompressed raster graphics, high quality but large file size.

Pros

Uncompressed quality
Simple structure
Fast processing

Cons

Huge file sizes
No compression
No web usage

When PNG wins

Stay with PNG when you need logos or screenshots. Its strengths center on lossless quality and a feature set native to PNG Development Group.

When BMP wins

Choose BMP when your workflow prioritizes windows system files or legacy software. It delivers uncompressed quality plus modern compression perks.

Technical Specifications

Feature	PNG	BMP
MIME Type	image/png	image/bmp
Developer	PNG Development Group	Microsoft
Release Year	1996	1990
Best For	Logos, Screenshots, Graphics with transparent backgrounds	Windows system files, Legacy software

Need to switch?

Convert PNG to BMP Convert BMP to PNG

Opportunity map

Where PNG still wins

Keep PNG when you need lossless quality and workflows depend on logos / screenshots. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship BMP deliverables without leaving their browser.

• Reference the .png glossary from this page.
• Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
• Use BMP for windows system files while archiving originals as PNG.

Internal linking plan

Keep crawlers in the conversion hub

Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.

PNG to BMP converter BMP to PNG converter Use case library Implementation docs