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Difference between PNG and GIF

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GIF and PNG are the two different types of formats used to store the images. GIF: GIF stands for graphics interchange format. The extensions used to store images in this format are .gif and .gfa. It uses the lossless compression algorithm and supports 8-bit color. PNG: It stands for portable network graphics. For PNG images, the extension used is .png. It also uses the lossless compression algorithm.  
Differences between GIF and PNG:

GIF PNG
It stands for graphics interchange format. It stands for portable network graphics.
It supports animations. It doesn’t support animations.
MIME type is image/gif. MIME type is image/png.
The file size is generally less. The file size is large as compared to a GIF.
It supports one bit transparency in the images. It supports transparency with an elegance.
The extensions used are .gif and .gfa. The extension used is .png.
Mostly used when animation is needed. It is mostly used in image creation.
It provides a limited color range of 256 colors. It provides thousand of colors.
It supports layers and multi-paging. While it does not supports layers and multi-paging.
It is best suited for screenshots, typography, etc. It is suitable for small vectors, crispy edged visuals, logos, etc.

Last Updated : 22 Feb, 2023
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