PNG is what still GIFs should have been all along
PNG was created in the 1990s specifically as GIF's successor for still images, and for that job it won decisively. It handles millions of colors where GIF is capped at 256, compresses flat graphics as well or better, and is accepted by every editor, browser and upload form. Any logo, icon, diagram or screenshot that is currently living as a .gif file is better off as a PNG. Because both formats store pixels losslessly, the conversion is a perfect copy: what the GIF shows is exactly what the PNG shows, with no compression artifacts introduced.
Hard-edged transparency comes through intact
GIF transparency is 1-bit: a pixel is either fully see-through or fully solid, which gives old web graphics their characteristic hard cutout edges. PNG represents that perfectly, so transparent backgrounds survive the conversion untouched. That makes this the safe route for sprites, clip art and legacy logos, unlike GIF to JPG, which flattens every transparent pixel onto white.
For animated GIFs, only the first frame is converted, since standard PNG is a still format. Once you have the PNG, PNG to WebP can compress it further for web use without giving up the transparency.
Common questions
Is transparency preserved when converting GIF to PNG?+−
Yes, exactly as it exists in the source. GIF supports 1-bit transparency, meaning each pixel is either fully opaque or fully transparent with no soft edges. PNG can represent that perfectly, so logos, sprites and clip art keep their hard-edged transparent backgrounds. Nothing is flattened to white, which is what would happen if you converted to JPG instead.
What about animated GIFs?+−
Only the first frame is converted, and we want to be upfront about that. PNG in its common form is a still format, so the animation cannot come along. If the frame you need appears later in the loop, pause the animation in a viewer and screenshot that moment. If you need the motion itself, keep the GIF or move to a video format.
Is GIF to PNG lossless?+−
Yes. GIF stores its pixels losslessly within its 256-color palette, and PNG stores whatever it is given losslessly too, so the conversion is a perfect pixel-for-pixel copy. No quality is gained or lost. For flat graphics the PNG is often about the same size or smaller, because PNG's compression handles solid color regions efficiently.
Why is PNG the better format for still graphics?+−
PNG does everything still GIF does and more. It supports millions of colors instead of 256, smooth alpha transparency instead of the 1-bit kind, and typically equal or better compression for graphics. The only thing GIF still offers is animation. For any non-animated logo, icon, chart or screenshot, PNG is simply the more capable container.