A practical guide on svg vs pdf — when, why, and how.
SVG and PDF can both contain vector graphics, but they serve very different purposes. SVG is designed for the web; PDF is designed for documents and print. Understanding when to use each saves you time and avoids format mismatches.
Key Differences
| Feature | SVG | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | Web graphics | Documents and print |
| Browser rendering | Native, inline | Requires viewer/embed |
| CSS/JS interaction | Yes | No |
| Multi-page support | No (single graphic) | Yes |
| Text handling | Selectable, styleable | Embedded fonts |
| File size (simple graphic) | Smaller | Larger (more overhead) |
When to Use Each
Use SVG for web graphics — logos, icons, illustrations, charts, and any visual that needs to be interactive, animated, or styled with CSS. Use PDF for documents — reports, invoices, presentations, and anything that needs to maintain fixed layout across devices and printers.
If you have a PNG graphic that needs to go on a website, convert it to SVG. If it needs to go into a printed document, convert to SVG first for quality, then place it in your PDF layout tool.