AVIF vs WebP: Which Next-Gen Format Is Better?

WebP and AVIF are both built to replace JPG and PNG on the web. Both produce smaller files. Both support transparency and lossy/lossless compression. Both work in modern browsers.

So which one should you use?

The answer is nuanced. AVIF wins on compression. WebP wins on compatibility and speed. The best choice depends on your specific needs and audience.

How Do AVIF and WebP Compare on File Size?

AVIF produces smaller files. Consistently. Across every type of image.

Image type	WebP (85%)	AVIF (80%)	AVIF savings
Landscape photo	850 KB	580 KB	32%
Portrait photo	550 KB	380 KB	31%
Product photo	260 KB	175 KB	33%
Logo with transparency	22 KB	15 KB	32%
Screenshot	170 KB	120 KB	29%

AVIF is roughly 20-35% smaller than WebP at comparable visual quality. Note that AVIF achieves this at 80% quality while WebP is at 85%. The quality scales are different between formats, so the numbers aren't directly comparable. What matters is the visual result at similar file sizes.

For a website that serves thousands of images daily, this difference adds up fast. A site serving 1 TB of WebP images per month could serve the same content at 700 GB in AVIF. That's real money saved on CDN and bandwidth costs.

Which Format Looks Better at the Same File Size?

At identical file sizes, AVIF tends to look better than WebP. This is especially true for certain types of content.

Photos with smooth gradients. Sunsets, skin tones, and bokeh backgrounds look cleaner in AVIF. WebP can show subtle banding in these areas. AVIF handles them more naturally.

Low bitrate images. When you push compression hard (small thumbnails, heavily compressed previews), AVIF holds up better. WebP gets blurry. AVIF stays sharper with more recognizable detail.

Fine textures. Hair, fabric, foliage, and other detailed textures retain more clarity in AVIF at the same file size.

Where they're equal: sharp graphics, text, icons, and images with high contrast. Both formats handle these well. The difference only shows in photographic content with subtle tonal variation.

At high quality settings (90%+), most people can't tell AVIF and WebP apart. The differences emerge when you compress more aggressively.

How Does Browser Support Compare?

This is where WebP has the clear advantage.

WebP: 97%+ browser support. Chrome (2014), Firefox (2019), Safari (2020), Edge, Opera. Every major browser. The remaining 3% is Internet Explorer and very old mobile browsers.

AVIF: ~93% browser support. Chrome (2020), Firefox (2021), Safari 16+ (2022), Edge. Newer Samsung Internet and Opera. The gap is mainly older Safari and some Android browsers.

That 4% difference might not seem like much, but it depends on your audience. If your users are mostly on recent iPhones and desktop Chrome, AVIF support is excellent. If you serve a global audience with older devices, the gap matters more.

The safe play: serve AVIF with a WebP fallback. Every user gets the best their browser can handle.

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

Which Format Is Faster to Encode and Decode?

WebP is significantly faster on both sides.

Encoding speed. Converting an image to WebP is 5-10x faster than converting to AVIF. For batch processing hundreds of images, this matters. A build step that takes 30 seconds with WebP could take 5 minutes with AVIF.

Decoding speed. Browsers render WebP images faster than AVIF. The difference is small on powerful devices. On older phones and low-end hardware, AVIF decoding can cause noticeable delays.

Memory usage. AVIF decoding uses more memory than WebP. On devices with limited RAM, this can affect scrolling performance when many images are visible at once.

For most websites, the decoding difference is negligible. Modern devices handle both formats without issues. But if you're building for performance-critical applications or low-end devices, WebP is the lighter option.

What Features Does Each Format Support?

Both formats are feature-rich, but there are differences.

Feature	WebP	AVIF
Lossy compression	Yes	Yes
Lossless compression	Yes	Yes
Transparency (alpha)	Yes	Yes
Animation	Yes	Yes
HDR support	No	Yes
Wide color gamut	Limited	Yes
Max dimensions	16,383 px	8,193 px (with tiling: unlimited)
Color depth	8-bit	8, 10, 12-bit
Bit depth for photos	Sufficient	Superior

AVIF's HDR and wide color gamut support set it apart for future-proofing. As HDR displays become standard on phones, tablets, and monitors, AVIF can deliver richer color without a format change.

WebP's simpler architecture makes it faster to work with. It doesn't have AVIF's advanced color features, but it covers what 99% of websites need today.

The max dimension limit is worth noting. WebP caps at 16,383 pixels on any side. AVIF's base limit is 8,193 pixels, though tiling can extend this. For most web images, neither limit is an issue. For very large images (panoramas, maps), check the dimensions.

Should You Use AVIF, WebP, or Both?

The best approach uses both formats in a progressive strategy.

If you can only pick one: Choose WebP. It has wider browser support, faster encoding, and still provides major savings over JPG and PNG. It's the safer, more practical choice today.

If you want the best performance: Serve AVIF first with WebP fallback. Users on modern browsers get the smallest possible files. Everyone else gets WebP, which is still excellent.

If encoding speed matters: Use WebP. Build pipelines, real-time image processing, and on-the-fly conversion are all faster with WebP. AVIF encoding can bottleneck your workflow.

If you're preparing for the future: Invest in AVIF. As browser support grows and encoding speeds improve, AVIF will likely become the default web image format. Starting now puts you ahead.

For a complete breakdown of all image formats and their best uses, see our image format guide.

How Do You Convert Between AVIF and WebP?

ConvertIMG converts in both directions. AVIF to WebP for wider compatibility. WebP to AVIF for maximum compression. All processing happens in your browser. No server uploads. Drop your files in, pick your format and quality, and download. Batch conversion is included.