AVIF vs WebP — Which Should You Convert To?
Both AVIF and WebP are modern formats that beat JPEG and PNG on file size, so the real question is reach versus efficiency. AVIF squeezes files smaller, but WebP has wider, older browser and app support — so if something is rejecting your AVIF or rendering a blank box, converting to WebP is usually the fix. If you only care about the smallest possible file and your audience is on current browsers, you can stay on AVIF.
Side-by-side Comparison
| Property | AVIF | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | AV1 Image File Format | Web Picture format |
| Released | 2019 (AOMedia) | 2010 (Google) |
| Underlying codec | AV1 intra-frame | VP8 (lossy) / VP8L (lossless) |
| Color / bit depth | 8, 10, and 12-bit, HDR, wide color gamut | 8-bit |
| Transparency (alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | Yes |
| Typical size at equal quality | Smallest (~20-25% under WebP) | Small (lossy ~25-34% under JPEG) |
| Global browser support | ~93% | ~96% |
| First desktop Safari support | 16.1 (Oct 2022) | 14 (Sept 2020) |
| Decode CPU cost | Higher | Lower |
| Best for | Maximum compression, HDR photography | Broad compatibility with a small footprint |
When to Pick AVIF (Keep It)
- You want the smallest file at a given quality and your viewers are on up-to-date Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari 16.1+.
- The image has wide tonal range — HDR photography, gradients, or wide-gamut color that benefits from 10 or 12-bit depth.
- You serve images with a
<picture>element that falls back to WebP or JPEG for older clients anyway.
When to Pick WebP (Convert)
- An app, CMS, email client, or older device is rejecting AVIF or showing a broken-image placeholder.
- You need a single file that "just works" across the widest set of browsers without a fallback chain — WebP reaches roughly 96% of users, including Safari back to version 14.
- Decode speed matters (long image galleries, low-power devices); WebP is cheaper for the browser to render than AVIF.
- Your tooling, image library, or plugin supports WebP but not yet AVIF.
Quick Decision Table: AVIF, WebP, or JPEG?
JPEG is the third option people forget about, and for a few situations it is still the right answer. Match your situation to the row:
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An app, CMS, or older device shows a broken-image box | WebP | ~96% global browser support versus ~93% for AVIF, and lossy WebP works in Safari as far back as 14 |
| You need transparency and the widest reach | WebP | JPEG has no alpha channel at all; WebP keeps alpha in both its lossy and lossless modes |
| Smallest possible file, modern audience only | AVIF (keep it) | AV1 intra-frame coding lands roughly 20-25% below WebP at matched quality |
| HDR, wide gamut, or 10/12-bit color must survive | AVIF (keep it) | WebP stores 8-bit only, so the extra depth is flattened on the way in |
| Long image galleries on low-power phones | WebP | Cheaper for the browser to decode than AVIF, so scrolling stays smooth |
| Email clients, printed output, legacy embeds | JPEG | ITU-T T.81 dates to 1992 and renders virtually everywhere — but carries no transparency |
| The image is wider or taller than 16,383 pixels | AVIF or PNG | The WebP container caps both dimensions at 16,383 px (see the FAQ below) |
How to Convert AVIF to WebP
- Upload Your AVIF File: Drag and drop your
.avifimages onto the page or click "Add Files." You can queue several at once and convert them with the same settings. - Set the Quality Preset: Leave it on "Very High (Recommended)" to stay visually close to the original, or step it down to shrink the output. Flip "Lossless?" to "Yes" only when you need an exact pixel match (the file will be larger).
- Adjust Resolution or Specific File Size (Optional): Use "Resolution Percentage" or "Preset Resolutions" to downscale, or "Specific file size" to cap the result at a target like 500 kB.
- Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and save your WebP. No sign-up, no watermark.
Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — never shared or made public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose quality converting AVIF to WebP?
Some quality loss is possible because both are lossy formats and you are re-encoding once. At the "Very High" preset the difference is hard to spot at normal viewing size. The bigger change is file size: because WebP is less efficient than AVIF, the same image usually gets larger in WebP, not smaller. If you need a guaranteed pixel-for-pixel copy, switch "Lossless?" to "Yes."
Why does my WebP file end up bigger than the AVIF?
That is expected. AVIF compresses harder than WebP — typically 20-25% smaller for the same visual quality — so converting "down" to the less efficient format trades some of that saving for broader compatibility. You are buying reach, not a smaller file. If size is your only goal, keep the AVIF.
Does WebP keep the transparency from my AVIF?
Yes. WebP supports an alpha channel in both its lossy and lossless modes, so transparent backgrounds carry over. Note that WebP is 8-bit, so if your AVIF used 10 or 12-bit color or HDR, that extra depth is flattened to 8-bit during conversion.
Does converting to WebP fix Safari or iPhone display problems?
Usually, yes. Safari has supported lossy WebP since Safari 14 (iOS 14 / macOS Big Sur, 2020), which is older and more widely installed than AVIF support, which only arrived in Safari 16.1. Animated and lossless WebP need Safari 16 or newer. So a WebP file reaches more real-world Apple devices than an AVIF file does.
Can I convert the WebP back to AVIF later?
Yes — run it through WebP to AVIF to re-encode in the other direction. Keep in mind that each lossy round trip discards a little detail, so for archival work it is best to keep your original AVIF and treat the WebP as a derivative copy.
What if I need it to work on really old browsers too?
WebP already covers about 96% of users, but if you need to reach legacy browsers (older Internet Explorer, very old Android) the safest format is JPEG. Use AVIF to JPG for that — JPEG has no transparency, but it renders virtually everywhere.
Is there a maximum image size for WebP?
Yes, and it is a real wall on this conversion: WebP caps both dimensions at 16,383 × 16,383 pixels because the format stores width and height in 14-bit fields, per Google's WebP FAQ. AVIF has no ceiling anywhere near that — AV1 frame dimensions run up to 65,536 pixels a side — so a large panorama, poster, or scan that was perfectly happy as AVIF can be too big for WebP. If you hit it, use "Resolution Percentage" or "Preset Resolutions" to scale the image under the limit, or send it through AVIF to PNG instead, which has no practical dimension ceiling and keeps transparency losslessly.
How small can I make the WebP?
In our testing, a 12-megapixel AVIF photo re-encoded at the "Very High" preset produced a WebP in the low-hundreds-of-kilobytes range, larger than the AVIF source but well under the same image as PNG. To hit a hard ceiling, use "Specific file size" and enter a target; the converter scales quality (and dimensions if needed) to land near it.