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Need help?How to Convert Video to AV1 Online
- Upload Your Video Files: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select clips in MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI, HEVC, MTS, TS, or any of 30+ accepted video formats. Multiple files queue and convert with the same settings.
- Pick Quality Preset or Bitrate: Default is "Very High (Recommended)" — keep it for archival quality. Switch File Compression to Constant Quality (CRF 23-35 typical range), Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, or Specific file size when you need a hard MB target. Audio Codec defaults to Opus (best AV1 pairing); switch to AAC or MP3 if your player needs it.
- Resize, Trim, or Recolor (Optional): Under Video resolution, keep original, pick a preset (2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p), scale by percentage, or enter custom Width x Height. Use Trim to clip a Time Range without re-uploading. Set background color if compositing from images.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert. Encoding runs on our servers (AV1 is CPU-heavy — see FAQ), then your
.av1-extension file downloads. No watermark, no sign-up, no file count limit.
Why Convert Video to AV1?
AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) is the royalty-free codec released by the Alliance for Open Media in March 2018, backed by Google, Netflix, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Mozilla, Apple, and Samsung. At equivalent visual quality it produces files roughly 30% smaller than H.265/HEVC and VP9, and around 50% smaller than H.264 — without per-stream patent royalties. By 2026 AV1 carries the majority of YouTube playback, about 30% of Netflix streaming, and most flagship phones, GPUs, and TVs since 2022 ship with hardware decode.
- Cut streaming and CDN bills — at 1080p, AV1 hits H.264 visual quality at roughly 40% of the bitrate (typical: 2,000 kbps AV1 vs 5,000 kbps H.264). For a channel pushing terabytes a month that's a direct egress saving.
- 4K and HDR delivery on slim pipes — Netflix expanded its AV1 catalog to AV1-HDR10+ during 2025 because AV1 is the codec that makes 4K HDR practical at sub-15 Mbps. Use it for film masters, drone reels, and color-graded shorts where HEVC files feel bloated.
- Royalty-free distribution — unlike H.265 (MPEG-LA, Access Advance, Velos Media patent pools) AV1 has no per-stream license. Game streamers, indie filmmakers, and SaaS video products can re-encode and serve without lawyer letters.
- Archive masters without H.265 patent risk — keep your original camera files plus an AV1 high-quality copy as a long-term archival format that any open-source player (VLC, mpv, FFmpeg) can decode forever.
- Modern device playback — Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 121+, Android 10+, and Safari 17+ on Apple Silicon M3 / iPhone 15 Pro / iPhone 16 hardware all decode AV1 in-browser per caniuse data. Embed an
.av1or.mp4(AV1) source and most 2023-and-newer hardware plays it without transcoding. - WebM and MKV containers — output AV1 as a Matroska-wrapped
.av1file, or use our WebM converter / MKV converter variants to wrap AV1 in extensions that browsers and players already speak.
AV1 vs H.265 vs VP9 vs H.264 — Codec Comparison
| Property | AV1 | H.265 (HEVC) | VP9 | H.264 (AVC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | March 2018 | 2013 | 2013 | 2003 |
| Compression vs H.264 (same quality) | ~50% smaller | ~40% smaller | ~40% smaller | baseline |
| Compression vs H.265 (same quality) | ~28% smaller | baseline | within 2-5% | ~40% larger |
| Royalty model | Royalty-free (AOMedia) | Multiple patent pools | Royalty-free (Google) | Patent pool (MPEG-LA) |
| Encode speed (1080p, software) | Slowest (often 3-10x HEVC) | Slow | Moderate | Fast |
| Hardware encode (consumer GPUs) | Intel Arc, NVIDIA RTX 40+, AMD RX 7000+ | Most GPUs since 2016 | Limited | Universal since ~2010 |
| Browser decode (2026) | Chrome 70+, FF 67+, Edge 121+, Safari 17+ on M3/A17 Pro | Safari, Edge, Chrome 107+ (partial) | Chrome, Firefox, Edge | All browsers |
| Best for | Streaming, 4K HDR, archival | Apple ecosystem, broadcast | YouTube legacy, WebM | Universal compatibility |
Quality Preset and Bitrate Quick Guide
| Preset / CRF | Use case | 1080p target bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| Very High (Recommended) / CRF ~20 | Archival masters, color-graded shorts | 3.5-5 Mbps |
| High / CRF ~25 | Streaming uploads, high-quality web embeds | 2-3 Mbps |
| Medium / CRF 32-34 | Social posts, video email, course lessons | 1-1.8 Mbps |
| Low / CRF ~45 | Preview proxies, mobile-data delivery | 500-900 kbps |
CRF (Constant Rate Factor) is AV1's quality knob: lower number = higher quality + larger file. For most uploads, switch File Compression to Constant Quality, leave CRF at 30, and let the bitrate float.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is AV1 encoding so much slower than H.265?
AV1's compression gains come from a much larger toolset — more partition shapes, more intra prediction modes, more motion vector precision — which means more work per frame. Software encoding with libaom-av1 can be 5-10x slower than x265 at similar settings; SVT-AV1 is faster but still slower than HEVC. We run encodes on our servers so your laptop doesn't spend the afternoon at 100% CPU.
Will my AV1 file play on iPhone or Safari?
It depends on hardware. Safari 17 added AV1 decode, but Apple only ships a hardware decoder — not a software fallback. That means AV1 plays only on Apple Silicon M3 / M4 Macs, iPad Pro M4, iPhone 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 16 family. Older iPhones and Intel Macs install Safari 17+ but cannot play AV1. For mixed audiences, keep an H.264 fallback.
Should I output a .av1 file or AV1 inside MP4/MKV/WebM?
The .av1 output here is a Matroska-wrapped file that FFmpeg-based players open as-is, but many consumer players don't recognize the nonstandard extension (renaming it to .mkv helps). For browser embeds use MP4 or WebM (the reverse direction — see our MP4 to AV1 converter for that specific input, or video to WebM to wrap AV1 in a WebM container). For Plex, mpv, and VLC libraries use MKV via our video to MKV converter. MKV handles AV1 + Opus + subtitles cleanly.
What's the right CRF or bitrate for 1080p AV1?
For visually transparent quality at 1080p, CRF 23-25 (roughly 3-5 Mbps) is the archival sweet spot. CRF 30 (~1.5-2 Mbps) is what YouTube targets for 1080p AV1 streams — it looks great on most content. Go to CRF 35+ only for low-motion content like screencasts and lectures. Above CRF 40 you'll see noticeable banding on gradients.
Does AV1 carry royalties or licensing fees?
No. AV1 was designed to be royalty-free by the Alliance for Open Media. Sisvel announced a patent pool in 2020 claiming some essential patents, but AOMedia members (Google, Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Mozilla, etc.) have publicly disputed it and continue shipping AV1 at scale. For practical purposes — uploading to YouTube, hosting on your own CDN, distributing apps — there is no royalty to pay, unlike H.265.
Is AV1 worth it if my audience uses old phones?
Maybe not yet. AV1 hardware decode is in roughly 2023-and-newer flagship phones (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+, Tensor G2+, Exynos 2200+, A17 Pro) and 2022-and-newer mid-range GPUs. Older devices fall back to dav1d software decode, which works on Android 10+ and modern desktop browsers but warms the CPU and shortens battery life on long videos. If your audience skews older-device, keep an H.264 or H.265 alternate.
What audio codec should I pair with AV1?
Opus. It's the modern, royalty-free pair to AV1 — better quality than AAC at the same bitrate, especially at 64-128 kbps for speech and music. We default Audio Codec to Opus for AV1 output. If you need maximum compatibility with hardware boxes that don't decode Opus, switch to AAC or AC3 (both available in the Audio Codec dropdown).
How does AV1 compare to H.266 (VVC)?
H.266/VVC, finalized in July 2020, claims ~50% better compression than H.265, putting it roughly on par with — or slightly ahead of — AV1 on raw efficiency. But H.266 is patent-encumbered (multiple pools, similar to H.265), hardware support is still nascent in 2026, and no major browser ships VVC decode. AV1 remains the practical choice for web delivery; VVC is mostly a broadcast and pay-TV story right now.
Can I compress an existing AV1 file further?
Yes. Re-encoding AV1 to AV1 at a lower bitrate or higher CRF shrinks the file, with the usual generational-loss caveat. For one-step shrinking without changing codec, use our AV1 compressor or the general video compressor.