AVIF and WebP: Two next-generation Image Formats in Comparison

In today's fast-paced digital world, website owners are constantly looking for ways to improve the user experience and increase website performance. One key aspect of this is optimizing images, which can often take up a large portion of a web page's total size.

One way to optimize images is by converting them to WebP or AVIF. Both, AVIF and WEBP are both image formats that have been developed to improve the performance and compression of images on the web. Both formats are designed to reduce the file size of images while maintaining high image quality, which makes them ideal for use in web applications and on websites. However, there are some differences between the two formats that may make one a better choice than the other depending on the specific use case.

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a newer image format that was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia). It is based on the AV1 video codec, which is also developed by AOMedia. AVIF uses the AV1 codec to compress images, which allows it to achieve significantly better compression than other image formats. Additionally, AVIF supports a wide range of color spaces, including HDR (high dynamic range) and a wide color gamut, which makes it suitable for use in high-quality images.

WEBP, on the other hand, is an image format that was developed by Google. It is based on the VP8 and VP9 video codecs and is designed to be a lightweight and efficient image format for use on the web. WEBP supports both lossless and lossy compression, which makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases. Additionally, WEBP supports transparency and animation, which can be useful for certain types of images.


Format AVIF WEBP
Compression Type AV1 codec VP8/VP9 codec
Alpha Channel Support Yes Yes
Lossless Compression Yes Yes
Animation Support Yes Yes
Browser Support Limited Wider


In terms of image quality, AVIF generally offers better image quality than WEBP. AVIF uses the AV1 codec, which is able to achieve better compression than the VP8 and VP9 codecs used by WEBP. Additionally, AVIF supports a wide range of color spaces, including HDR and a wide color gamut, which allows it to produce high-quality images with more accurate colors.

In terms of compatibility, WEBP is more widely supported than AVIF. WEBP has been around for longer and has been adopted by many web browsers and image editing software. AVIF is still relatively new and may not be supported by all devices and software.

In terms of file size, AVIF generally has smaller file sizes than WEBP. AVIF is able to achieve better compression than WEBP, which allows it to produce smaller file sizes. However, the difference in file size between the two formats is not always significant, and in some cases, WEBP may actually have smaller file sizes.

In terms of performance, both AVIF and WEBP have good performance. Both formats are designed to be lightweight and efficient, which makes them suitable for use on the web. However, AVIF may have slightly better performance than WEBP due to its better compression. In case you want to convert your website JPG images to AVIF or WebP, Converter App offers all the tools you need.

AVIF and WEBP are good image formats for use on the web, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. AVIF generally offers better image quality and smaller file sizes than WEBP, but it is less widely supported. WEBP is more widely supported than AVIF and supports transparency and animation, but its image quality and file sizes may not be as good as AVIF's. Depending on the use case, either format may be a better choice. If the highest image quality is the most important factor, AVIF is the way to go, but if compatibility and support are more important, WEBP is the better choice.