Compare
AVIF vs WebP
AVIF and WebP both target web images and support lossy and lossless options and transparency. Compare quality, size, encoding speed, and support using the same images; serving more than one format may be appropriate.
Which format should you choose?
Test representative images in both formats with comparable settings, then measure visual quality, transfer size, encoding time, and audience support. Neither format is always better.
Good fit for AVIF
Web image delivery · Optimized photographs · Transparent web images
- Balancing quality and transfer size
- Delivery environments confirmed to support AVIF
Good fit for WebP
Web image delivery · Photographs · Transparent web assets
- Reducing web-image transfer size
- Assets that need transparency or animation
Basic information
| Field | AVIF | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Extension | .avif | .webp |
| MIME type | image/avif | image/webp |
| Common uses | Web image delivery · Optimized photographs · Transparent web images | Web image delivery · Photographs · Transparent web assets |
| How to open | Compatible web browsers can display AVIF on a page. For local files, confirm that your operating-system viewer or image editor supports AVIF. | Open WebP files in a compatible browser, image viewer, or image editor. |
| Export or convert | When converting JPEG or PNG to AVIF, retain the source image and check quality settings and transparency. When converting AVIF to another format, features or metadata unsupported by the output format may not be retained. | When exporting WebP to JPEG, transparency is not retained and the output is lossy. When exporting to PNG, decide whether a still image is sufficient and handle animation separately if necessary. Before converting JPEG or PNG to WebP, choose lossy or lossless encoding and confirm transparency and animation requirements. |
Choose by use case
Balancing quality and transfer size
Web image delivery · Optimized photographs · Transparent web images
AVIFDelivery environments confirmed to support AVIF
Web image delivery · Optimized photographs · Transparent web images
AVIFReducing web-image transfer size
Web image delivery · Photographs · Transparent web assets
WebPAssets that need transparency or animation
Web image delivery · Photographs · Transparent web assets
WebPKey point 1
AVIF uses image coding based on AV1 and can be considered for optimizing web image delivery.
More on the differencesKey point 2
WebP also targets web delivery and supports lossy or lossless images, transparency, and animation.
More on the differencesMore on the differences
Choose based on measured results and your browser, CMS, and image pipeline. Keep a fallback or serve multiple formats when the audience requires it.
- Both formats can represent transparency; animation support and implementation depend on the tools and delivery path.
- Compression results and encoding workload vary by source image and settings.
- Compare the same source at the intended display size instead of relying on format names alone.
Frequently asked questions
Is AVIF always smaller than WebP?
No. Results depend on image content, encoder, settings, and quality target. Test the images you actually plan to publish.