WebP Converter topic guide
AVIF vs WebP: which modern format should you use
Direct answer
AVIF and WebP are both modern image formats that web.dev recommends for performance work. AVIF is newer and compresses better for photographs and high-detail images — often 20 to 50 percent smaller than WebP at the same visual quality. WebP encodes faster, has slightly wider tooling support, and is the safer default for general purpose web imagery. Both formats are supported by every modern major browser, but they serve different priorities: AVIF for maximum compression on hero images and photographs, WebP for broad compatibility and fast encoding across an entire site.
What this workflow handles
The choice depends on what you are compressing and how much encoding time you can tolerate. AVIF uses the AV1 codec and produces noticeably smaller files for photographs, gradients and complex imagery, but encoding is significantly slower than WebP — often 5 to 10 times slower on a typical server. WebP uses the VP8 codec and encodes quickly, making it practical for on-the-fly conversion in a CMS upload pipeline or a CDN edge function. For a small icon or flat-colour graphic the difference between the two formats is negligible; for a 3000 by 2000 product photograph the AVIF saving can be meaningful. Google's WebP documentation, Google's AVIF documentation, web.dev's modern-formats guide and the MDN compatibility tables are the first-party references that back the comparison.
Use the webp converter to convert a single image to WebP at the original pixel dimensions, then compare the byte counts in the result panel before keeping the output.
How to use it
- Decide what the image is — a hero photograph, a product shot, a logo, an icon, or a UI graphic.
- If it is a photograph or high-detail image and encoding time is not a constraint, convert it to AVIF for the smallest file.
- If it is an icon, logo or flat-colour graphic, or if encoding speed matters, convert it to WebP — the compression difference is negligible for these image types.
- Keep a JPEG or PNG fallback for email, print and destinations that do not accept modern formats.
- For a website, serve the modern format in a <picture> element with the fallback as a <source>, so the browser picks the first format it supports.
Frequently asked questions
Is AVIF better than WebP?
For compression, usually yes — AVIF produces smaller files than WebP for photographs and high-detail images, often by 20 to 50 percent at the same visual quality. Google's AVIF documentation and web.dev's modern-formats guide both cite this advantage. For encoding speed, WebP wins: AVIF encoding is 5 to 10 times slower on typical hardware, which matters in a CMS upload pipeline or CDN edge function. For flat-colour graphics and small icons the difference is negligible.
Do all browsers support AVIF?
Yes, every modern major browser supports AVIF: Chrome since version 85 (August 2020), Firefox since version 93 (October 2021), Safari since version 16 (September 2022) and Edge since version 121 (January 2024). The MDN browser compatibility table is the canonical reference. For older browsers, serve AVIF in a <picture> element with a WebP or JPEG <source> as fallback so the browser picks the first format it supports.
When should I use WebP instead of AVIF?
Use WebP when encoding speed matters — for example in a CMS upload pipeline, a CDN edge function, or any workflow where images are converted on the fly. WebP encodes 5 to 10 times faster than AVIF and the compression difference is small for icons, logos and flat-colour graphics. Use WebP as the safe general-purpose default and reserve AVIF for hero images, product photographs and other high-detail images where the extra compression saving justifies the slower encode.
Can I serve both AVIF and WebP on the same page?
Yes, and it is the recommended pattern. The WHATWG HTML Living Standard describes the <picture> element with multiple <source> children: list the AVIF source first (smallest file), then WebP as fallback, then JPEG or PNG as the final fallback. The browser picks the first format it supports, so modern browsers get AVIF, slightly older browsers get WebP, and old clients get JPEG. This costs nothing for modern browsers and keeps every client working.
Does AVIF support transparency?
Yes. AVIF supports an alpha channel in both lossy and lossless modes, so a transparent PNG or WebP can be converted to AVIF and the transparency is preserved. MDN's AVIF documentation confirms alpha-channel support. If you need transparency on the web and want the smallest file, AVIF lossy with alpha is usually the smallest option; PNG is the largest but lossless.
Explore the webp converter topic cluster
Each guide answers a different format-decision question. Pick the one that matches your situation, then use the linked tool to produce the output you need.