WebP vs AVIF — which image format should you use?
A practical comparison of WebP and AVIF for the web, with when to reach for each and how to convert.
Images are usually the heaviest thing on a page, so the format you ship matters for load time and Core Web Vitals. Two modern formats beat legacy JPEG and PNG — but which one?
WebP
WebP compresses roughly 25–35% smaller than JPEG at similar quality, supports transparency and animation, and is supported by every current browser. It’s the safe default: big savings with zero compatibility worries.
AVIF
AVIF goes further — often 50%+ smaller than JPEG, with excellent quality at low bitrates and better handling of gradients and flat color. The trade-offs: encoding is slower, and while support is now broad, it’s marginally behind WebP.
A simple rule
- Default to WebP for most images — the best balance of size, quality and support.
- Reach for AVIF on large hero images where every kilobyte counts, ideally
with a WebP/JPEG fallback via
<picture>.
Convert in seconds
The image compressor converts to both WebP and AVIF (plus JPEG/PNG) right in your browser — drop an image, pick a format and quality, and compare the before/after size. Nothing is uploaded.