WebP vs AVIF: Which Image Format to Use in 2026

WebP vs AVIF in one line: AVIF usually squeezes photos smaller at the same look, while WebP is faster to make, easier to edit with everyday tools, and supported slightly more widely. For most small sites and blogs in 2026, WebP is the practical default, and AVIF is worth adding when image weight really matters and your platform makes it for you. You can make WebP files right now with the free JPG to WebP converter, in your browser.

Both formats exist for the same reason: JPG and PNG are old, and pages full of photos are heavy. Here's how the two newer formats compare on the things that actually decide the choice.

WebP vs AVIF side by side

	WebP	AVIF
Introduced	2010 (Google)	2019 (Alliance for Open Media)
Based on	VP8 video codec	AV1 video codec
Typical file size	Smaller than JPG	Often smaller than WebP, especially at low quality settings
Transparency	Yes	Yes
Animation	Yes	Yes
Browser support (caniuse.com, Oct 2026)	About 97%	About 96%
Time to create	Quick	Noticeably slower, especially for large images
Opens in everyday apps	Widely	Less widely

File size and quality

AVIF's big selling point is compression. At low and medium quality settings, where JPG goes blocky and WebP goes smeary, AVIF tends to hold smooth gradients and edges better, so you can push the file smaller before it looks bad. Skies, skin and soft backgrounds benefit most.

At high quality settings the gap narrows. If you're saving product photos at 85-90% so customers can zoom in, the difference between WebP and AVIF is usually small. The exact savings depend heavily on the image and the encoder settings, so treat any single percentage you see quoted as an example rather than a rule. The honest test is to convert a handful of your own typical images both ways and compare sizes at a quality where you can't see a difference.

AVIF can also store higher bit depths and HDR images, which matters for photographers publishing HDR work. For ordinary web photos it doesn't.

Browser support

As per caniuse.com (checked October 2026), both formats work in every current major browser. The difference is history:

• WebP reached all the major browsers by 2020, when Safari 14 added it.
• AVIF arrived later: Chrome 85 (2020), Firefox 93 (2021), Safari 16 (2022), and Edge only from version 121 (early 2024).

So AVIF misses a slightly larger slice of older devices and browsers that haven't updated. If you use the HTML <picture> element with a fallback, that doesn't matter: the browser takes the first format it understands.

Encoding speed and tooling

This is where WebP wins clearly. Creating an AVIF file takes much more computing work, so converting a big folder is slower, and on-the-fly conversion costs more server time. WebP encodes quickly almost everywhere, including directly in the browser.

Tooling follows the same pattern. Most image editors, CMS platforms and browsers can save WebP. AVIF export is growing but still patchier, and many desktop apps can open AVIF without being able to save it.

On EveryApp, our image converters, compressor, resizer, cropper and photo filters can open AVIF files (in browsers that support it), but they save as JPG, PNG or WebP. So you can turn an AVIF into a WebP or JPG with the free image compressor by choosing a format under Save as. The one exception is the free image converter, which lists AVIF as an output only when your browser can create it; if you don't see it there, your device can't.

Compatibility outside the browser

Images don't only live on web pages. People save them, attach them to emails and upload them to forms. WebP is now opened by most phones, Windows and macOS. AVIF support in older operating systems, office software and upload portals is weaker. If visitors are likely to download your images (recipes, printables, wallpapers), WebP or JPG causes fewer "I can't open this" emails. Our guide to what WebP is covers opening and converting those files.

Which to use on a site in 2026

Your situation	Use
Blog, portfolio or small shop, converting images by hand	WebP
Platform or CDN that creates AVIF automatically with a fallback	Let it serve AVIF
Image-heavy site where every kilobyte counts, with a build pipeline	AVIF first, WebP fallback
Images people will download and reuse	WebP or JPG
Logos and icons	SVG if possible, otherwise WebP or PNG

The biggest saving still comes from serving images at the right pixel size, not from the format. A 4000-pixel photo in AVIF is heavier than an 1200-pixel one in WebP. Resize first with the free image resizer, then choose the format. Compressing images for a website walks through the whole routine, and WebP vs PNG vs JPG covers the older formats.

How to make WebP files

1. Open the free JPG to WebP converter, or the free PNG to WebP converter for graphics with transparent backgrounds.
2. Add up to 20 images. (Photos over about 16.7 megapixels, including default 24 MP iPhone shots, are refused; shrink them first with the free image resizer.)
3. Leave Quality at 80% or adjust it.
4. Click Convert to WebP and check the new sizes.
5. Download each file or Download all (ZIP).

Everything runs on your device, so nothing is uploaded.

The quick way

For most sites the right answer today is WebP, done well: resized to the display size and saved at about 75-85% quality. Start with the free JPG to WebP converter, and add AVIF later if your platform makes it easy.