Two next-generation contenders go head to head — find out which modern format delivers the best web performance.
AVIF
Lossy/Lossless
WebP
Lossy/Lossless
AVIF
Very Small
BetterWebP
Small
AVIF
Excellent
WebP
Excellent
AVIF
Yes
WebP
Yes
AVIF
Yes
WebP
Yes
AVIF
Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16.4+, Limited older browser support
WebP
Modern browsers, Android devices, Limited desktop software
AVIF
16.7 million + HDR 10/12-bit
WebP
16.7 million + alpha
AVIF
Next-generation web optimization
WebP
Modern web development
AVIF offers 20-30% better compression than WebP and superior HDR support, but WebP has broader browser compatibility and faster encoding. Use AVIF as the primary format with WebP as the fallback in a <picture> element for the best performance strategy.
Common questions about AVIF and WebP
In terms of compression efficiency, yes — AVIF produces 20-30% smaller files than WebP at equivalent visual quality. AVIF also supports HDR, wider color gamuts, and has no licensing restrictions. However, WebP currently has broader browser support and faster encoding.
AVIF is supported in Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16.4+, and Edge 121+. This covers the vast majority of modern browsers, though some older versions and niche browsers may not support it.
Ideally, use both. Serve AVIF as the primary format and WebP as a fallback using the HTML <picture> element. This gives the best compression for modern browsers while maintaining compatibility for others.
AVIF uses the AV1 codec, which is computationally complex. Encoding an AVIF image can take 10-100x longer than WebP. This makes it less suitable for real-time encoding but fine for build-time optimization where images are encoded once and served many times.
Yes, AVIF supports animated sequences, though tooling and browser support for animated AVIF is less mature than animated WebP. For animated content, WebP currently remains the more practical choice.
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