WebP and AVIF are the two modern image formats that have replaced JPEG and PNG as the recommended formats for web images. Both offer better compression, both support transparency, and both are supported by all major browsers as of 2026. But they have different strengths — and knowing which to use when matters.
WebP: the safe default
Developed by Google and released in 2010, WebP has had near-universal browser support since 2020. It provides 25–35% better compression than JPEG at the same quality, and supports alpha transparency and animation. Encoding is fast — sub-second for most images.
- Browser support: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — 97%+ global coverage
- Lossy and lossless modes
- Supports transparency and animation
- Fast encoding (seconds)
- 25–35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
AVIF: better compression, slower encoding
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is newer, based on the AV1 video codec. It offers significantly better compression than WebP — typically 20–50% smaller than WebP at the same visual quality. It also supports HDR color, wide color gamut, and lossless.
- Browser support: Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16+, Edge — 93%+ global coverage
- 20–50% smaller than WebP at equivalent quality
- HDR and wide color gamut support
- Supports transparency
- Slower encoding (2–10× slower than WebP)
- Not ideal for animated images (use WebP for animation)
Compression comparison
| Format | Photo (1MB JPEG baseline) | Transparency | Animation | Encoding speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | 1.0× (baseline) | ❌ | ❌ | Fast |
| PNG | 3–5× larger (lossless) | ✅ | ❌ | Fast |
| WebP | 0.65–0.75× | ✅ | ✅ | Fast |
| AVIF | 0.40–0.60× | ✅ | Limited | Slow |
| JPEG XL | 0.55–0.65× | ✅ | ✅ | Medium |
When to use WebP
- General web images where encoding time matters (CMS, user uploads)
- Animated images (animated WebP instead of GIF)
- When you need maximum compatibility (especially older iOS)
- Real-time image processing pipelines
When to use AVIF
- Static images on high-traffic pages where download speed is critical
- Hero images, product photos — high visual fidelity content
- When you pre-generate images at build time (encoding slowness doesn't matter)
- HDR content or wide color gamut photography
The <picture> fallback pattern
The best practice for production is to serve AVIF with WebP fallback, then JPEG:
<picture> <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif"> <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="image.jpg" alt="..."> </picture>
This delivers AVIF to browsers that support it, WebP to the rest, and JPEG as a last resort.
Converting your images
Picovert converts any JPEG or PNG to WebP or AVIF directly in your browser. No upload required. Batch convert unlimited images in one session.