What is AVIF? The Next-Gen Image Format Explained
AVIF is the newest serious contender in the image format space, and it is changing how we think about image compression on the web. If you have heard of WebP and wondered whether there is something even better, AVIF is the answer -- at least for file size.
Here is what AVIF is, how it stacks up against JPG and WebP, and whether you should start using it today.
What Is AVIF?
AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. It is based on the AV1 video codec, which was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) -- a consortium that includes Google, Mozilla, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon, and many others.
The key differentiator is that AVIF is completely royalty-free. Unlike HEIC, which relies on the patent-encumbered HEVC codec, AVIF can be implemented by anyone without licensing fees. This makes it attractive for the open web, where patent royalties are a barrier to universal adoption.
AVIF was finalized as a specification in 2019 and browser support has grown rapidly since. By 2026, it is supported in all major browsers.
AVIF vs JPG: How Much Smaller?
AVIF's headline feature is compression efficiency. At equivalent visual quality (measured by SSIM, PSNR, and other perceptual metrics), AVIF produces files roughly 50% smaller than JPG. That is a massive improvement for web performance.
To put that in perspective: a 200KB JPG photograph might compress to around 100KB as AVIF with no visible difference to the human eye. For a page with 10 product images, that could mean 1MB of savings -- directly translating to faster load times, especially on mobile connections.
AVIF is particularly strong at low bitrates. Where JPG starts showing obvious blocky artifacts, AVIF maintains smooth gradients and clean edges. This makes it especially well-suited for highly compressed thumbnails and preview images.
AVIF vs WebP: Is It Worth the Switch?
AVIF also outperforms WebP, though the gap is smaller. AVIF files are typically 20% smaller than WebP at equivalent quality. AVIF also has some technical advantages:
- HDR support. AVIF supports HDR content with 10-bit and 12-bit color depth natively. WebP is limited to 8-bit.
- Better at low bitrates. AVIF handles aggressive compression more gracefully than WebP, with fewer visible artifacts.
- Wider color gamut. AVIF supports wide color gamuts (like Display P3) out of the box, important for modern displays.
- Film grain synthesis. AVIF can efficiently represent film grain without wasting bits encoding random noise patterns.
AVIF Feature Comparison
Comparing AVIF, WebP, and JPG across key features: AVIF produces the smallest files at roughly 50% less than JPG, while WebP is about 30% less than JPG. AVIF excels at compression quality especially at low bitrates. AVIF supports HDR with 10/12-bit color while WebP and JPG are limited to 8-bit. All three support fast decoding, but AVIF encoding is roughly 10x slower than JPG. Both AVIF and WebP support transparency and animation while JPG does not. Browser support in 2026 is 95%+ for AVIF, 97%+ for WebP, and 100% for JPG. All three are royalty-free.
WebP still has advantages in encoding speed and broader tooling support, but for pure compression quality, AVIF is the current leader.
Browser Support in 2026
AVIF decoding is supported in Chrome (since version 85), Firefox (93+), Safari (16+), and Edge (90+). Combined, that covers roughly 95% of global web traffic. Support continues to grow as older browser versions age out.
Encoding support is more limited. Not all browsers can create AVIF images via the Canvas API, so server-side or client-side WASM-based encoding is sometimes necessary. For decoding and display, however, native browser support is excellent.
The Catch: Encoding Speed
AVIF's biggest drawback is encoding speed. Creating an AVIF file can take 10x longer than encoding the same image as JPG. For a single image, this might mean a fraction of a second versus near-instant. For batch processing thousands of images, the difference adds up significantly.
Decoding (viewing) AVIF is fast -- comparable to JPG and WebP. The speed penalty is only on the encoding side. If you are converting images once for web publishing, the slower encoding is a non-issue. If you need real-time encoding in a pipeline, it matters more.
When to Use AVIF
AVIF is the right choice when:
- File size is the top priority. For web performance optimization, AVIF delivers the smallest files at any quality level.
- High-quality photographs for web. Product images, portfolio shots, and hero images benefit from AVIF's superior compression.
- HDR content. If you are working with HDR photography or wide color gamut images, AVIF preserves that data where JPG and WebP cannot.
- Heavily compressed thumbnails. AVIF's strength at low bitrates makes it ideal for thumbnail grids where file size per image needs to be minimal.
When to Stick with JPG or WebP
AVIF is not always the best choice:
- Universal compatibility required. If your images need to work in email clients, older systems, or environments you do not control, JPG is still the safest format.
- Fast encoding needed. Real-time image processing pipelines may not tolerate AVIF's slower encoding.
- Legacy system support. Some CMS platforms, CDNs, and image processing tools do not yet support AVIF input or output.
- WebP is good enough. If you are already using WebP and the 20% additional savings from AVIF do not justify the migration effort, WebP remains excellent.
The Future of AVIF
AVIF's royalty-free status gives it a significant long-term advantage over HEIC. While Apple controls the HEIC ecosystem through HEVC licensing, AVIF is backed by the entire Alliance for Open Media. As browser support reaches near-universal levels and encoding tools mature, AVIF is positioned to become the default web image format alongside JPG.
For now, the practical recommendation is: use AVIF where supported (with WebP or JPG fallbacks), and keep an eye on tooling improvements. The compression gains are real and meaningful.
Need to work with AVIF files? imageconvert.co converts AVIF to JPG, PNG, and WebP entirely in your browser -- no upload, no privacy risk.