WebP vs AVIF: The Next-Gen Image Format Showdown

If WebP made PNG and JPG feel outdated, AVIF is doing the same thing to WebP. AVIF is currently the most compression-efficient mainstream image format available—but it also comes with new compatibility challenges. This guide compares WebP and AVIF across every meaningful dimension so you can decide whether to ride the next wave of format evolution.

What Is AVIF?

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a still-image format derived from the AV1 video codec. It was formally released in 2019 by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), whose members include Google, Apple, Mozilla, Netflix, and Microsoft. That industry-wide backing gave AVIF a strong foundation from the start.

The AV1 encoder has already proven itself as the compression efficiency leader in video. AVIF applies that technology to static images, with impressive results.

AVIF’s Compression Advantage

Research benchmarks show that lossy AVIF is on average 20% smaller than equivalent WebP at the same perceptual quality; compared to JPG, the gap can exceed 50%. Lossless AVIF also outperforms lossless WebP, though the margin is smaller.

In practical testing:

• A 1920×1080 high-quality photograph: JPG ~500 KB → WebP ~380 KB → AVIF ~280 KB
• At equivalent perceptual quality, AVIF often encodes to half the data of JPG or less
• At low quality settings, AVIF resists compression artifacts better than WebP, particularly in detail-rich regions

AVIF’s superior compression comes from larger transform block sizes (up to 128×128 pixels), more sophisticated entropy coding, and techniques inherited from AV1’s inter-prediction that translate into better spatial prediction for static images.

HDR and Color Depth Support

This is one of AVIF’s most significant advantages over WebP. AVIF natively supports:

• HDR (High Dynamic Range): Captures a wider brightness range for richer visual depth on HDR-capable displays.
• 10-bit and 12-bit color depth: Compared to WebP and JPG’s 8-bit ceiling, higher bit depth delivers smoother gradients with no banding.
• Wide Color Gamut: Supports P3 and Rec. 2020 color spaces for high-end display devices.

WebP is limited to 8-bit color depth and standard dynamic range. For most everyday web images this gap is invisible; but for photography portfolios, premium e-commerce product imagery, and entertainment-related sites, AVIF’s color capabilities are a genuine differentiator.

Transparency Support

Both AVIF and WebP fully support Alpha channel transparency. AVIF maintains its compression efficiency advantage for transparent graphics—at equivalent visual quality, AVIF transparent images are typically smaller than WebP equivalents.

The Browser Compatibility Gap

This is the biggest practical obstacle to AVIF adoption today. Browser support as of 2024:

• Chrome: Supported since version 85 (August 2020) ✓
• Firefox: Supported since version 93 (October 2021) ✓
• Safari: Supported since version 16.4 (March 2023) ✓ — a late arrival
• Edge: Supported since version 121 (January 2024) ✓
• Internet Explorer: Not supported ✗

Global support sits at roughly 92–93%, below WebP’s 97%. Safari’s late adoption in 2023 is particularly notable: users on iOS or older macOS versions may not see AVIF images at all.

A second practical concern is encoding speed. AVIF encoding is significantly slower than WebP, which creates real challenges for applications that generate or transform images dynamically. Decoding is also somewhat slower, which may cause perceptible delays on lower-end devices.

Practical Implementation Strategy

Given the compatibility situation, the most robust approach is to serve multiple formats using progressive fallback:

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

Browsers with AVIF support receive the most efficient version. Browsers without AVIF but with WebP support fall back to WebP. Browsers that support neither receive the JPG baseline. No user is left with a broken experience.

Format Recommendations by Use Case

• High-traffic e-commerce sites: Worth investing in generating both WebP and AVIF versions, distributed via the <picture> element.
• Photography portfolios and galleries: AVIF’s high bit depth and HDR support make it particularly compelling here.
• General blogs and content sites: WebP is sufficient; AVIF’s marginal gains may not justify the added workflow complexity.
• Design asset storage: Continue using PNG; AVIF support in creative tools remains inconsistent.
• CDN and image delivery services: Major CDNs including Cloudflare and Fastly already support automatic AVIF serving—enabling this is low-effort and high-reward.

The Future Outlook

From a technical trajectory standpoint, AVIF represents the direction that still-image formats are heading. Safari’s 2023 adoption closed the most significant compatibility gap. Encoding speed is improving continuously—current versions of libavif are several times faster than early releases.

Within the next two to three years, AVIF’s global support rate is expected to reach parity with where WebP stands today. Building AVIF support into your infrastructure now is a forward-looking investment. But until compatibility fully matures, WebP remains the safer primary choice for most deployments.

It is worth noting that JPEG XL (JXL) is another competing next-generation format that surpasses AVIF on some metrics. However, Chrome withdrew JXL support in 2022, leaving its future uncertain. The WebP-plus-AVIF combination represents the most pragmatic current strategy.

Summary

AVIF wins on technical specifications across the board—compression, color depth, and HDR support—but compatibility and toolchain maturity still constrain its use. The smart strategy is: use WebP as your broadly compatible primary format, and layer in AVIF wherever your support conditions allow. Performance-focused sites can start deploying AVIF now; for general use, WebP remains an excellent choice that is already a major improvement over legacy formats.

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