AVIF vs JPEG vs WebP vs PNG
Complete comparison guide to choosing the best image format for your website in 2025
AVIF is the newest and most efficient image format, offering 50% smaller files than JPEG and 20-30% smaller than WebP at the same quality. However, each format has its place—understanding when to use AVIF, JPEG, WebP, or PNG will optimize your website's performance, SEO, and user experience.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | AVIF | WebP | JPEG | PNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File Size | ★★★★★ Smallest | ★★★★☆ Very Small | ★★★☆☆ Medium | ★★☆☆☆ Large |
| Image Quality | ★★★★★ Excellent | ★★★★☆ Very Good | ★★★☆☆ Good | ★★★★★ Lossless |
| Browser Support | ★★★★☆ Modern | ★★★★☆ Wide | ★★★★★ Universal | ★★★★★ Universal |
| Transparency | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Animation | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Encoding Speed | ★★☆☆☆ Slow | ★★★☆☆ Medium | ★★★★★ Fast | ★★★★☆ Fast |
| Best Use Case | Modern web photos | Web images | Universal fallback | Logos, icons |
AVIF Format Deep Dive
What is AVIF?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest image format, released in 2019 by the Alliance for Open Media. It uses the AV1 video codec for superior compression and is designed specifically for the modern web.
✓ Pros
- • 50% smaller than JPEG
- • 30% smaller than WebP
- • Supports HDR & wide color
- • Full alpha transparency
- • Animation support
- • Royalty-free & open source
✗ Cons
- • Slow encoding time
- • Limited software support
- • No IE/older browser support
- • Higher CPU for decoding
💡 Best For
- • Modern web applications
- • Hero images & photos
- • E-commerce product images
- • Content-heavy sites
- • When bandwidth matters
WebP Format Deep Dive
What is WebP?
WebP was developed by Google in 2010 and released publicly in 2018. It's the middle ground between JPEG and AVIF, offering good compression with faster encoding than AVIF.
✓ Pros
- • 30% smaller than JPEG
- • Wide browser support
- • Fast encoding/decoding
- • Transparency support
- • Animation support
- • Lossless compression option
✗ Cons
- • Larger than AVIF
- • No Safari support until 2020
- • Less future-proof
- • Limited HDR support
💡 Best For
- • Fallback for AVIF
- • Websites targeting 2020+ browsers
- • When encoding speed matters
- • Replacing PNG with transparency
JPEG Format
The universal standard since 1992. JPEG is supported everywhere but has the largest file sizes and lowest quality among modern formats.
✓ Pros
- • Universal compatibility
- • Fast encoding
- • Small file vs PNG
- • Widely supported
✗ Cons
- • Largest file size
- • No transparency
- • Lossy compression
- • 8-bit color only
PNG Format
Lossless format perfect for logos, icons, and graphics. Much larger than AVIF/WebP for photos but essential for transparency.
✓ Pros
- • Lossless quality
- • Full transparency
- • Universal support
- • Great for graphics
✗ Cons
- • Huge file sizes
- • Poor for photos
- • No animation
- • Slow compression
File Size Comparison: Real Numbers
Example: High-Quality Web Image (1920x1080)
Bandwidth Savings:
- 📊51% smaller than JPEG
AVIF saves 230 KB per image vs JPEG
- 💰92% smaller than PNG
Massive savings for transparency images
- ⚡31% smaller than WebP
Best-in-class compression for web delivery
- 🌍50GB saved monthly
For a site serving 100,000 images/month
When to Use Each Format
✓ AVIF Browser Support:
- • Chrome 85+ (Aug 2020)
- • Firefox 93+ (Oct 2021)
- • Safari 16+ (Sep 2022)
- • Edge 90+ (Apr 2021)
- • Opera 71+ (Sep 2020)
✗ AVIF Doesn't Work On:
- • Older Windows versions
- • Most Android devices
- • Web browsers
- • Email attachments (often)
- • Social media uploads (sometimes)
- • Older photo printers
Common AVIF Problems:
- • "Can't open this file" errors on Windows PCs
- • Photos won't display when emailed to Android users
- • Upload failures on some websites
- • Printing issues at photo labs
What You Can Do About AVIF
Keep Using AVIF (Recommended)
If you mostly share photos with other Apple users or use cloud services like Google Photos that support AVIF, keep it enabled. Convert individual photos only when needed.
Convert AVIF to JPG →Implement with Fallbacks
Use the HTML <picture> element to serve AVIF to modern browsers while falling back to JPEG for older clients.
<picture>
<source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
<source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>Use a CDN for Automatic Delivery
Modern CDNs like Cloudflare, Cloudinary, and imgix can automatically serve AVIF to supported browsers while falling back to WebP or JPEG for others. This simplifies implementation and ensures optimal delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which image format is best for websites in 2025?
AVIF is the best choice for modern websites with fallback to WebP and JPEG. It offers the smallest file sizes with excellent quality, reducing bandwidth costs and improving load times. However, always implement proper fallbacks for older browsers.
Will converting AVIF to JPEG reduce quality?
Modern converters maintain 95%+ quality during conversion. The difference is imperceptible to the human eye for most photos. The benefit of universal compatibility usually outweighs any minimal quality loss.
Can I convert my existing AVIF photos to JPEG?
Yes! You can convert individual photos or batch convert multiple files using online converters like AVIF.fast. The conversion is instant and free.
Should I still use JPEG in 2025?
JPEG remains essential as a fallback format for maximum compatibility. Use AVIF with WebP and JPEG fallbacks to serve modern formats to capable browsers while ensuring universal compatibility.
How much bandwidth can I save by switching to AVIF?
Switching from JPEG to AVIF typically saves 40-50% bandwidth. For a website serving 100GB of images monthly, that's 40-50GB saved, which translates to faster load times and reduced hosting costs.
Need to Convert AVIF Photos?
Use our free online converter to instantly transform AVIF files to JPEG format for universal compatibility.