WebP vs AVIF: Which Should You Use in 2026?

WebP and AVIF are the two formats worth caring about when you want images that load fast without looking degraded. Both beat JPEG by a wide margin, but they are not interchangeable.

Compression

AVIF, built on the AV1 video codec, typically produces the smallest files, often 30-50% smaller than JPEG and noticeably smaller than WebP at the same perceived quality, especially for photographic content and low-bitrate images. WebP usually lands 25-35% below JPEG.

Browser support

WebP is supported by effectively every browser in use today (96%+ global coverage). AVIF support is now broad (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) but slightly behind WebP on older devices (check current AVIF support). If you cannot serve a fallback, WebP is the safer single-format choice.

Encode speed and tooling

AVIF encoding is slower and more CPU-intensive than WebP. For a build pipeline that converts thousands of images, that cost adds up. For one-off conversions it is irrelevant.

The practical rule

Serve AVIF with a WebP fallback if you control the markup. If you need a single format that "just works" everywhere, use WebP. Google's image format guide on web.dev is a useful companion reference. Either way, convert to AVIF or convert to WebP here - server-side, no signup.