WebP vs AVIF

Last updated: February 4, 2026

Quick recommendation

If you want a modern format that works almost everywhere on the web, WebP is the practical default. If you’re optimizing a performance-critical site and can handle fallbacks, AVIF can be smaller at similar quality.

Compress an image

What’s the difference?

  • WebP: great compression, broad support, fast encode/decode.
  • AVIF: often smaller files for photos, but encoding can be slower and workflows can be more complex.

When to choose WebP

  • You want simple, reliable delivery without complicated fallbacks
  • You’re compressing images in the browser
  • You want a good balance of quality and size

When to choose AVIF

  • You’re serving a lot of large photos and want the smallest possible files
  • You can generate multiple formats (AVIF + WebP/JPEG fallback)
  • You’re comfortable with a more advanced image pipeline

Even if AVIF is your end goal, WebP is still an excellent fallback.

One more thing: resizing still wins

Switching formats helps, but resizing to the correct display size often provides the biggest improvement. Don’t ship oversized assets.

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