Should I use AVIF or WebP for my website in 2025?

For most websites, WebP offers the best balance of compression and browser support. If you need maximum compression and target modern browsers exclusively, AVIF with WebP fallback is ideal. Use the HTML element to serve AVIF to supported browsers and WebP as a fallback.

Is AVIF supported by all browsers?

AVIF is supported by Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, and Safari 16+ — covering approximately 85% of web users as of 2025. Internet Explorer does not support AVIF. Always provide a WebP or JPEG fallback.

Does AVIF really look better than WebP?

At very low file sizes (high compression), AVIF maintains significantly better quality than WebP. At moderate compression levels for typical web images, the difference is less noticeable. AVIF particularly excels for high-contrast and photographic content.

AVIF vs WebP: Which Next-Gen Format Wins?

AVIF vs WebP compression efficiency, quality at low bitrates, browser support, and which format to choose for modern web image delivery.

Verdict

AVIF offers 30–50% better compression than WebP but with slightly lower browser coverage. Use AVIF with WebP fallback for the best performance-compatibility balance.

Key Differences

Aspect	AVIF	WEBP
Compression vs JPEG	50%+ smaller than JPEG	25–35% smaller than JPEG
Browser support	Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16+ (~85% coverage)	Chrome 32+, Firefox 65+, Safari 14+ (~95% coverage)
Encoding speed	Slow — encoding can take 10× longer than WebP	Fast — practical for real-time processing
HDR support	Full HDR and wide color gamut support	Limited HDR support
Transparency	Supported	Supported

Use AVIF when:

Maximum compression priority — streaming platforms, CDN optimization, performance-critical apps

Use WEBP when:

Broad browser compatibility with excellent compression — the safe modern choice for most websites

AVIF vs WebP: Which Next-Gen Format Wins?

Verdict

Key Differences

Use AVIF when:

Use WEBP when:

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Frequently Asked Questions