WebP vs AVIF: Which Image Format Is Better in 2025?

The Next-Generation Image Format Showdown

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest contender in the next-generation image format space. It promises even better compression than WebP. But does that make it the right choice?

Let’s compare the two formats on every dimension that matters.

Compression Efficiency

AVIF wins — significantly.

At the same visual quality, AVIF typically produces files that are 20–50% smaller than WebP and 50–60% smaller than JPEG.

For a typical 1080p photograph:

JPEG Q85: ~350 KB
WebP Q80: ~240 KB
AVIF Q70: ~140 KB

That said, the difference is most pronounced at low-to-medium quality settings. At high quality (90+), the gap narrows considerably.

Browser Support

WebP wins by a wide margin.

Browser	WebP	AVIF
Chrome 85+	✅	✅
Firefox 65+	✅	✅ (2021+)
Safari 14+	✅	✅ (Safari 16.4+, 2023)
Edge 18+	✅	✅
Samsung Internet	✅	✅ (2022+)
iOS Safari 14+	✅	✅ (iOS 16.4+)

WebP has 97%+ global browser support. AVIF has around 93% as of early 2025 — still very good, but not quite universal.

The bigger concern is older devices: iOS 15 and earlier (still used by millions of iPhone users) do not support AVIF. This means using AVIF without a fallback can break images for a meaningful portion of mobile users.

Encoding Speed

WebP wins substantially.

Encoding an AVIF file is extremely CPU-intensive. A single high-resolution image can take 5–30 seconds to encode in software, compared to milliseconds for WebP. This makes browser-side AVIF encoding impractical — you’d need a server or desktop encoder.

This is why tools like Imgora use WebP: it can be encoded entirely in the browser using the Canvas API in real time.

Decoding Performance

Roughly equal, with WebP slightly ahead on older hardware.

AVIF decoding is more complex than WebP. On high-end hardware this is imperceptible, but on budget Android phones and older iPads, AVIF can take longer to decode and display.

Transparency and Animation Support

Both formats support:

Lossy and lossless compression
Alpha transparency
Animation (AVIF uses AVIS for animated sequences)

Which Should You Choose?

Choose WebP if:

You need maximum compatibility (97%+ browsers)
You’re converting images client-side (browser tools, no server)
You want fast, real-time encoding
You can’t test AVIF delivery on all your target devices
You need IE 11 fallback (neither works, but WebP degrades more gracefully)

Choose AVIF if:

You can accept ~93% browser support
You have server-side encoding (ImageMagick, libavif, Squoosh CLI)
Maximum compression efficiency is critical
You’re building a modern platform targeting Chrome/Firefox users

The Pragmatic Answer for 2025

Use WebP today for universal compatibility and simple tooling. Consider adding AVIF as an enhanced option using HTML <picture> with <source type="image/avif"> as a progressive enhancement. Browsers that support AVIF will use it; others fall back to WebP.

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

This gives you AVIF where it’s supported while maintaining compatibility everywhere else.

Conclusion

AVIF is technically superior to WebP in terms of compression. But WebP’s universal browser support, fast encoding, and mature tooling make it the more practical choice for most projects in 2025. AVIF is the future — but WebP is the reliable present.

Convert your images to WebP for free at Imgora — works in your browser, no uploads required.