What Is AVIF? The Newest Image Format Explained

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest mainstream image format, and it delivers the smallest file sizes of any widely-supported format. If you work with images on the web, AVIF is worth understanding even if you do not adopt it immediately.

AVIF in Plain Terms

AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec, which was built by a consortium of major tech companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Mozilla) to replace older codecs without licensing fees. Someone realized that a video codec that compresses individual frames very well could also compress still images very well. AVIF is that realization.

The result: AVIF files are typically 50% smaller than equivalent JPG files and 20-30% smaller than WebP files at the same visual quality.

AVIF vs JPG vs WebP: A Direct Comparison

For a typical 1920x1080 photograph:

• JPG at quality 85: approximately 250KB
• WebP at equivalent quality: approximately 170KB (32% smaller)
• AVIF at equivalent quality: approximately 120KB (52% smaller than JPG)

These numbers vary by image content, but the relative ranking is consistent. AVIF wins on file size in virtually every comparison.

Try it yourself: convert an image to AVIF and compare the file size to the WebP version.

Browser Support for AVIF

As of 2026, AVIF is supported by Chrome, Firefox, Safari (version 16+), Edge, and Opera. The main gaps are older Safari versions and some niche browsers. Global support is around 95%.

For the remaining 5%, serve a WebP or JPG fallback. The HTML picture element makes this simple.

The Downsides of AVIF

AVIF is not perfect:

• Slow encoding. AVIF takes 5-20x longer to encode than WebP. For real-time conversion, this matters.
• Not universal yet. Some image editors, CMSs, and apps still do not support AVIF natively.
• Progressive loading not widely supported. JPG and WebP can show a blurry preview while loading. AVIF loads all-or-nothing in most browsers.

Should You Use AVIF Today?

If you run a website and care about page speed: yes, with fallbacks. Serve AVIF to browsers that support it, WebP to the rest. The extra 20-30% file size savings over WebP directly translates to faster load times.

If you just need to share images via email or messaging: stick with JPG or WebP. AVIF is not well supported outside of browsers yet, and your recipients may not be able to open AVIF files.

For conversion, use the AVIF to JPG converter when you need to share AVIF files with people who cannot open them.