AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG vs PNG

Quick Decision Guide

File Size Comparison

Real example: 4000×3000px photograph at high quality:

• PNG (optimized): 12.0 MB
• JPEG (quality 85): 1.8 MB (baseline)
• WebP (quality 85): 1.2 MB (33% smaller than JPEG)
• AVIF (CRF 20): 0.8 MB (55% smaller than JPEG) ⭐

When to Use Each Format

Use AVIF When:

• Building cutting-edge web applications
• Maximum file size savings are critical
• You need HDR or wide color gamut support
• Targeting modern browsers (Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16+)
• Encoding time is not a constraint (batch processing, CDN)

Use WebP When:

• You need excellent compression with wide browser support
• Building modern web apps targeting 2019+ browsers
• Encoding/decoding speed matters
• Migrating from JPEG/PNG but can't use AVIF yet

Use JPEG When:

• You need universal compatibility (100% of browsers)
• Supporting legacy systems
• Email attachments or social media uploads
• Print materials
• Fast encoding is critical

Use PNG When:

• You need perfect lossless quality
• Images contain transparency
• Logos, graphics, screenshots with text
• Images will be edited multiple times

Browser Support (2024)

AVIF: Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16+, Edge 85+ (90%+ global)

WebP: Chrome 23+, Firefox 65+, Safari 14+, Edge 18+ (97%+ global)

JPEG & PNG: 100% universal support

Implementation with Fallbacks

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