AVIF Explained: The Image Format You'll See Everywhere Soon
If HEIC was Apple's answer to JPG, AVIF is the internet's answer. It's newer, it's better in most technical ways, and you're going to start seeing it more and more.
What AVIF actually is
AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. It's based on the AV1 video codec, which was developed by a consortium including Google, Mozilla, Amazon, Netflix, and others. The goal was to create a royalty-free codec that anyone could use.
The image format version (AVIF) landed around 2019 and has been gaining traction since.
Why it's better
AVIF compresses images more efficiently than pretty much everything else:
- ~50% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
- ~20% smaller than WebP
- Supports transparency (like PNG)
- Supports HDR and wide color gamut
- Handles both photos and graphics well
The compression is genuinely impressive. You can get smaller files with better quality, which is usually a pick-two situation with image formats.
The catch
Support is still growing. As of late 2024:
- Chrome: full support
- Firefox: full support
- Safari: full support (finally, as of Safari 16)
- Edge: full support
So modern browsers are covered. The issues are with everything else—older software, image editors, email clients, random apps. It's better than HEIC compatibility but still not universal.
AVIF vs HEIC vs WebP vs JPG
| Format | Size | Quality | Transparency | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Baseline | Good | No | Universal |
| WebP | ~30% smaller | Good | Yes | Browsers + some apps |
| HEIC | ~50% smaller | Excellent | Yes | Apple + some Windows |
| AVIF | ~50-60% smaller | Excellent | Yes | Modern browsers |
AVIF is technically the best of these for most uses. The only reason to use anything else is compatibility.
When you'll encounter AVIF
Mostly on the web. Progressive websites are starting to serve AVIF images to browsers that support it, with JPG or WebP fallbacks for older browsers.
You might also see it if you:
- Save images from certain websites
- Export from newer image editors
- Download from stock photo sites
What to do with AVIF files
If you have an AVIF file and need to use it somewhere that doesn't support it, convert it to JPG. Same story as HEIC and WebP—the format is better, but compatibility sometimes wins.
Most of the time you won't need to think about it though. Browsers handle AVIF transparently, and if you're just viewing images on websites, it just works.
The future
AVIF is probably where images are heading. It's technically superior, it's royalty-free (unlike HEIC which has some licensing complexity), and it has broad industry backing.
Give it a few more years and it'll be as universal as JPG is today. Until then, it's another format to occasionally convert from when you need compatibility.