AVIF vs WebP in 2026: Which Image Format Should You Use?
AVIF produces smaller files than WebP at equivalent visual quality and has full browser support in 2026. For most websites, AVIF is the better default. Small Pics outputs AVIF by default with no configuration needed.
What is AVIF?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is an image format based on the AV1 video codec. It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media and released in 2019. AVIF supports lossy and lossless compression, transparency (alpha channel), HDR, and wide color gamuts.
AVIF’s compression is significantly better than JPEG and WebP. A typical photo compressed to AVIF at quality 80 is 20-40% smaller than the same photo compressed to WebP at equivalent visual quality.
What is WebP?
WebP is an image format developed by Google, released in 2010. It supports lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation. WebP was the first widely adopted “next-gen” format and has had universal browser support since 2020.
WebP produces files roughly 25-35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality. It was a significant improvement over JPEG, but AVIF has since surpassed it on compression efficiency.
How do AVIF and WebP compare on file size?
For photographic content, AVIF consistently produces smaller files. The exact savings depend on the image content and quality settings, but typical results look like this:
| Content type | JPEG | WebP | AVIF | AVIF savings vs WebP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product photo (800x600) | 120 KB | 85 KB | 55 KB | ~35% smaller |
| Hero image (1200x630) | 250 KB | 175 KB | 110 KB | ~37% smaller |
| Thumbnail (400x300) | 45 KB | 32 KB | 22 KB | ~31% smaller |
| Icon/graphic (200x200) | 15 KB | 10 KB | 8 KB | ~20% smaller |
For graphics with sharp edges and text, the difference is smaller. For photographic content with complex textures, AVIF’s advantage is more pronounced.
The one area where WebP can match or beat AVIF is simple graphics with flat colors and sharp edges, where both formats are already very efficient.
Which browsers support AVIF in 2026?
All of them. Chrome added AVIF support in 2020, Firefox in 2021, and Safari in 2023. As of 2026, global AVIF support is above 95%, covering every major desktop and mobile browser.
This means there is no longer a practical reason to avoid AVIF for web images. The small percentage of unsupported browsers (mostly older embedded systems) can be served a WebP or JPEG fallback using the <picture> element.
How do you serve AVIF with Small Pics?
Small Pics outputs AVIF by default. If you request an image without specifying a format, you get AVIF:
https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800To explicitly request a format, use the fm parameter:
https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800&fm=avif
https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800&fm=webpFor maximum compatibility, use the <picture> element:
<picture>
<source srcset="https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800&fm=avif" type="image/avif" />
<source srcset="https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800&fm=webp" type="image/webp" />
<img src="https://your-domain.smallpics.io/photo.jpg?w=800&fm=jpg" alt="Photo" loading="lazy" />
</picture>When should you still use WebP?
WebP is still the right choice in a few specific situations:
As a fallback. If you use the <picture> element, WebP is the natural second source after AVIF. Browsers that do not support AVIF will get WebP, which is still much better than JPEG.
Animated images. WebP supports animation and is widely supported for it. AVIF also supports animation, but encoding is slower and tooling is less mature.
When encoding speed matters. AVIF encoding is significantly slower than WebP. For services that process images on the fly (like Small Pics), this is handled on the server side and cached, so end users never notice. But if you are encoding images in a build step or on a low-powered device, WebP is faster to produce.
For everything else, AVIF is the better choice in 2026. It is smaller, higher quality, and universally supported.
Frequently asked questions
- Is AVIF better than WebP?
- For most use cases, yes. AVIF produces files 20-40% smaller than WebP at equivalent visual quality. AVIF also supports HDR, wider color gamuts, and better transparency handling. The main downside is slower encoding, but that only matters on the server side, not for end users.
- Do all browsers support AVIF in 2026?
- Yes. As of 2026, AVIF is supported by Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and all major mobile browsers. Global support is above 95%. There is no longer a practical reason to avoid AVIF for web images.
- Should I still serve WebP?
- WebP is a good fallback for the small percentage of browsers that do not support AVIF. Use the picture element with AVIF as the primary source and WebP as the fallback. For most sites, serving AVIF only is also fine.
- How do you serve AVIF with Small Pics?
- Small Pics outputs AVIF by default. No configuration needed. If you want a specific format, use the fm parameter, for example ?fm=avif or ?fm=webp. You can use the picture element to serve multiple formats.
- Does Small Pics support WebP?
- Yes. Small Pics supports AVIF, WebP, JPEG, Progressive JPEG, PNG, GIF, and JPEG XL. You control the output format with the fm query parameter.
- What about JPEG XL?
- JPEG XL offers excellent compression and features like progressive decoding and lossless transcoding from JPEG. Browser support is growing but not universal. Small Pics is one of very few image transform services that supports JPEG XL output (Gumlet is the other).