The bleeding edge of image compression
JPEG came out in 1992. WebP in 2010. AVIF? 2019. And it absolutely destroys both of them on compression.
Built on the AV1 video codec (the same tech behind Netflix and YouTube streaming), AVIF produces files that are up to 50% smaller than JPEG and roughly 20% smaller than WebP at the same visual quality. It handles HDR content, wide color gamuts, 10-bit depth, transparency, and lossless mode. It’s not incrementally better, it’s a generational leap.
Upload a PNG, JPEG, or WebP. Download an AVIF. The server handles the heavy encoding so your laptop doesn’t have to.
Converting to AVIF
- Pick your image with “Choose File”: PNG, JPEG, or WebP all work.
- Confirm the preview, then dial in the quality slider (defaults to 50%, where AVIF still looks great) or flip on Lossless for a pixel-perfect copy.
- Click “Convert to AVIF”, then download the result.
A 1.5 MB JPEG product photo might come out as a 400 KB AVIF. Multiply that across your product catalog. Across your entire image CDN. The numbers add up fast.
Why AVIF is worth paying attention to
- Best compression ratio available: nothing else comes close for photographic content
- HDR and wide gamut: AVIF supports 10-bit color and HDR, which JPEG and PNG can’t touch
- Full transparency: alpha channels included, unlike JPEG
- Lossy and lossless modes: versatile enough for any use case
- Growing browser support: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari 16+
The honest trade-offs
AVIF isn’t perfect. Here’s what you should know.
Encoding is slow. AV1-based compression is computationally expensive. Our server handles this, but it takes longer than a JPEG or WebP conversion. A few seconds instead of instant. For a one-time batch conversion, that’s fine. For real-time image processing on your own server, it might be a bottleneck.
Browser support isn’t universal yet. Chrome and Firefox have had AVIF since 2020. Safari added it in version 16 (late 2022). That covers the vast majority of traffic, but not 100%. You’ll want a fallback strategy.
Simple graphics don’t always benefit. Logos, icons, and flat-color illustrations sometimes compress better as SVG or optimized PNG. AVIF’s advantage really shines on photographs and images with complex color gradients.
Where AVIF makes the biggest impact
Performance-obsessed websites. If you’ve already switched to WebP and you’re still chasing faster LCP scores, AVIF is the next frontier. That extra 20% reduction over WebP can be the difference between a “good” and “great” Core Web Vitals score.
Photography portfolios. Photographers serving high-resolution images can dramatically reduce bandwidth without sacrificing the subtle tonal gradients and skin textures their clients care about. AVIF is particularly good at preserving smooth gradients where JPEG leaves banding.
Progressive enhancement stacks. The <picture> element makes this dead simple: serve AVIF to browsers that support it, WebP as a fallback, JPEG as the last resort. Three formats, three lines of HTML, maximum performance for every visitor.
HDR content delivery. Shooting in 10-bit? Capturing HDR photos on your iPhone 15? AVIF preserves that data. JPEG and PNG literally can’t, they’re 8-bit formats. WebP is 8-bit too. AVIF is the only widely-supported web format that handles HDR natively.
For broader compatibility, the JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP converters on Toolsvu cover the WebP tier of your progressive enhancement stack. The Image Compressor pairs well with AVIF conversion for a two-pass optimization workflow.
AVIF questions
Which browsers support AVIF right now?
Chrome (since v85), Firefox (since v93), Opera, and Safari 16+. That’s roughly 90%+ of global web traffic. Check caniuse.com/avif for current numbers before committing.
AVIF vs. WebP, should I switch?
If maximum compression matters to you and you can tolerate slightly longer encoding times, yes. AVIF consistently beats WebP by 20% or more on photographic content. For a progressive enhancement setup, use both: AVIF first, WebP fallback.
What types of images benefit most?
Photographs. Gradients. Complex textures. Anything with lots of color variation. AVIF excels here. For simple vector-like graphics with flat colors, SVG or optimized PNG may actually be smaller.
How long does conversion take?
Longer than JPEG or WebP encoding, usually a few seconds per image on our server. AV1 compression is computationally intensive. It’s a one-time cost for a permanent size reduction, so it’s worth the wait.
Can I go back from AVIF to JPEG?
Not directly with this tool. You’d need an image editor that supports AVIF (most modern ones do) to export to JPEG. Always keep your original files as a backup.