Image Format Comparison

AVIF vs HEIF: AV1 Image vs High Efficiency Container

AVIF and HEIF are closely related — AVIF is actually HEIF using the AV1 video codec for still image encoding. HEIF (often meaning HEIC) uses HEVC (H.265) encoding. Both achieve much better compression than JPG, but AVIF has better browser support for web use, while HEIF/HEIC is the native format for Apple devices.

AVIFvsHEIF

Quick Verdict

Use AVIF when…

Use AVIF for web images — it has excellent browser support (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 16+) and achieves the best compression of any major image format. Google and Netflix use AVIF for image delivery.

Use HEIF when…

Use HEIF (HEIC) for Apple device photos. iPhone and iPad capture natively in HEIC, macOS reads it natively, and the Apple ecosystem is optimised for it. For web delivery, convert HEIC to AVIF or WebP.

AVIF vs HEIF: Feature Comparison

Feature	AVIF	HEIF
Container	HEIF (ISO 23008-12)	HEIF (ISO 23008-12)
Image codec	AV1	HEVC (H.265) — in HEIC
Compression vs JPG	50–70% better	50% better
Browser support	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 16+	Safari only (as HEIC)
iPhone capture	No (iPhone uses HEIC)	Yes (native iPhone format)
Royalty-free	Yes (AV1 is open)	No (HEVC has patent royalties)
HDR support	Yes	Yes
Animation support	Yes (animated AVIF)	Yes (HEIF animation)

When AVIF wins

✓Container: HEIF (ISO 23008-12)
✓Image codec: AV1
✓Compression vs JPG: 50–70% better

When HEIF wins

✓Container: HEIF (ISO 23008-12)
✓Image codec: HEVC (H.265) — in HEIC
✓Compression vs JPG: 50% better

Frequently asked questions

Is AVIF better than HEIC?

For web delivery: AVIF is better — better browser support, royalty-free AV1 codec, and slightly better compression. For Apple device photos: HEIC is better — it's native to the device and Apple ecosystem. These aren't directly competing for the same use case.

Can I serve AVIF on my website?

Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari 16+ support AVIF. Together these cover 95%+ of users. Provide a WebP or JPG fallback for older browsers using the HTML picture element: `<picture><source type='image/avif' srcset='img.avif'><img src='img.jpg'></picture>`.

How do I convert HEIC to AVIF?

Using ImageMagick: `convert input.heic output.avif`. Using FFmpeg: `ffmpeg -i input.heic output.avif`. The conversion requires re-encoding from HEVC to AV1, which is CPU-intensive.