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HEIC
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AVIF

HEIC to AVIF Converter — Free, Online, No Upload

Swap Apple's proprietary HEIC for AVIF — the modern web format that matches HEIC's quality at half the file size.

Free · no signup2 free files a day100% in-browser · no upload

Tap to select HEIC files

or click to browse

2 free files per day (2 left today) · Up to 10 MB each · Upgrade for more

Free image outputs include a repeating formatdrop.com watermark · Remove with Pro

✓ Files never uploaded✓ 100% browser-based✓ No account required

How to convert HEIC to AVIF online

  1. 1

    Drop your HEIC file

    Drag your High Efficiency Image Container file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.

  2. 2

    Wait a few seconds

    Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server.

  3. 3

    Download your AVIF

    Click Download to save the AV1 Image File Format file.

HEIC vs AVIF: format overview

HEIC

High Efficiency Image Container

Apple (based on MPEG HEIF/ISO spec) · 2017

Compression
lossy
Color depth
12-bit
Transparency
Yes
  • ✓ 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
  • ✓ Supports 16-bit depth and HDR
  • ✗ Poor browser support
AVIF

AV1 Image File Format

Alliance for Open Media · 2019

Compression
lossy
Color depth
12-bit
Transparency
Yes
  • ✓ Smallest file size of any image format (50% smaller than WebP)
  • ✓ Excellent HDR and wide-gamut color support

HEIC magic bytes: 00 00 00 18 66 74 79 70 68 65 69 63

AVIF magic bytes: 00 00 00 .. 66 74 79 70 61 76 69 66

Why convert HEIC to AVIF?

HEIC is efficient within Apple's ecosystem, but its compatibility outside of it is poor. When you move a photo from an iPhone to a non-Apple platform — a web app, a Linux server, an Android device — support is inconsistent and often requires extra software to be installed first.

AVIF is the modern replacement that works everywhere HEIC should but doesn't. It's supported natively in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, and is accepted by major platforms including Squarespace, Shopify storefronts, and most CDN pipelines. It matches HEIC's compression efficiency while being an open standard without licensing complications. For developers, AVIF is also the format that image optimization services like Cloudflare Images and imgix prefer when serving next-gen images.

The resulting AVIF will be similar in file size to the original HEIC — sometimes slightly smaller, sometimes slightly larger depending on the content. Colors and fine detail are preserved well. One thing to note: AVIF doesn't support the Live Photo motion layer from HEIC, so you'll get the still frame only. If you need to share photos in a modern format that doesn't carry Apple's compatibility baggage, AVIF is the right target.

Quality & file size: HEIC to AVIF

Typical sizes (12MP photo): HEIC 1.5–3 MB → AVIF 0.8–2 MB.

On the free tier, AVIF output has a repeating formatdrop.com watermark; Pro output doesn't.

AVIF output is encoded at quality 85 — a small file with no visible difference for most photos.

Frequently asked questions

Why convert HEIC to AVIF instead of JPEG?
AVIF gives you smaller files than JPEG at the same visual quality and is now supported in all major browsers. It's a better fit for web publishing than JPEG while still being universally accessible, unlike HEIC.
Does HEIC to AVIF preserve HDR or wide color?
Our converter outputs standard dynamic range AVIF. HDR metadata from HEIC is not carried across, so colours are tone-mapped to sRGB in the output.

Your HEIC file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works