WebP to AVIF — Free, Smaller Files, No Upload

WebP brought a meaningful compression improvement over JPEG when Google introduced it, and for years it was the recommended next-generation format for web delivery. But the image format landscape has moved forward. AVIF, based on the AV1 video codec, offers another 20 to 50 percent reduction in file size compared to WebP at equivalent visual quality. For image-heavy sites with hundreds of product photos or editorial images, that additional savings translates directly into faster load times and lower CDN bandwidth costs.

All major evergreen browsers now support AVIF: Chrome added support in version 85, Firefox in version 93, and Safari in version 16. If your audience is on modern devices and browsers, serving AVIF is safe and beneficial. Platforms like Cloudinary and ImageKit already deliver AVIF automatically when the client supports it. Converting your WebP library to AVIF now positions your asset pipeline for the most efficient delivery format available today without waiting for another format transition.

The conversion from WebP to AVIF generally produces a noticeably smaller file with comparable or better perceived quality. AVIF handles smooth gradients and fine detail with fewer visible artifacts than WebP at the same file size. Encoding is computationally intensive compared to WebP, so the conversion may take longer, especially for large images. The output files retain standard color profiles and can be served with appropriate Content-Type headers in any modern web stack. For browsers that do not yet support AVIF, keeping a WebP fallback in a picture element is recommended.

Typical sizes (12MP photo): WEBP 1–3 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.