Home › Blog › AVIF vs WebP vs JPG
JPG has been the default image format for decades, but two newer formats — WebP and AVIF — now compress images significantly smaller at the same visual quality. Here's how the three actually compare, and when each one makes sense.
| Format | Typical Size vs. JPG | Browser Support | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Baseline | Universal — every device, app, and platform | Maximum compatibility |
| WebP | ~25–35% smaller | All modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) | Website images, balance of size and support |
| AVIF | ~40–50% smaller | Latest Chrome, Edge, Firefox; Safari 16.4+ | Maximum compression on modern sites |
JPG works absolutely everywhere — every photo editor, every email client, every device made in the last 25 years. Its downside is that it compresses less efficiently than newer formats, meaning larger files for the same visual quality. It remains the safest choice when compatibility matters more than file size, such as email attachments or sharing with someone on unknown or older software.
WebP was designed specifically to replace JPG and PNG on the web. It's now supported by every major browser and is the default output format for many e-commerce platforms, CMS systems, and Google's own products (Search, Gmail, YouTube thumbnails). The main friction point is that older photo editors and some email clients still don't open WebP files directly — our WebP to JPG converter handles that instantly.
AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec's image compression and currently produces the smallest files of the three at equivalent visual quality — often 40–50% smaller than JPG. Chrome, Android, and an increasing number of camera apps and content platforms now generate AVIF by default. The tradeoff is compatibility: older software, some photo editors, and various upload forms still reject it, which is why converting to JPG remains useful when you need a file that opens anywhere.