PixFlipWhat Is AVIF? Complete Guide to the Image Format (2026)
What Is AVIF and Who Created It?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format based on the AV1 video codec. It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a consortium that includes Google, Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix, Amazon, and other major technology companies. The format was finalized in 2019 and has since gained rapid adoption across browsers and platforms.
AVIF was designed to be a royalty-free alternative to proprietary formats like HEIC. It uses the same compression principles as the AV1 video codec — intra-frame prediction, transform coding, and advanced entropy coding — to achieve file sizes 20-50% smaller than JPG at equivalent visual quality.
AVIF vs JPG vs WebP
Here is how AVIF compares to the two most common web image formats:
| Feature | AVIF | JPG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Best | Good | Better |
| Transparency | Yes | No | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No | Yes |
| Color Depth | 10/12-bit | 8-bit | 8-bit |
| HDR Support | Yes | No | No |
| Browser Support | 92%+ | 100% | 97%+ |
| Royalty-Free | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Browser Support Status
As of 2026, AVIF is supported in all major browsers. Chrome added support in version 85 (August 2020), Firefox in version 93 (October 2021), and Safari in version 16.1 (October 2022). Edge supports AVIF through its Chromium base. This means over 92% of global web users can view AVIF images natively.
For the remaining users on older browsers, you can use the HTML <picture> element to provide a JPG or WebP fallback. This progressive enhancement approach gives modern browsers the smallest possible file while maintaining compatibility with everything else.
When to Use AVIF
AVIF is ideal for photographs and complex images on the web where file size matters. If you are optimizing a website for performance, AVIF can reduce image payload by 30-50% compared to optimized JPG, directly improving page load times and Core Web Vitals scores.
For simple graphics with few colors (logos, icons, diagrams), SVG or PNG may still be better choices. And if encoding speed is critical (such as real-time image processing), WebP offers a good balance between compression and encoding performance.
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Convert images to AVIF →Frequently Asked Questions
Is AVIF better than WebP?
In most benchmarks, AVIF produces smaller files than WebP at equivalent visual quality, especially for photographs. WebP has wider browser support, but AVIF is catching up rapidly and is now supported in all major browsers.
Can I use AVIF on my website?
Yes. AVIF is supported in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. You can use the HTML <picture> element to serve AVIF with a JPG or WebP fallback for older browsers.
Does AVIF support transparency?
Yes. AVIF supports an alpha channel for transparency, similar to PNG and WebP. This makes it suitable for logos, icons, and images with transparent backgrounds.
Why are AVIF files slow to encode?
AVIF uses the AV1 codec, which is computationally intensive. Encoding is slower than JPG or WebP, but the result is significantly smaller files. Decoding (viewing) is fast in modern browsers.