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Learn about AVIF, a promising image format that offers efficient compression without quality loss for web images.
Images are an important part of most websites, but they also account for a lot of a webpage’s weight. As such, the image formats favoured for the web evolve and change, as more efficient, lightweight formats are developed and become supported by browsers.
Most people are now familiar with WebP, which we wrote about several years ago. It is now widely supported and frequently used in web development, as it allows for a significant reduction of image file sizes, without compromising on their quality.
However, WebP doesn’t mark the limit of the potential efficiencies and performance improvements that could be achieved with future formats.
One of the most promising formats gaining traction is AVIF. Short for AV1 Image File Format, AVIF is designed to deliver high-quality images at significantly smaller file sizes compared to traditional formats like JPEG or PNG, and also newer formats such as WebP.
But what exactly is AVIF, and should you consider using it yet? Let’s break down what makes AVIF stand out and how it could potentially benefit your website.
AVIF is an image file format based on the AV1 video codec, developed by the Alliance for Open Media (a group that includes Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft). With this group involved, it’s likely that it’ll be more widely supported faster than WebP was, as WebP was developed by Google.
AVIF brings the compression power of modern video technology to static images, meaning you can have beautiful, high-resolution images that take up much less space.
AVIF supports features such as:
Website speed matters. Search engines use it as a ranking factor, and users are more likely to bounce if your page is slow. AVIF images are typically 30–50% smaller than JPEGs or WebPs of similar quality, which means pages load faster without compromising visual fidelity.
AVIF is incredibly efficient. Smaller image file sizes mean less bandwidth usage for both website owners and visitors. This is particularly beneficial for mobile users and those on slower connections.
Crisper images that load faster = happier users. Whether you’re running an eCommerce store, a media publishing platform, or a corporate site, delivering high-quality imagery efficiently can improve engagement and reduce bounce rates.
AVIF is great for:
Both AVIF and WebP are modern image formats designed to replace older, heavier formats like JPEG and PNG.
While WebP has been around longer and is more widely supported across tools and platforms, AVIF does outperform it in several areas.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | WebP | AVIF |
|---|---|---|
| Compression Efficiency | Very good – 26 – 30% smaller files than JPEG. | Excellent – 20–30% smaller files than WebP, 50% smaller files than JPEG. |
| Image Quality | Good – better than JPEG, but less precise in fine detail. | Excellent – especially for high detail and gradients. |
| Transparency Support | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | Yes | Yes |
| HDR & Wide Colour | No | Yes |
| Browser Support | Widely Supported. | Growing – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari. |
| Encoding Speed | Faster and more mature tools. | Slower – but still improving. |
| Editing Tool Support | Broad support across platforms. | Limited but growing. |
Browser Support
Most modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari) now support AVIF, but as it isn’t as widely supported as WebP, it’s always good to use fallback formats just in case. Just as we used to do for WebP, when it wasn’t as widely supported.
Encoding Speed
AVIF can be slower to encode than other formats, but this is improving with newer tools and more widespread adoption.
CMS Platforms & Editing Tools
While support is growing, not all graphic editors or CMS platforms support AVIF natively yet. Plugins or custom workflows might still be needed.
WordPress does have native support for AVIF, which it introduced with WordPress 6.5, however, you do need to also ensure that your server’s image processing library also supports the format.
Plugins like ShortPixel (our preferred image optimisation tool) or Imagify are beginning to support AVIF either natively or in beta. For developers, tools like Squoosh or command-line converters can help you generate AVIF images for production use.
When implementing AVIF, be sure to use the <picture> element in HTML or proper fallback settings via your CMS or web server to ensure compatibility.
As web standards evolve, adopting formats like AVIF can put you ahead of the curve, especially in an era where page speed and media optimisation are more important than ever.
If improving the performance of your WordPress or WooCommerce website is something you are looking into, Impact Media can help.
We recommend a WordPress Health Check in the first instance, to get to the bottom of how your site is built, what the biggest contributors to poor performance are, and where improvements can be made most effectively.
AVIF is short for AV1 Image File Format.
WebP is short for Web Picture.
If you’d like to learn more about optimising your WordPress or WooCommerce website, drop us an email or give James a call.
Our Evolve plans are designed to enhance and extend the lifespan of your website, ensuring it remains well optimised, and aligned with your business.
