Format comparison
AVI vs FLV
How do AVI and FLVcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.avi
Full guide →Audio Video Interleave
AVI is one of the oldest and most recognized video formats. While it has been largely superseded by MP4 and MKV, AVI files are still commonly found in legacy video libraries and older applications.
.flv
Full guide →Flash Video
FLV was the dominant web video format during the Flash era. While Flash is dead, FLV files still exist in archives and legacy systems. Converting FLV to MP4 is one of the most common conversion needs.
| Specification | AVI | FLV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Audio Video Interleave | Flash Video |
| Extension | .avi | .flv |
| MIME type | video/x-msvideo | video/x-flv |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Microsoft | Adobe (Macromedia) |
| Year introduced | 1992 | 2003 |
AVI advantages
- Wide compatibility
- Simple container format
- No compression overhead
- Good for uncompressed video
AVI limitations
- Large file sizes
- Limited codec support compared to MKV
- No native streaming support
- Outdated format
FLV advantages
- Very small file sizes
- Fast to decode
- Was the web video standard
- Simple container format
FLV limitations
- Flash Player is discontinued
- Limited browser support
- Outdated codec support
- No modern features
Which should you use?
AVI and FLV target different use cases. AVI is ideal for legacy video archives, while FLV works best for converting old web videos.
Best uses for AVI
Legacy video archives
Uncompressed video capture
Compatibility with older players
Simple video recording
Best uses for FLV
Converting old web videos
Legacy content archives
Flash game recordings
Historical web content preservation
Convert between AVI and FLV
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.