AVI vs MKV
How do AVI and MKVcompare? 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 While it has been largely superseded by MP4 and MKV, AVI files are still commonly found in legacy video libraries and older applications.
.mkv
Full guide →Matroska Video
MKV is the most flexible video container format available. It can hold virtually any codec and supports unlimited audio tracks, subtitles, and chapters. It's the format of choice for high-quality video enthusiasts.
| Specification | AVI | MKV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Audio Video Interleave | Matroska Video |
| Extension | .avi | .mkv |
| MIME type | video/x-msvideo | video/x-matroska |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Microsoft | Matroska.org |
| Year introduced | 1992 | 2002 |
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- Outdated format
MKV advantages
- Supports virtually any codec
- Multiple audio and subtitle tracks
- Chapter support
- Open source and free
MKV limitations
- Not natively supported by all players
- Not ideal for streaming
- Large files at high quality
- No hardware playback on some devices
Which should you use?
AVI and MKV target different use cases. AVI is ideal for legacy video archives, while MKV works best for movie collections and media servers.
Best uses for AVI
Best uses for MKV
Convert between AVI and MKV
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.