BMP vs GIF
How do BMP and GIFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.bmp
Full guide →Bitmap Image File
BMP is an uncompressed raster image format native to Windows. While it produces very large files, BMP preserves every pixel with zero quality loss, making it useful for raw image data and legacy applications.
.gif
Full guide →Graphics Interchange Format
GIF is a widely recognized format best known for animated images and short loops. While limited to 256 colors, GIF's animation support and universal compatibility make it a staple of web culture.
| Specification | BMP | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bitmap Image File | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Extension | .bmp | .gif |
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/gif |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | Microsoft | CompuServe |
| Year introduced | 1986 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
BMP advantages
- Zero quality loss — completely uncompressed
- Simple format, easy to read and write
- Native Windows support
- No compression artifacts
BMP limitations
- Very large file sizes
- No transparency support in most versions
- Not suitable for web use
- Outdated format for most modern applications
GIF advantages
- Animation support — multiple frames in one file
- Universal browser and platform support
- Small file sizes for simple graphics
- Supports basic transparency
GIF limitations
- Limited to 256 colors per frame
- Poor quality for photographs
- Large file sizes for animations compared to video
- Binary transparency only (no partial transparency)
Which should you use?
Both BMP and GIF have their strengths. BMP excels at legacy windows applications, while GIF is better for animated images and memes.
Best uses for BMP
Best uses for GIF
Convert between BMP and GIF
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.