GIF vs AVIF
How do GIF and AVIFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.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.
.avif
Full guide →AV1 Image File Format
AVIF is a next-generation image format based on the AV1 video codec. It offers the best compression ratios available today — significantly better than WebP and JPG — while being royalty-free and open source.
| Specification | GIF | AVIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format | AV1 Image File Format |
| Extension | .gif | .avif |
| MIME type | image/gif | image/avif |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | CompuServe | Alliance for Open Media |
| Year introduced | 1987 | 2019 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
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)
AVIF advantages
- Best-in-class compression efficiency
- Royalty-free and open source
- Supports HDR, wide color gamut, and transparency
- Both lossy and lossless modes
AVIF limitations
- Slow encoding speed
- Growing but incomplete browser support
- Limited editing software support
- Relatively new format
Which should you use?
Both GIF and AVIF have their strengths. GIF excels at animated images and memes, while AVIF is better for cutting-edge web performance optimization.
Best uses for GIF
Best uses for AVIF
Convert between GIF and AVIF
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.