HEIC vs AVIF
How do HEIC and AVIFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.heic
Full guide →High Efficiency Image Container
HEIC is Apple's preferred image format, used by iPhones and iPads since iOS 11. It delivers significantly better compression than JPG while maintaining higher quality, but compatibility remains limited outside the Apple ecosystem.
.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 | HEIC | AVIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container | AV1 Image File Format |
| Extension | .heic | .avif |
| MIME type | image/heic | image/avif |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) | Alliance for Open Media |
| Year introduced | 2015 | 2019 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
HEIC advantages
- 50% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
- Supports transparency and depth maps
- Live Photos and image sequences
- 16-bit color depth
HEIC limitations
- Limited compatibility outside Apple devices
- Not natively supported by most web browsers
- Requires special decoders on Windows/Android
- Patent-encumbered format
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 HEIC and AVIF have their strengths. HEIC excels at iphone and ipad photography, while AVIF is better for cutting-edge web performance optimization.
Best uses for HEIC
Best uses for AVIF
Convert between HEIC and AVIF
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.