MP4 vs AVI
How do MP4 and AVIcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.mp4
Full guide →MPEG-4 Part 14
MP4 is the most widely used video format in the world. It's the default for everything from YouTube to TikTok, smartphones to streaming services. If you need one video format that works everywhere, MP4 is it.
.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 While it has been largely superseded by MP4 and MKV, AVI files are still commonly found in legacy video libraries and older applications.
| Specification | MP4 | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Part 14 | Audio Video Interleave |
| Extension | .mp4 | .avi |
| MIME type | video/mp4 | video/x-msvideo |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | ISO / Moving Picture Experts Group | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 2001 | 1992 |
MP4 advantages
- Universal compatibility
- Excellent compression with H.264/H.265
- Supports subtitles and multiple audio tracks
- Streaming-friendly with progressive download
MP4 limitations
- Lossy compression
- Patent-encumbered codecs
- Quality varies greatly by encoding settings
- Large files at high quality
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- Outdated format
Which should you use?
MP4 is the universal standard — it works everywhere. AVI has its niche: legacy video archives. When in doubt, convert to MP4 for maximum compatibility.
Best uses for MP4
Best uses for AVI
Convert between MP4 and AVI
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.