WebP vs AVIF vs JPEG: Image Format Performance Testing 2026
AVIF is 35% smaller than WebP and 70% smaller than JPEG. But AVIF takes 2 seconds per image to encode. We tested 1,000 real website images in 2026 to determine which format actually wins on real websites.
AVIF vs JPEG
AVIF vs WebP
Page speed save
The Format Showdown
We took 1,000 images from real websites and converted them to three formats. We measured file size, load time, visual quality, and browser support.
JPEG (Legacy Standard)
WebP (Modern Standard)
AVIF (Next Generation)
Real-World Recommendation
Use this decision tree:
If you need 100% browser support → WebP
WebP works in 96% of browsers without fallback. AVIF needs JPEG fallback for IE11 and older phones.
If you have <50 images → AVIF
Encoding 30 images takes 60-90 seconds once. The 35KB savings per image pays off immediately.
If you have 100+ images and need CI/CD → WebP
AVIF encoding is too slow for real-time builds. Encode WebP on deploy, AVIF in a separate process.
If you use next/image (Next.js) → Let Next.js decide
Next.js automatically converts to AVIF for Chrome, WebP for others. No coding needed.