Format comparison
GIF vs WEBP
By Suprabhat Updated How we write these
The short answer
Animated WebP does everything a GIF does in a fraction of the size, with full color instead of GIF’s 256 and smooth transparency. GIF’s advantage is reach: it animates in email, in old apps and in chat tools that still show a WebP as a still or refuse it.
Graphics Interchange Format
Choose GIF when
- Email newsletters and older apps
- Chat and forums that may not animate WebP
- You want it to play anywhere, whatever the size
WebP
Choose WEBP when
- Animations on your own website
- Photographic or colorful animations
- Page speed matters
Side by side
| Property | GIF | WEBP |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format | WebP |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | Yes |
| Typical size | A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB | Typically 25–35% smaller than the same JPG |
| Support | Opens everywhere | Current browsers and apps |
| Opens on | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer | Every current browser, but plenty of desktop apps, print shops and upload forms still refuse it |
| Best for | Short, silent loops and reaction images | Images on websites, where smaller files load faster |
| Introduced | 1987 | 2010 |
Watch out with GIF
A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
Watch out with WEBP
Images saved from websites arrive as WEBP even when the page looked like it showed a JPG, and then a document editor or upload form refuses them.
Need to switch?
Convert in your browser in a few seconds. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no size limit.
Questions
Is GIF better than WEBP?
Animated WebP does everything a GIF does in a fraction of the size, with full color instead of GIF’s 256 and smooth transparency. GIF’s advantage is reach: it animates in email, in old apps and in chat tools that still show a WebP as a still or refuse it.
Which is smaller, GIF or WEBP?
WEBP is usually smaller for the same content. GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. WEBP: Typically 25–35% smaller than the same JPG.
How do I convert GIF to WEBP?
Use the free GIF to WEBP converter. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
How do I convert WEBP to GIF?
Use the free WEBP to GIF converter. It works the same way, entirely on your device.
More format comparisons
- Format comparison
PNG vs JPG: which should you use?
Use JPG for photographs and PNG for everything with sharp edges: screenshots, logos, diagrams and text. PNG never loses detail but makes photos several times larger; JPG keeps photos small but smudges lines and can’t be transparent. - Format comparison
WEBP vs PNG: which should you use?
For images on a website, WebP does everything PNG does, transparency included, in a noticeably smaller file. PNG is still the safer choice for files you send to other people or open in older software. - Format comparison
WEBP vs JPG: which should you use?
WebP makes photos about a quarter to a third smaller than JPG at the same visible quality, and every current browser shows it. JPG remains the format every upload form, printer and email client accepts without question. - Format comparison
AVIF vs WEBP: which should you use?
AVIF usually produces the smallest file of any image format at the same quality, especially for photos, but it is slower to encode and slightly less widely supported. WebP is the practical middle ground: small, fast and supported everywhere modern.