AVIF vs PNG: Compression, Quality, and When to Use Each

AVIF uses lossy or lossless compression based on the AV1 video codec. PNG uses lossless compression only. For photographic images, AVIF produces files that are 5-10x smaller than PNG at visually identical quality. For graphics with sharp edges, text, or transparency, PNG remains the safer default because every browser and image editor supports it without issues.

File Size

The size gap between AVIF and PNG is dramatic for photos. A 2000x1500 photograph might be 8 MB as a PNG. The same image saved as AVIF at quality 80 is often under 200 KB. That is a 40x reduction. For simple graphics and icons, the gap shrinks. A flat-color logo might be 15 KB as PNG and 10 KB as AVIF. The savings depend heavily on image complexity: AVIF excels at compressing gradients and photographic detail, while PNG is already efficient for images with few colors.

Quality and Features

PNG is lossless. Every pixel is preserved exactly. This makes it ideal for screenshots, diagrams, and anything where precision matters. AVIF supports both lossy and lossless modes, but its strength is lossy compression where it matches or beats WebP and JPEG. Both formats support alpha transparency and wide color gamuts (10-bit and 12-bit per channel). AVIF also supports HDR, which PNG does not.

Browser and Tool Support

PNG works everywhere. Every browser, operating system, image editor, and programming library handles PNG without configuration. AVIF has strong but not universal support. Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16.4+, and Edge all decode AVIF. However, some older image editors and content management systems still do not recognize the format. If you need guaranteed compatibility, PNG is the safe choice. If you control the output environment (your own website, for example), AVIF is ready.

Encoding Speed

AVIF encodes slowly compared to PNG and even WebP. A single high-resolution AVIF encode can take several seconds on a fast machine, while PNG is nearly instant. For batch processing or real-time applications, this matters. For a static website where images are encoded once and served many times, the encoding speed is irrelevant.

Which to Choose

Use PNG for screenshots, diagrams, logos, and any image where lossless quality or universal compatibility is required. Use AVIF for photographs and complex images on the web where file size savings translate directly to faster page loads. If you need a middle ground, WebP offers good compression with broader tool support than AVIF.

Need to convert images between formats? Try our Image to WebP converter or PNG to JPG tool. For more comparisons, see PNG vs JPG and JPEG XL vs AVIF.