Pixsqueeze

Convert GIF to AVIF

GIF's 256-colour palette and 1987-era compression make it the least efficient format still in common use; AVIF is the most efficient. The size difference on a still image is often an order of magnitude.

Best for: Still GIFs that need to be as small as modern encoding can make them.

What to know

  • Only the first frame is converted — animation is not supported.
  • GIF's hard-edged one-bit transparency becomes a full alpha channel, but existing jagged edges cannot be smoothed retroactively.

About GIF

A 1987 format kept alive by animation, capped at 256 colours per frame.

  • 256 colours means visible banding and dithering on anything photographic.
  • Its LZW compression is spectacularly inefficient by modern standards.
  • Transparency is a single on/off bit, producing hard jagged edges.
  • Animated GIFs are routinely ten times the size of the equivalent video or animated WebP.
Support:
Every browser ever shipped.
Transparency:
One bit — a pixel is either fully opaque or fully transparent.

About AVIF

Built on the AV1 video codec and standardised in 2019 — currently the strongest compression available in a widely supported still image format.

  • The best quality-per-byte of any format here, typically by a wide margin.
  • Handles gradients and flat colour without the banding JPEG produces.
  • Wide colour gamut and HDR support built in.
  • Full alpha, and it compresses that alpha well.
Support:
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari 16+. Roughly 93% of users.
Transparency:
Full alpha, efficiently compressed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert an animated GIF to AVIF?
Not here — only the first frame is converted. Animated AVIF exists but encoding it is a video problem rather than a still image one.

Related conversions

Converting from something else? Convert any image to AVIF