Convert HEIC to AVIF
We turn HEIC into AVIF right in your browser — the file never goes to a server.
What you will lose
Nothing to lose, and nothing to gain: {to} keeps exactly what {from} hands over, and the file grows several times over.
How they differ
| HEIC | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Lossless | yes | yes |
| Lossy | yes | yes |
| Transparency | yes | yes |
| Animation | yes | yes |
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Author | MPEG | Alliance for Open Media |
HEIC
Good at
- Half the weight of JPEG at the same quality
- Stores burst frames, depth maps and live photos
- The default capture format on iPhone since 2017
Awkward about
- Opens poorly outside Apple devices
- Patent constraints hold back browser support
- Many sites and forms simply refuse these files
Use it when
- Keeping photos inside the Apple ecosystem
- When you want the most quality per byte
AVIF
Good at
- Compresses tighter than WebP — usually another 20–30 %
- Handles 10 bits per channel and high dynamic range
- Transparency and animation are both there
Awkward about
- Noticeably slower to encode than the others
- Support outside browsers is still thin
- On small images it sometimes loses to WebP on size
Use it when
- Large images on a site where weight matters
- When you have a fallback for older browsers
Common questions
- Does the file get uploaded to a server?
- Yes, this pair needs the server: browsers cannot encode that format. The file and the result are deleted within a couple of hours and never shared.
- Will transparency survive?
- Yes, AVIF supports transparency, so semi-transparent edges stay as they were.
- Can I get the original quality back afterwards?
- Nothing is lost, but nothing is gained either. AVIF stores exactly what HEIC hands over, including the gaps HEIC left behind when it compressed. No tool can bring those back, and the file grows several times over. This conversion makes sense for editing, not for quality.
- How many files, and how large?
- Up to 30 files at a time, 50 MB each. No sign-up, no watermarks.