HEIC to AVIF Converter

About HEIC

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's default photo format, introduced with iOS 11 in 2017. It is built on the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File) standard developed by the MPEG group, and uses the HEVC codec to achieve roughly twice the compression efficiency of JPEG at equal visual quality — an iPhone photo in HEIC takes up approximately half the storage of the same photo saved as a JPG, with no perceptible difference in sharpness or color.

Within the Apple ecosystem HEIC works seamlessly: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV all open and display HEIC files natively. The problem is compatibility outside Apple devices. Windows 10 and 11 require a paid HEVC codec from the Microsoft Store to open HEIC files. Most Android phones cannot read HEIC natively. Older versions of Photoshop, Lightroom, and other image-editing programs needed updates or plugins. Web browsers had no HEIC support until very recently, and most still lack it in older versions. This means any HEIC photo you try to share via email, upload to a website, or open on a non-Apple device may simply appear as a blank icon or fail to load.

When to convert HEIC to JPG or PNG: Anytime you need to share a photo with a non-Apple user, upload it to a website or social platform, use it in software that does not support HEIC, or attach it to an email intended for a mixed-device audience. JPG is the universal image format — virtually every device, browser, app, and website on the planet opens a JPG without extra software.

When to convert to HEIC: If you are staying entirely within the Apple ecosystem and storage efficiency matters. iPhone users shooting in "High Efficiency" mode save storage; converting PNG or JPG files to HEIC preserves that advantage. HEIC also supports transparency (like PNG) and 10-bit color depth.

Converting PNG to HEIC: Less common but useful when you want HEIC's file-size advantages for images already in PNG format. Transparency is preserved in the conversion.

About AVIF

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the most compression-efficient image format widely available today. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) — a consortium that includes Google, Mozilla, Apple, Netflix, and others — and released in 2019, AVIF uses the AV1 video codec to achieve image file sizes 40–60% smaller than equivalent JPGs, and typically 20–30% smaller than WEBP, at the same visual quality. It supports 10-bit color depth, HDR (high dynamic range), wide color gamuts (P3, Rec. 2020), and transparency.

Browser support has grown rapidly: Chrome added AVIF support in version 85 (2020), Firefox in version 93 (2021), and Safari in version 16 (October 2022). Edge supports AVIF. Google Search already uses AVIF for image thumbnails, and Google Photos converts uploads to AVIF internally. For websites, smaller image files mean faster page loads, better Core Web Vitals scores (Largest Contentful Paint in particular), and reduced bandwidth costs for both the server and the visitor.

When to use AVIF: For any web-published image where load speed matters — hero images, product photos, blog thumbnails, portfolio images. The smaller file sizes have a measurable impact on page speed scores and, by extension, SEO ranking signals. If your target audience is on modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16+), AVIF is the strongest compression choice available without sacrificing quality.

When to stay with JPG or PNG: When maximum compatibility is required — enterprise environments running Internet Explorer, older Android WebView apps, desktop image-editing software that has not yet added AVIF support, or email clients. For these use cases, JPG remains the safer universal choice.