Convert HEIC to AVIF
Free online converter for HEIC files. Next-generation format with the best compression ratio. Nothing to install, no watermark, and every file is deleted automatically.
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Upload a HEIC file to convert it to AVIF. Up to 3 files at once, 100 MB each.
Free · up to 3 files · 100 MB each · files deleted automatically after 1 hour.
About HEIC and AVIF
HEIC .heic
Apple's default photo format since iOS 11, storing HEVC-compressed images in a HEIF container. It is roughly half the size of an equivalent JPEG.
Good for
- About half the size of JPEG at similar quality
- Keeps transparency, depth maps and image sequences
- 10-bit colour, so smoother gradients than JPEG
Trade-offs
- Poor support outside Apple platforms — this is the usual reason to convert
- Patent-encumbered, which is why support is uneven
- Lossy, so quality does not come back
image/heic
AVIF .avif
A modern image format derived from the AV1 video codec. It compresses harder than JPEG or WebP at the same visual quality, and handles wide colour and high dynamic range.
Good for
- The smallest files of any format here at a given quality
- Transparency, animation, wide colour gamut and HDR
- Holds up better than JPEG at very low bitrates
Trade-offs
- Support is newest — older browsers and many desktop apps cannot open it
- Encoding is slow compared with JPEG
- Fine detail can smooth over at aggressive settings
image/avif
HEIC and AVIF side by side
| HEIC | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy (HEVC) | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes — Live Photos and bursts | Yes |
| Typically used for | iPhone and iPad camera output | Modern web delivery, bandwidth-sensitive images |
What changes when you convert HEIC to AVIF
Why this conversion exists
HEIC is what an iPhone saves by default, and almost nothing outside Apple's ecosystem opens it — which is why most people arrive here. AVIF trades HEIC's efficiency for the ability to open the file anywhere. Depth maps, Live Photo motion and any other auxiliary data in the HEIC are not carried across; what you get is the photograph itself.
You choose how much to keep
AVIF can compress either lossily or losslessly, so the quality setting decides the outcome rather than the format. High quality stays close to the HEIC you started with; lower settings trade visible detail for a much smaller file.
Encoding takes longer
AVIF comes from the AV1 video codec, and that compression is slow — noticeably slower than writing a JPEG or a PNG. The payoff is the smallest file of any format here at a comparable quality. Check your audience first: browsers handle AVIF well now, but plenty of desktop and print software still will not open it.
Camera data is removed by default
A HEIC straight from a phone or camera carries EXIF metadata — model, settings, timestamp and, quite often, the GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken. The converted AVIF is written without it, so a file you are about to share does not quietly carry your location. The orientation flag is read and applied to the pixels first, so the image will not come out sideways once the tag holding it is gone. If you need the metadata kept, there is a setting for it.
How the AVIF is written
Our default is quality 60 — the scale is not comparable with JPEG's, and 60 here is a visually higher setting than the number suggests. The quality control on the converter moves this if you need to — the default aims to be indistinguishable from the source at a sensible file size, rather than to win a compression benchmark.
Colour detail is stored at half resolution
AVIF keeps full brightness detail but records colour at half resolution in each direction, because the eye is far more sensitive to the first than the second. On photographs it is invisible. On saturated edges it is not: red text on white, thin coloured lines and flat graphic shapes can pick up fringing. If the HEIC is a screenshot, a logo or anything with text in it, a lossless format will treat it far better.
Other HEIC conversions
Other ways to get AVIF
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