Free webp to jpg
EN
Image MIME Reference
APNG

Animated Portable Network Graphics

image/vnd.mozilla.apng
VS

MicroStation Design File

image/x-vnd.dgn
DGN

A complete technical comparison of Animated Portable Network Graphics and MicroStation Design File — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

APNG wins on browser support

Feature Support

Feature APNG DGN
Transparency (Alpha) Yes Yes
Animation Support Yes ✕ No
Progressive Loading Yes ✕ No
HDR Support ✕ No ✕ No
EXIF Metadata Yes ✕ No
ICC Color Profile Yes ✕ No
Animated Portable Network Graphics
image/vnd.mozilla.apng
Extension
.apng.png
Container PNG Chunk Stream
Compression Deflate (Lossless)
Algorithm
Deflate (zlib)
Color Depth 8-bit (Indexed), 24-bit (TrueColor), 32-bit (RGBA)
Developed by Mozilla Corporation (Stuart Parmenter & Vladimir Vukićević)
Released 2004
Magic Bytes
89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A
Full APNG reference →
MicroStation Design File
image/x-vnd.dgn
Extension
.dgn
Container Microsoft OLE Compound File (V8) / IGDS (V7)
Compression Uncompressed / OLE Structured Storage
Algorithm
None
Color Depth Indexed Color (V7), 24-bit True Color (V8)
Developed by Intergraph (Originally) / Bentley Systems (Currently)
Released 1980
Magic Bytes
D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 (For V8 DGN)
Full DGN reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser APNG DGN
Chrome Chrome
✓ 59
 ✕
Firefox Firefox
✓ 3
 ✕
Safari Safari
✓ 8
 ✕
Edge Edge
✓ 79
 ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
APNG

APNG Strengths

  • Supports 8-bit alpha transparency, completely solving the ugly 'white halo' problem inherent to GIFs
  • Gracefully degrades; viewers that do not support APNG will render a perfectly valid, static PNG of the first frame
  • Provides lossless compression that retains absolute pixel-perfect quality for UI elements and line art
Limitations
  • Because it relies on lossless Deflate compression, file sizes for complex, video-like animations can be massive compared to lossy formats like WebP or AVIF
  • Was initially rejected by the official PNG group, delaying its adoption for nearly a decade
  • Lacks native hardware decoding acceleration, unlike video-based animated formats (like MP4 or WebM)
DGN

DGN Strengths

  • Exceptionally robust at handling massive, coordinate-heavy infrastructure models that would frequently crash older versions of competing CAD software
  • Deeply entrenched as the absolute standard format for many global departments of transportation and civil engineering firms
  • V8 architecture supports boundless design plane coordinates, eliminating the physical scaling limitations of V7
Limitations
  • Deeply proprietary format requiring complex third-party libraries (like the ODA SDK) to parse or write programmatically outside of the Bentley ecosystem
  • V8's reliance on the archaic Microsoft OLE Compound File container makes file introspection cumbersome
  • Cannot be rendered natively in web browsers without converting to WebGL/Canvas formats or SVG

When to choose which format

APNG
Use APNG when…
  • High-Quality Web Animations
  • Stickers (Apple iMessage, LINE, Discord)
  • UI Loaders with Alpha Transparency
  • GIF Replacement
DGN
Use DGN when…
  • Civil Engineering and Plant Design
  • Large-scale Architecture and Construction (AEC)
  • 2D/3D Infrastructure Modeling

More comparisons

APNG vs ACES → DGN vs ACES → APNG vs AVCI → DGN vs AVCI → APNG vs AVCS → DGN vs AVCS → APNG vs AVIF → DGN vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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