Free webp to jpg
EN
Image MIME Reference
GIF

Graphics Interchange Format

image/gif
VS

WebP Image

image/webp
WebP

A complete technical comparison of Graphics Interchange Format and WebP Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature GIF WebP
Transparency (Alpha) Yes Yes
Animation Support Yes Yes
Progressive Loading Yes ✕ No
HDR Support ✕ No ✕ No
EXIF Metadata ✕ No Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
Graphics Interchange Format
image/gif
Extension
.gif
Container GIF
Compression Lossless (LZW)
Algorithm
LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch)
Color Depth 1-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit (Indexed)
Developed by CompuServe
Released 1987
Magic Bytes
47 49 46 38 39 61
Full GIF reference →
WebP Image
image/webp
Extension
.webp
Container RIFF
Compression Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
VP8VP8L
Color Depth 8-bit
Developed by Google
Released 2010
Magic Bytes
52 49 46 46 XX XX XX XX 57 45 42 50
Full WebP reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser GIF WebP
Chrome Chrome
✓ All
✓ 32+
Firefox Firefox
✓ All
✓ 65+
Safari Safari
✓ All
✓ 14+
Edge Edge
✓ All
✓ 18+
IE IE (Legacy)
✓
 ✕
GIF

GIF Strengths

  • Universal support across all web browsers, operating systems, and messaging apps
  • Supports basic frame-by-frame animation out of the box
  • Lossless compression is highly effective for simple, flat-color graphics like logos or pixel art
Limitations
  • Limited to 256 colors per frame, resulting in poor quality for complex gradients and photographs
  • Animations produce massive file sizes compared to modern formats like MP4, WebP, or AVIF
  • 1-bit transparency limits edge blending on non-uniform backgrounds
WebP

WebP Strengths

  • Superior lossy compression — 25–35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
  • Supports both animation and full alpha transparency
  • Lossless mode available with smaller file sizes than PNG
Limitations
  • Slower encoding than JPEG, especially for lossless
  • Not supported in Internet Explorer or very old browsers

When to choose which format

GIF
Use GIF when…
  • Web Animations
  • Memes
  • Simple Graphics
  • Logos with flat colors
WebP
Use WebP when…
  • Websites
  • Ecommerce
  • Mobile Apps
  • CMS Images

More comparisons

GIF vs ACES → WebP vs ACES → GIF vs APNG → WebP vs APNG → GIF vs AVCI → WebP vs AVCI → GIF vs AVCS → WebP vs AVCS → GIF vs AVIF → WebP vs AVIF → All comparisons →
Share this comparison