AVIF vs JPEG XL – the next generation of image formats
With AVIF and JPEG XL, two contenders are ready to replace JPG. Both employ state-of-the-art compression — but they take different paths. Which has the stronger hand for the future?
Technical foundation and strengths
AVIF builds on the AV1 video codec and shines especially at low to mid quality levels. Its compression is particularly efficient at small image sizes — ideal for hero images and thumbnails on the web.
JPEG XL is a standalone design and beats AVIF at high quality, lossless storage and very large images. JXL also offers something unique: it can losslessly recompress existing JPGs into JXL with around 20% size reduction at zero quality loss.
Browser support — the decisive factor
AVIF is now supported in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. That makes it web-ready, with mature tooling and server implementations.
JPEG XL has a harder time: Chrome removed support in 2023 and only re-enables it behind a flag; Firefox also exposes it experimentally only. Safari (from macOS 14) and Edge (122+) are on board. For the open web in production, JXL isn't there yet.
Recommendation for 2026
For public websites: use AVIF with WebP or JPG fallback. Keep an eye on JPEG XL but don't make it primary while Chrome doesn't ship it without a flag.
For internal tools, photo archives and pipelines where you control the client, JXL can already make sense today — especially the lossless JPG recompression. If you have 100,000 legacy JPGs, you'll save serious storage without losing a single pixel of quality.
Where is the codec market heading?
Apple shipped AVIF in macOS Big Sur and JPEG XL in macOS Ventura. Google is the main AVIF driver (through the AOM alliance and Chrome). Mozilla actively backs JPEG XL. Whichever standard you bet on, you have allies.
Realistically: AVIF is today's browser consensus for web delivery. JPEG XL has a photo-pro pulse (Adobe DNG support, lossless recompression of JPGs without quality loss) and will lock down its niche in photo workflows. Both will coexist — like JPEG and PNG decades ago.
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