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AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG: Web Performance Analysis - Arising Media

Every business we work with eventually asks some version of the same question: "why is our website slow on mobile?" The answer is almost always images. A single unoptimized product photo or hero banner can weigh more than the entire rest of the page combined. Instead of...

AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG: Web Performance Analysis - Arising Media

Why we ran this test

Every business we work with eventually asks some version of the same question: "why is our website slow on mobile?" The answer is almost always images. A single unoptimized product photo or hero banner can weigh more than the entire rest of the page combined. Instead of repeating the generic advice you can find anywhere online ("compress your images"), we ran a controlled comparison across three formats -- AVIF, WebP, and JPEG -- on a simulated 4G connection, because that is the connection speed most of our clients' real customers are using when they land on a site from a Google search or a social ad.

How the test was structured

We took a representative set of images from actual client sites we manage: a product photography shot, a hero background image, a headshot, and a screenshot-style graphic. Each image was exported at three quality tiers in each format, then loaded over a throttled connection profile matching typical mid-tier 4G speeds (roughly 9 Mbps down, 100ms round-trip latency). We measured time to first paint of the image, total transferred bytes, and visual quality at matched file sizes rather than matched compression settings, because file size is what actually determines load time for your visitor.

What we found: AVIF wins on size, but not universally

AVIF produced the smallest files in every category we tested, beating WebP by roughly 15-30% at visually equivalent quality, and beating JPEG by 40-60%. For the hero background image specifically, AVIF cut transfer size nearly in half compared to a well-optimized JPEG. That is a meaningful difference on 4G: a 300KB image can take close to a full second longer to render than a 150KB image once you account for connection overhead, and that second matters when a visitor is deciding whether to keep scrolling or bounce.

Where WebP still makes sense

AVIF encoding takes longer to process at build time, and browser support, while now wide, is not universal on older devices some of our clients' customers still use. WebP remains the safer default for images that need broad compatibility without a fallback chain, and for images where encode time matters because they are generated dynamically (product photos uploaded by a client, for example). We landed on a hybrid approach for most sites we manage: AVIF with a WebP fallback for anything served through a modern CDN, and WebP alone for anything generated on the fly.

The practical takeaway for a business owner

You do not need to become an image format expert. What matters is that whoever manages your website is actually making this decision deliberately rather than shipping whatever your camera or stock photo library exported by default. On the client sites we have migrated from plain JPEG to a modern format pipeline, we have consistently seen Largest Contentful Paint improve by 20-40%, which is one of the metrics Google uses in ranking and one of the biggest levers on whether a mobile visitor actually waits for your page to finish loading.

Where this fits into a broader performance strategy

Image format is one lever, not the whole solution. We pair format optimization with proper lazy loading, correctly sized responsive images (not shipping a 4000px-wide image to a phone screen), and CDN delivery. On its own, switching formats without addressing those other pieces will get you a partial win. Combined, we have seen full page weight drop by more than half on sites that had never been audited for this before.

Bring the question to us

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What clients say

What businesses say about working with us

Excellent on Google ★★★★★ 5.0 out of 5 · 14 reviews
★★★★★

Andre and Arising Media are incredible at what they do and they have more than doubled our business. They go above and beyond to make sure that we succeed.

Brian Sirois
★★★★★

Absolutely loved working with the Arising Media team. They are extremely helpful in explaining any process and answering questions thoughtfully. This is an awesome team that provides quality and expertise.

Venus Vega
★★★★★

We have been working with Arising and Andre for years and their attentiveness to us is unmatched. Insightful direction on strategy and execution is perfect and has helped our business grow!!

Lana Camera
★★★★★

Andre and his team at Arising Media are the most professional team I have come across in terms of Google Search with SEO and SEM. They are extremely knowledgeable and know how to execute a successful plan that converts to leads and revenue growth.

Jamie Taylor
★★★★★

Could not be happier with Andre and his team's experience, professionalism, and support. They are so detail oriented. I could not be more grateful for all the time they took to get to know my brand so they could envision what I could not for myself.

Lily Ignatowski
★★★★★

I've worked with Andre on and off for almost four years. He's kind, courteous, and professional. His work is always top quality and he's always available to answer any questions I might have.

Charlie Serabian
★★★★★

I am very happy with my webpage. Andre & his crew are very technologically up to date, creative & talented. He goes above & beyond the call of duty. Good quality workmanship, great value, very professional & responsive.

Anne Lahr
★★★★★

Arising media is the best company to quickly develop a website or design a menu board.

Altin Muhaxheri
★★★★★

Very responsive throughout entire process. Good experience.

Sean R
★★★★★

Not only were they able to give me new digital boards for in-store but did a complete new website for me which is very easy to navigate. Very professional and hands on.

erolind simnica
★★★★★

Andre and his team are amazing and keep the calls coming in. Keep up the good work.

Chuck Haug
★★★★★

Best digital signage I've ever had! Awesome customer service! I love my website!

Marissa M
★★★★★

High recommend Arising Media to anyone looking for digital solutions.

Jamie Taylor
★★★★★

Andre and Arising Media are incredible at what they do and they have more than doubled our business. They go above and beyond to make sure that we succeed.

Brian Sirois
★★★★★

Absolutely loved working with the Arising Media team. They are extremely helpful in explaining any process and answering questions thoughtfully. This is an awesome team that provides quality and expertise.

Venus Vega
★★★★★

We have been working with Arising and Andre for years and their attentiveness to us is unmatched. Insightful direction on strategy and execution is perfect and has helped our business grow!!

Lana Camera
★★★★★

Andre and his team at Arising Media are the most professional team I have come across in terms of Google Search with SEO and SEM. They are extremely knowledgeable and know how to execute a successful plan that converts to leads and revenue growth.

Jamie Taylor
★★★★★

Could not be happier with Andre and his team's experience, professionalism, and support. They are so detail oriented. I could not be more grateful for all the time they took to get to know my brand so they could envision what I could not for myself.

Lily Ignatowski
★★★★★

I've worked with Andre on and off for almost four years. He's kind, courteous, and professional. His work is always top quality and he's always available to answer any questions I might have.

Charlie Serabian
★★★★★

I am very happy with my webpage. Andre & his crew are very technologically up to date, creative & talented. He goes above & beyond the call of duty. Good quality workmanship, great value, very professional & responsive.

Anne Lahr
★★★★★

Arising media is the best company to quickly develop a website or design a menu board.

Altin Muhaxheri
★★★★★

Very responsive throughout entire process. Good experience.

Sean R
★★★★★

Not only were they able to give me new digital boards for in-store but did a complete new website for me which is very easy to navigate. Very professional and hands on.

erolind simnica
★★★★★

Andre and his team are amazing and keep the calls coming in. Keep up the good work.

Chuck Haug
★★★★★

Best digital signage I've ever had! Awesome customer service! I love my website!

Marissa M
★★★★★

High recommend Arising Media to anyone looking for digital solutions.

Jamie Taylor

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