AVIF vs PNG
AVIF is often the smaller delivery format. PNG is often the easier interchange format. The best choice depends on where the image will be used.
| Feature | AVIF | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Efficient lossy or lossless encoding | Lossless encoding |
| Transparency | Supported | Supported |
| Typical photos | Often smaller at comparable visual quality | Often larger |
| Editing workflows | Support varies by software | Broadly supported |
| HDR | Format supports HDR workflows | Depends on encoding and software |
Which has better quality?
PNG stores the decoded pixels losslessly. AVIF can use lossy compression to reduce size. Visual quality depends on the original image, encoding settings and viewing software, so the extension alone does not decide which image looks better.
When to convert AVIF to PNG
Use PNG when an editor or upload form does not accept AVIF, or when you want a familiar file with transparent pixels. Our AVIF to PNG converter keeps the decoded pixel dimensions and transparency for supported still images.
Why did the PNG file become larger?
AVIF compresses photographs efficiently. PNG must store the decoded image with lossless compression, which often produces a larger file. Larger file size does not mean new detail has been added.
Can PNG recover quality lost in AVIF?
No. Converting to PNG prevents an additional lossy encode, but the new PNG contains only the pixels the AVIF decoder can reconstruct. Lost source detail stays lost.
A real AVIF conversion example
We converted the same 320 × 220 still AVIF sample with this site's engine and reopened the PNG, JPG and WEBP outputs in a separate decoder. Here are the actual file sizes, with downloadable files so you can inspect the results.
| File | Measured size | Conversion settings |
|---|---|---|
| AVIF | 1,554 bytes | Source image, encoded at quality 95 |
| PNG | 12,764 bytes | Lossless encode of decoded AVIF pixels |
| JPG | 4,929 bytes | Quality 85; transparency flattened onto white |
| WEBP | 1,892 bytes | Quality 85; transparency retained |
What the test tells you
The PNG output exactly matched the pixels decoded by our AVIF engine. WEBP retained transparent pixels; JPG replaced them with the selected white background. This confirms those conversion behaviors for this fixture, not every possible AVIF file.
The sizes show why a converted PNG can be larger than the source AVIF. Do not treat this small graphic as a universal file-size comparison. Photographs, image dimensions and encoder settings can produce different results.
Try the same sample in the AVIF to PNG converter, or choose the JPG tool and change the background to see how transparency is handled.
What about JPG and WEBP?
Choose JPG for a familiar photograph format where transparency is unnecessary. Choose WEBP for web workflows that support it. Both tools let you adjust output quality.
A note about color
High bit depth and HDR images need a color-managed workflow. This converter creates 8-bit output, so use a specialist editor if exact HDR or wide-gamut color fidelity is essential.
Technical references: AVIF specification and PNG specification.
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