Tip
GIF vs MP4 vs WebM vs WebP: which one should you use?
GIF works everywhere but is huge. MP4, WebM and WebP are far smaller. A quick guide to picking the right format for each place.
· 1 min read
All four can show a short looping clip. They differ in file size, quality and where they work.
The short answer
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Post on X, WhatsApp or Instagram | MP4 |
| Drop it into an email, a doc or an old forum | GIF |
| Put it on your own website | WebM or MP4 |
| Make a sticker with a see-through background | WebP |
How they compare
GIF dates from 1987. It's limited to 256 colors per frame and compresses poorly, but it plays almost anywhere an image can be shown, with no play button.
MP4 (H.264) is a real video format. It keeps full color and is dramatically smaller. It needs a video player, which every phone, browser and social app has.
WebM (VP9) is an open video format built for the web. It's about as small as MP4 and can keep a transparent background.
WebP is an image format that can animate. It has full color and smooth transparency, and sits between GIF and video in size. All current browsers support it; some older apps don't.
How big is the difference?
In one of our tests, the same 4-second clip at the same size came out as:
- GIF: 654 KB
- WebP: 155 KB
- WebM: 39 KB
- MP4: 26 KB
The GIF was 25 times the size of the MP4. That gap is why most social apps quietly turn uploaded GIFs into video.
Switching between them
Upload & convert turns a GIF or video into any of the four, in low, medium or high quality.
Upload & convert
Turn a GIF or video into GIF, MP4, WebM or WebP.