JPEG XL vs AVIF vs WebP, 2026 edition

Three modern image formats arrived in the last decade. Each one promises smaller files at the same quality. In 2026 the picture is finally clear: each format has a job it does better than the others.

TL;DR

• AVIF wins web delivery. 30-50% smaller than JPEG. All modern browsers ship it.
• WebP wins compatibility. Slightly larger than AVIF, but supported even in old browsers.
• JPEG XL wins archives. Lossless re-encoding of JPEG saves ~20% storage with zero quality loss, fully reversible.

This post walks through the actual numbers on a 4096×2730 photograph, the trade-offs you can’t see in benchmarks, and when Sqz reaches for each format.

(Full post coming soon.)