What's the difference between GIF and WebP?

GIF is a 1987 format that survives in 2026 only because of animation. WebP is Google's modern image format.

What quality should I pick?

For WebP, quality 75-85 is the sweet spot — small files with no visible difference from the original. Lower than 60 starts to show artifacts. Higher than 90 mostly just makes the file bigger.

Why convert away from GIF?

GIF is a 1987 format that survives in 2026 only because of animation. Where it falls down: still images (use PNG, JPG, or WebP); long or high-quality animations (use WebP or MP4 — much smaller). WebP addresses that for most workflows.

When is WebP the right format?

WebP is a good choice for: web images of any kind — the modern default; replacing both JPG photos and PNG screenshots on a single site; animated images that would otherwise be GIFs (much smaller). It is a poor choice when print pipelines and pre-2020 software (use PNG/JPG for compatibility).

Anything surprising about GIF or WebP?

GIF's 256-color palette means photos look posterized. And on the WebP side: webP lossless is competitive with PNG and often smaller. Worth trying.

Does this work on mobile?

Yes. The drop zone falls back to your phone's file picker, and conversions run on-device just like desktop. Large files may be slower on mobile due to CPU and memory constraints, but the workflow is identical.

What's the maximum file size?

No hard limit — the browser handles it. Files under 50MB convert in a few seconds. Larger files work but may take longer as the browser allocates memory. If you hit issues, batch in smaller groups.

Convert GIF to WebP

Convert GIF to WebP for smaller files that every current browser displays. Only the first frame is converted; animation is not preserved. Free, in your browser.

Drop images to convert

PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, BMP, GIF, SVG, HDR, ICO — any combination

Files stay on your device. Open DevTools' Network tab to verify.

Output format

WebP

Quality82%

Overview

Why convert GIF to WebP

WebP files are typically much smaller than GIF at equivalent quality — usually the main reason to make this conversion. Smaller files mean faster page loads, smaller email attachments, and less storage. Only the first frame is converted; animation is not preserved.

Comparison

GIF vs WebP: what actually differs

GIF compared with WebP across encoding, fidelity, file size and support.
Attribute	GIF	WebP
Compression	Lossless	Lossy or lossless
Transparency	Yes	Yes
Animation	Yes	Yes
Typical file size	Very large	Medium
Browser support	Universal. Has been since GIF was invented.	Supported by every evergreen browser since 2020 (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 14+, Edge). Older systems and some editing tools still struggle.

How to

How to convert GIF to WebP

01
Drop your GIF files
Drag one or more GIF files onto the dropzone above, or click to browse. Files stay on your device — nothing uploads.
02
Convert in your browser
convert.now decodes each GIF and re-encodes it as WebP via WebAssembly. The conversion runs in a Web Worker so the page stays responsive.
03
Download the result
Download a single WebP file or, for batch conversions, a zip of all converted files. Filenames preserve the originals.

Why here

Why convert.now

Private
Files stay in your browser. No upload step. Nothing for anyone to see.
Fast
No queue, no upload wait. Conversion starts the moment you drop a file.
Free
No ads. No file-count limit. No sign-up wall. Just the converter.

FAQ

GIF to WebP: common questions

No. The conversion from GIF to WebP runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Files never leave your device. Open DevTools' Network tab if you'd like to verify — there are no network requests with file contents.

Related GIF converters

Last updated 27 August 2026

Why convert GIF to WebP

GIF vs WebP: what actually differs

How to convert GIF to WebP

Drop your GIF files

Convert in your browser

Download the result

Why convert.now

GIF to WebP: common questions

Related GIF converters