Video is the largest contributor to web page weight. AV1 is now supported in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari 17+ — covering over 90% of web traffic. AV1 produces files that are 30–50% smaller than H.264 at equal quality, which directly improves page load time, Core Web Vitals scores, and bandwidth costs. For maximum compatibility with older browsers, H.264 MP4 remains the safe fallback.
Try a Web-ready AV1 MP4 encode at 720p. Create a free account for up to 8K/120fps and production workflows.
AV1 is the best codec for web delivery: it achieves 30–50% better compression than H.264 and is supported in Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 18+, and Safari 17+. For older browser support, provide an H.264 MP4 fallback using HTML5 source elements.
MP4 (with H.264 or AV1) is the more practical choice for most websites — it works in all browsers and is supported by all video CDNs and hosting platforms. WebM (VP9/AV1) offers slightly better compression in some cases but adds complexity. For simplicity, MP4 with AV1 is the optimal single format.
Encode to AV1 or H.264 MP4 at 1080p (or 720p for background/ambient video). Use quality-based VBR encoding rather than a fixed bitrate. Remove audio from muted background videos (saves 10–15% file size). Deliver via a CDN for global performance.
1080p for hero and feature videos. 720p for background and ambient video. 480p for video thumbnails or previews. Higher than 1080p is rarely perceptible in a browser viewport and creates unnecessarily large files.
AV1 is supported in Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 79+, Opera 57+, and Safari 17+ (macOS Sonoma, iOS 17). It does not support Internet Explorer or Safari before version 17. For maximum compatibility, provide both an AV1 MP4 and an H.264 MP4 using source elements in HTML5 video.
The public encoder is useful for quick previews. For larger files, up to 8K/120fps output, bulk jobs, API access, storage outputs, and webhooks, create an account and run production workflows with predictable NEU estimates.