Convert HEIC to AVIF — iPhone Photos, License-Free
Turn your iPhone HEIC photos into AVIF that opens on every device without HEVC licensing hoops. No Mac, no paid Windows codec, no cloud service required. EXIF, GPS and ICC profile preserved.
In-browser HEIC → AVIF conversion
Drop your .heic or .heif files below. Decoding uses libheif + libde265; encoding uses libavif + libaom. Both sides compiled to WebAssembly, everything runs in your browser tab. Your photos never leave your device.
Supported input formats
- ✓ JPG / JPEG — Photos, portraits, web content
- ✓ PNG — Screenshots, icons, transparent images
- ✓ HEIC / HEIF — iPhone photos, Apple formats
- ✓ TIFF — Scans, prints, high-resolution archives
- ✓ GIF — Animations and static GIFs
- ✓ BMP, PSD & more — Anything ImageMagick can decode
How the conversion works
- 1. DropDrag files or a whole folder into the box below. Folder structure is preserved in the output ZIP.
- 2. AnalyzeEach image is analyzed for entropy and content type. The engine picks per-image quality settings targeting PSNR ≥ 44.5 and SSIM ≥ 0.95.
- 3. EncodeConversion runs on all of your CPU cores in parallel via Web Workers. EXIF, ICC color profiles and geolocation are copied onto the WebP or AVIF output.
- 4. DownloadWhen the batch is done, a ZIP containing every converted file downloads automatically. No re-upload, no waiting on a server.
HEIC's compression, AVIF's freedom
Same HEIF container family, different codec underneath — and a very different licensing story.
HEIC and AVIF are cousins — with one important difference
Both are HEIF container formats (ISO/IEC 23008-12). HEIC uses HEVC (H.265) codec for the image data; AVIF uses AV1. HEVC is patent-encumbered and requires licensing — which is why Windows needs a paid codec and many web services refuse HEIC. AVIF is royalty-free, developed by Google, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Mozilla and others specifically to avoid those licensing issues. The file sizes are comparable; the ecosystem posture is dramatically different.
Universal browser support without licensing drama
AVIF works natively in Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16.4+, Edge and Opera — no codec installs, no 'pay Microsoft $0.99' popups, no server-side permission slips. HEIC, by contrast, is only natively supported by Apple devices and some modern Windows 11 installations. If you share AVIF with someone, they can open it on any modern device without workarounds.
No Apple device, no cloud service required
SciZone decodes HEIC through libheif + libde265 (compiled to WebAssembly), then re-encodes through libavif + libaom. Both sides of the pipeline run locally in your browser tab on any OS. You don't need an iPhone, a Mac, iCloud, HEIC Image Extensions, or an online converter. Drop .heic files from anywhere — even a Windows folder you copied off a phone.
Capture time, GPS and color profile survive
iPhone EXIF blocks are particularly rich — lens ID, sensor data, exposure bias, GPS to 10 decimal places, orientation, capture timestamp. SciZone reads all of that via exiv2 from the HEIC source and embeds it directly into the AVIF output through libavif's metadata API. Google Photos timelines, photographer workflows and color calibration all keep working.
HEIC vs AVIF at a glance
| Criterion | HEIC / HEIF (HEVC) | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Typical file size for photos | 100% | 90–110% (similar) |
| Codec | HEVC / H.265 (patent-encumbered) | AV1 (royalty-free) |
| Compatibility on Windows | Paid codec required | Native in every modern browser |
| Compatibility on Android | Partial, device-dependent | Chrome 85+ native |
| Upload to web services | Usually rejected | Generally accepted |
| Browser preview directly | No | Yes |
| License concerns | HEVC royalties | Royalty-free |
How to convert HEIC to AVIF
Four steps, works on any OS, nothing to install.
- 1
Copy HEIC files off your iPhone
AirDrop to Mac, connect via USB, use iCloud Photos, or download from Google Drive. You can also drop a whole iPhone export folder — SciZone recognises .heic, .heif and .HEIC extensions.
- 2
Drop files into SciZone
Drag them onto the drop zone below. The HEIC decoder (libheif + libde265, compiled to WebAssembly) runs locally — no Apple tools, no cloud service involved.
- 3
AV1 encoding with metadata embed
Each HEIC is decoded to raw pixels, analysed for quality targeting, then re-encoded as AVIF through libavif + libaom. EXIF (including GPS and capture time) and ICC color profile are embedded directly into the AVIF container before encoding.
- 4
Download the license-free AVIF ZIP
When the batch finishes, a ZIP downloads with every photo as AVIF. Upload anywhere, share with anyone — no HEVC codec errors, no licensing gotchas.
AVIF Results
AVIF matches WebP quality (SSIM Δ < 0.005) while shipping ~45% smaller files on the same Excellent preset.
Typical AVIF savings
Measured on 24 diverse photos at matched perceived quality (SSIM ≥ 0.95)
HEIC to AVIF — Frequently Asked Questions
Why convert HEIC to AVIF instead of keeping HEIC?
Compatibility. HEIC only opens natively on Apple devices and recent Windows 11 (with the HEIC Image Extensions installed). AVIF opens natively in every modern browser and on any OS. File sizes are comparable, so you lose nothing on bytes and gain universal accessibility. Both formats are ~50% smaller than JPG.
Can I convert HEIC on Windows without installing anything?
Yes. SciZone runs in any modern browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opera) on Windows. There's nothing to install — no Microsoft HEIC Image Extensions, no CopyTrans, no paid codec. Just drop the files into the page.
Do I need an iPhone or a Mac?
No. The converter runs entirely in a browser tab. If you have .heic files — whether from an iPhone, a recovered backup, a Samsung phone set to HEIF mode, or a studio camera — you can convert them on any OS.
Will EXIF, GPS and color profile be preserved?
Yes. All EXIF fields including GPS coordinates, capture time, camera make/model, lens info, orientation — plus the ICC color profile — are copied onto the AVIF output via libavif's metadata API. Google Photos timelines and photographer workflows stay intact.
Can I convert a whole iPhone photo library at once?
Yes. Export your iCloud Photos or iPhone camera roll to a folder, drop the folder on SciZone, and it will batch-convert everything. AVIF encoding is slower than WebP per image, so for very large libraries we recommend chunks of ~1000 photos at a time to keep memory bounded.
What about Live Photos?
Live Photos are a HEIC still frame plus a MOV sidecar file. SciZone converts the still frame to AVIF (the visual result you would normally share). The MOV sidecar is ignored — extract it separately if you need the motion.
Is SciZone safer than uploading HEIC to an online converter?
Yes. HEIC files from an iPhone often contain GPS and personal metadata. Uploading them to an unknown web converter exposes both the images and their metadata. SciZone never uploads — the conversion runs inside your browser tab, which you can verify in DevTools → Network.
Does HEIC→AVIF lose quality?
Both formats are lossy, so strictly speaking you're re-encoding. In practice SciZone targets PSNR ≥ 44.5 dB and SSIM ≥ 0.95 — effectively indistinguishable from the source on natural images. A single HEIC→AVIF hop is visually clean; chain multiple lossy conversions and artifacts start to accumulate like with any lossy format.
Why Choose SciZone?
We're not just another optimizer. We engineered a fundamentally better solution.
| Feature | SciZone (You're here) | Other Optimizers |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Utilization
How processing power is used
| True Multi-Threading Intelligently uses all CPU cores without overloading your system | Single-Threaded Uses only one CPU core, wastes available power |
| Quality Settings
How compression is optimized
| Unique Per Image Algorithm analyzes each photo and picks optimal settings | One-Size-Fits-All Same settings for every photo, inconsistent quality |
|
Metadata & Color Profiles
Preservation of image data
| Fully Preserved EXIF, color profiles, geolocation. Everything stays intact | Often Stripped Color profiles lost, metadata incomplete |
|
Quality-Size Balance
Optimization results | Perfect Balance Maximum compression with imperceptible quality loss | Inconsistent Either too large or noticeable quality loss |
The Bottom Line
Every photo is unique. Our intelligent algorithm understands this and analyzes each image individually to find the perfect balance between file size and quality. We utilize your computer's full power without overloading it, preserving every detail of your metadata and color profiles. Your files are smaller, faster, and absolutely perfect. 🎯