The short answer
For the web, WebP wins decisively over HEIC — they are built for different jobs. HEIC is Apple's capture and storage format, the default for iPhone photos since iOS 11. It compresses photographs slightly better than WebP, but it has effectively no browser support and carries HEVC patent licensing. WebP is the web-delivery format: universal browser support, royalty-free, and designed to be served.
The realistic workflow is to capture in HEIC and convert to WebP for the web. HEIC for the camera roll; WebP for the website.
What each format is for
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) stores an image encoded with HEVC (H.265) inside the HEIF container. Apple adopted it in 2017 to halve iPhone photo sizes versus JPEG while keeping quality. It is a storage and capture format, optimised for device photo libraries.
WebP, released by Google in 2010, was built to deliver images on the web at small sizes with broad browser support. Its job begins where HEIC's ends — the moment an image needs to appear on a web page. See the WebP format overview and HEIC format overview.
Where HEIC wins
Photographic compression
HEIC often edges WebP on photographic compression, because HEVC is a newer, more sophisticated codec than WebP's VP8. For on-device storage where browser support is irrelevant, HEIC packs photos slightly smaller at equal quality.
Apple ecosystem integration
HEIC is the native iPhone capture format and is handled seamlessly across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Within Apple's ecosystem it is the natural choice, with system-level support for editing, sharing, and previewing.
Advanced capture features
HEIC's container can store image sequences, depth maps, and Live Photo data alongside the still image. These capture-time features have no equivalent in WebP, which is a delivery format.
Where WebP wins
Browser support
WebP renders in every modern browser — about 97% of traffic. HEIC has effectively no browser support: it does not display in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, and web use requires conversion first. For anything shown on a web page, this alone decides it. See WebP Browser Support.
Royalty-free licensing
WebP is royalty-free and open. HEIC depends on HEVC, which carries patent licensing that complicates commercial and software distribution. This licensing friction is a major reason HEIC never spread to the web.
Built for web delivery
WebP supports the web image pipeline directly: Content-Type: image/webp, <picture> fallback, CDN negotiation, and CMS integration. HEIC fits none of these without conversion. WebP is the format the web actually serves.
The practical workflow: HEIC to WebP
Most people meet HEIC as iPhone photos that will not display on a website. The fix is conversion. Convert the HEIC capture to WebP for web delivery, keeping the HEIC original in your photo library.
This pattern — capture in HEIC, publish in WebP — gives you Apple's efficient storage and the web's universal delivery format. Convert with ICO to WebP and the other WEBPery converters, or batch-convert as part of a publishing pipeline.
Recommendation
Use HEIC where Apple devices capture and store photos, and where its compression and capture features add value within the ecosystem. Use WebP for everything that appears on the web.
When a HEIC image needs to go online, convert it to WebP rather than serving HEIC. The browser-support gap makes HEIC a non-starter for web delivery, regardless of its compression advantage.
Further reading
- What is WebP? A Complete Guide to the WebP Image Format — the complete format overview
- HEIC format overview — Apple's capture format in detail
- PNG vs JPG vs WebP vs AVIF: The Complete Web Image Format Guide — the web format landscape
- WebP Browser Support — compatibility detail
- Convert images: JPG to WebP, PNG to WebP