Free online GIF to WEBP converter

A website, editor, or application may require WebP instead of GIF, or an animated GIF may need a smaller file for web delivery. Converting it creates a WebP file while retaining the source animation, transparency, and dimensions as far as the encoder and target application support them.

What the GIF format is

GIF is an 8-bit raster format that stores a palette of up to 256 colors for each frame. It uses lossless LZW compression, supports one transparent palette entry, and can contain multiple frames with frame delays and disposal methods for animation.

Image editors, screen-recording tools, animation software, messaging applications, and browser graphics tools commonly create GIF files. GIF is used for short looping animations, reaction images, simple diagrams, and legacy web graphics. Its limited palette makes it unsuitable for photographs and smooth gradients, which can produce banding or dithering.

What the WEBP format is

WebP is an image format designed for web delivery. It supports lossy and lossless compression, alpha transparency, metadata, and animated frames in a single .webp file.

Lossy WebP often produces a smaller file than GIF at comparable visual quality, especially for detailed images. Lossless WebP preserves the decoded source pixels and often compresses flat graphics more efficiently than GIF. WebP also supports more than GIF’s 256-color palette, full alpha transparency, and animation.

How to convert a GIF to WebP

The built-in converter on 101convert.com can convert the file without installing software:

1. Open the GIF-to-WebP converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .gif file.
3. Select WEBP as the output format. Choose lossless compression for pixel-accurate graphics, or lossy compression when a smaller file is the priority.
4. Start the conversion and download the resulting .webp file.
5. Open the output in a browser or image viewer and check its dimensions, transparency, animation, and frame timing.

For command-line conversion, FFmpeg can encode both static and animated GIFs:

ffmpeg -i input.gif -c:v libwebp -q:v 75 -loop 0 output.webp

In FFmpeg’s WebP encoder, -q:v normally uses a 0–100 quality scale: higher values preserve more detail and usually produce larger files. The exact output also depends on the FFmpeg build and source content. For lossless encoding, use:

ffmpeg -i input.gif -c:v libwebp -lossless 1 -loop 0 output.webp

The -loop 0 option makes an animated WebP repeat indefinitely. Remove it or set another loop count when the target application requires different playback. A static GIF produces a single-frame WebP; an animated GIF is converted as an animation when the encoder and muxer support animated WebP.

Quality and compatibility limits

Conversion cannot restore detail discarded by the GIF’s limited palette, scaling, or previous compression. Lossy WebP may add ringing or block artifacts around text and sharp edges, so compare it with a lossless WebP before publishing. Lossless WebP preserves the decoded GIF image, not an unavailable higher-resolution original.

Animated conversion can alter frame disposal behavior, transparency handling, or very short frame delays. Test the output in the software and browsers where it will be used, particularly when the animation contains partial-frame updates.

Current major browsers generally support WebP, but older software, legacy browsers, some messaging applications, and publishing systems may accept GIF only. Keep the original GIF for archival use or backward compatibility. Renaming image.gif to image.webp changes only the filename; it does not re-encode the image.