Video Formats (Guide)

Compare common video containers, understand the codecs they usually carry, and choose the best format for compatibility, compression, web delivery, editing or archiving.

Quick Choice

Choose a format quickly

Best overall compatibility MP4 + H.264

Best modern web efficiency WebM + VP9 / AV1

Multiple audio & subtitle tracks MKV

Apple / professional editing MOV

Legacy Windows video AVI / WMV

Legacy mobile / low bandwidth 3GP

Broadcast / camera streams TS / M2TS

Container vs codec: MP4, WebM, MKV, MOV and AVI are containers. The container defines how video, audio, subtitles and metadata are packaged, while the codec controls how the video or audio is compressed. Two MP4 files can therefore have very different quality, size and compatibility depending on whether they use H.264, H.265, AV1 or another codec.

Compatibility tip: For maximum compatibility, MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio remains one of the safest choices. WebM with VP9 or AV1 is excellent for modern web delivery, while MKV is better suited to flexible archives with multiple tracks and subtitles.

Format Guide

Compare the main formats

MP4

.mp4

Recommended

Widely supported video container used across browsers, phones, streaming platforms and media players.

Type: Container
Common video: H.264 / H.265 / AV1
Common audio: AAC / MP3
Compatibility: Excellent

Best for Web, mobile, sharing, social media and general-purpose video

Convert MP4

WebM

.webm

Web

Open video container optimized for modern web delivery and efficient browser playback.

Type: Container
Common video: VP8 / VP9 / AV1
Common audio: Opus / Vorbis
Web use: Excellent

Best for Modern websites, streaming and efficient web video

Convert WebM

MKV

.mkv

Flexible

Highly flexible container designed to hold many video, audio, subtitle and metadata tracks in a single file.

Type: Container
Video codecs: H.264 / H.265 / VP9 / AV1 and more
Subtitles: Excellent
Browser use: Limited

Best for Movies, archives, multilingual tracks and subtitle-heavy content

Convert MKV

MOV

.mov

Editing

QuickTime container widely used in Apple environments, cameras and professional editing software.

Type: Container
Editing: Excellent
Codec variety: High
File size: Can be large

Best for Apple devices, cameras and professional editing workflows

Convert MOV

AVI

.avi

Legacy

Older Microsoft multimedia container still found in legacy video libraries and older applications.

Type: Container
Codec variety: High
Compression efficiency: Often lower
Modern web: Poor

Best for Legacy software, old cameras and historical video collections

Convert AVI

MPEG / MPG

.mpeg • .mpg

Legacy

Classic MPEG video formats commonly associated with MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video.

Type: Container
Common video: MPEG-1 / MPEG-2
Efficiency: Legacy
Typical use: Older video / discs

Best for Legacy video, VCD/DVD workflows and older equipment

Convert MPEG

M4V

.m4v

Apple

MPEG-4 based video container closely related to MP4 and historically associated with Apple media applications.

Type: Container
Common video: H.264
Common audio: AAC
Compatibility: Good

Best for Apple-oriented video libraries and MPEG-4 workflows

Convert M4V

WMV

.wmv

Legacy

Microsoft video format family historically used for Windows playback and streaming.

Type: Container / codec family
Ecosystem: Windows
Modern web: Poor
Compatibility: Legacy-focused

Best for Older Windows applications and archived media

Convert WMV

3GP

.3gp • .3g2

Mobile

Compact multimedia container originally designed for mobile phones and low-bandwidth networks.

Type: Container
File size: Small
Quality: Basic
Modern use: Limited

Best for Legacy mobile phones and low-bandwidth media

Convert 3GP

TS / M2TS

.ts • .mts • .m2ts

Broadcast

Transport stream containers designed for broadcasting, cameras, streaming systems and Blu-ray workflows.

Type: Transport container
Common video: H.264 / H.265
Streaming: Very good
Editing: Specialized

Best for Broadcast, cameras, Blu-ray and transport streams

Convert Video