MP4 to WebM: When Should You Use WebM?
WebM is a video format created for use on the web. If you run a website, build web apps, or want a video format built on open, royalty-free technology, it is worth knowing. For everyday sharing with friends or uploading to social apps, MP4 is usually the easier answer.
What WebM is
WebM is a container (see our format comparison for what that means) based on the Matroska format. It was designed to hold open video codecs, namely VP8, VP9 and AV1, together with open audio codecs such as Vorbis and Opus. The goal was a video format for HTML5 pages that did not depend on patent-licensed codecs.
Where WebM makes sense
- Videos on your own website played with the HTML
videotag. Offering a WebM next to an MP4 lets the browser pick whichever it prefers. - Short looping clips used instead of a GIF. A silent WebM is usually far smaller than the equivalent GIF.
- Projects that prefer open formats for licensing or principle.
- Screen recordings. Some browser-based screen recorders produce WebM files by default, so you may already have one.
Where MP4 is the safer choice
- Sending video to people with unknown devices and apps.
- Uploading to services that list MP4 as their preferred format.
- Editing in common desktop video software, which tends to handle H.264 in MP4 more reliably than WebM.
Support for WebM has grown a lot over the years, but it still varies by browser version, operating system, device and application. If you must choose just one format, MP4 with H.264 and AAC is the lowest-risk option. See why H.264 plays almost everywhere.
What this converter produces for WebM
When you choose WebM in Free Video Converter, the output uses the VP8 video codec and Vorbis audio. The video is limited to roughly 2 Mbps and is encoded with a speed-oriented setting, so the browser does not take forever to finish. This keeps the conversion practical, but it has consequences:
- VP8 is an older codec than VP9 or AV1 and is less efficient. At the same file size it generally looks worse than modern alternatives.
- With a high-resolution source, the roughly 2 Mbps limit may produce visible compression artifacts. Try lowering the resolution to 720p, where that bitrate stretches further.
- There are no controls for VP9, AV1 or custom bitrates on this site. For those, use a desktop encoder.
Converting from WebM
You can also go the other way. Drop a WebM into the converter and choose MP4 to get a file that older software and devices can open.
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