AVI VS MP4: What Are the Differences and How to Convert

AVI (Audio Video Interleaved), developed by Microsoft in 1992, is a widely supported container format that synchronizes audio and video for playback on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. It was once highly compatible with most media players.

MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is an international audio-video standard jointly developed by ISO/IEC and MPEG. It is one of the most popular mainstream formats currently. As a multimedia container format, MP4 can store highly compressed video and audio data. At the same time, it can maintain a quality close to the original.

AVI VS MP4: Similarities and Differences

First, let’s see the similarities between AVI and MP4. Both of them are multimedia containers for videos with audio files. MP4 and AVI are both wrappers for formatted video files. Both of them support a wide range of media players and mobile devices

Then, let’s see the difference between AVI and MP4. The difference mainly focuses on 4 aspects. Details are as follows.

AVI VS MP4: File Type and Developer

This section is about AVI vs MP4: type and developer. AVI is the Audio Video Interleave file. MP4 is an MPEG-4 video file. Besides, AVI was developed by Microsoft, but MP4 was developed by MPEG.

AVI VS MP4: Quality

In this section, you can learn AVI vs MP4 in quality. AVI is closely related to DivX codec and DivX codex is famous for compressing video into small size with the high visual quality. AVI video is not lossless, but images and audio can still maintain high fidelity. MP4 is based on MOV and is a lossy format using MPEG4 AVC/H.264 codec.

This is why many people think that the quality of AVI is better than MP4.

AVI VS MP4: Usage

Then, you can know the information on AVI vs MP4 in use. MP4 and AVI are popular video formats. The AVI format is more likely to be used in Windows-based media players or other devices with related codecs. The MP4 format is widely used in all video players or portable devices, but it is also used to compress audio and video data for streaming on the Web and the Internet.

Thus, compared to AVI, MP4 has a wide usage.

AVI VS MP4: Compatibility

When talking about M4V vs MP4, compatibility should be compared.

AVI supports PCs and Game Consoles, but not support Macs while MP4 supports Mac, PC, Android, iDevices, Linux, Ubuntu, etc. AVI supports almost all audio formats while MP4 only supports ALS, SLS, ALAC, AC3, MP3, AAC. Besides, AVI supports almost all video formats but MP4 only supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.263, VC-1, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.

You can know that AVI supports more audio formats and video formats than MP4 while fewer devices than MP4.

AVI VS MP4: Which One to Choose

You have known some aspects of MP4 versus AVI. Then, you may wonder whether to choose AVI or MP4. After reading this part, you may find the answer.

Pros and Cons of AVI

Pros:

1. It is compatible with almost all video and audio formats.
2. It supports almost all of Microsoft’s systems, devices.
3. It can provide higher quality than other containers.

Cons:

It is less compatible with popular media players and devices than MP4.

Pros and Cons of MP4

Pros:

1. It is compatible with most popular media players.
2. Most video and audio files downloaded from the Internet are wrapped in the MP4 format.
3. It can be used in most mobile devices.

Cons:

If partially files are compressed by MP4, it takes up more space than a fully compressed file.

MP4 or AVI

AVI files can be played by various video players, but the player must support the codec used to encode the video data. The MP4 file is an open standard that everyone can use. If you are looking for a standard video format acceptable to all devices and websites, you can choose MP4. Thus, choosing AVI or MP4 based on your needs.

But no matter which video format you use, you can make a conversion. In the following part, let’s focus on how to convert AVI to MP4 or MP4 to AVI with some professional converters.

In this post, you have known some information on MP4 vs AVI. Besides, you can know whether to choose MP4 or AVI.Click to Tweet

How to Convert AVI to MP4 or MP4 to AVI

MiniTool Video Converter stands out with its superior free offline conversion capabilities, making it the best choice for converting AVI to MP4 and vice versa. It ensures a fast, stable, and lossless conversion process, allowing you to easily switch between these 2 formats. Let’s take a look at the simple steps to convert AVI to MP4 or MP4 to AVI using MiniTool Video Converter.

Fast Track:

• Get MiniTool Video Converter
• Import AVI file
• Set MP4 as the output format
• Start the conversion
• Check the result

Step 1: Download and Install MiniTool Video Converter

Download MiniTool Video Converter and follow the on-screen instructions to install it. Launch MiniTool Video Converter.

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Upload AVI Video

In the default Convert Video tab, click on the Add Files icon to upload the target AVI file.

Step 3: Set MP4 as the Converted Format

The imported video will be a conversion task in the main interface. Click on the Gear icon on this task to trigger the output format window. Here, switch to the Video tab and choose MP4. Then, select a desired resolution, such as 4K Video.

Step 4: Start the Conversion

Before the conversion, expand the Output option to pick a storage folder for the converted video. Then, click on the Convert button to start the conversion.

Step 5: Check and Locate the Output Video

Once the conversion ends, this converted video will land on the Completed tab. There, click on the Play icon to check it. Or click on the Folder icon to find this video on PC.

MiniTool Video Converter makes it easier to complete AVI to MP4 conversion. Besides, it supports converting videos of up to 4K resolution. To convert MP4 to AVI, the similar method above is also available.

Main Features

• Support more than 1000 file formats conversion.
• Support batch file conversion.
• Totally free and easy to use
• Faster file conversion speed.

Bottom Line

AVI vs MP4: what’s the difference between them? Choose AVI or MP4? This post compares them from file type, developer, quality, usage, and compatibility. If you need your video has a broader compatibility, convert AVI to MP4. This article recommends MiniTool Video Converter, which helps do it for free.

If you have any idea of AVI vs MP4, please let us know by leaving it in the comment part or contacting [email protected].

AVI vs MP4 FAQ