As a video marketer, there’s no cookie-cutter strategy to crafting partaking movies, however it’s best to at all times make sure you‘re utilizing the most effective video format in your content material, whatever the sort of video you’re creating.
There isn’t any one-size-fits-all video format— not each laptop, video platform, or web site browser helps each video format.
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Fortuitously, we have rounded up the most effective video codecs and listed their execs and cons so you’ll be able to study which video format to make use of in several conditions.
As soon as the most effective format in your movies, try HubSpot’s Clip Creator, our free AI-powered video maker, so you’ll be able to simply make high-quality movies.
Desk of Contents
6 of the Finest Video Codecs for 2025
1. MP4
Most digital gadgets and platforms help MP4, making it probably the most common video format. MP4 can even retailer video, audio, textual content, and nonetheless photos. Moreover, it may retain excessive video high quality whereas sustaining comparatively small file sizes.
Finest for: MP4 codecs are finest for long-form video codecs as a result of MP4 information are comparatively small however nonetheless of top quality.
“For my YouTube channel, I normally use the MP4 video format as a result of lots of the YouTube movies I made had been so long as 20 minutes,” HubSpot Advertising and marketing Supervisor Erica Santiago says.
“MP4s are such small information that it might make rendering and importing long-form movies so much simpler and extra environment friendly. Plus, MP4s sometimes solely expertise a slight high quality loss when uploaded to platforms like YouTube or TikTok.”
- Professionals: MP4 information are pretty small, making them fast to add and straightforward to save lots of with out clogging up area in your gadget.
- Cons: As a result of MP4 information are so simple and customary to work with, they’re additionally simple to pirate, which poses a priority for creators.
2. MOV
Developed by Apple, MOV is a video format particularly designed for QuickTime Participant. Nonetheless, since there’s a model of QuickTime Participant for Home windows, MOV can also be appropriate with Home windows.
The MOV video format can retailer audio, textual content, and video results, however since its high quality is normally so excessive, it’ll take up considerably more room on individuals’s computer systems.
Finest for: The MOV format is finest for enhancing on Apple gadgets since they’re particularly formatted for QuickTime Participant.
Professionals: MOVs are cherished by filmmakers as a result of they comprise audio, textual content, and video results and might be separated into a number of tracks. Their top quality makes MOVs simple to edit and is the skilled customary in video enhancing.
Cons: Not like MP4s, MOV codecs will not be broadly playable throughout completely different gadgets, and their tremendous top quality additionally results in massive file sizes.
“I not often use MOV formatting for my movies as a result of, in my view, the top quality would not make up for a way a lot file area they eat and the way lengthy they take to add,” Santiago says.
3. WMV
Microsoft developed WMV, so your viewers can play a majority of these movies on Home windows Media Participant. They’ll obtain a WMV participant to play WMV movies if they’ve a Mac. Identical to the MOV format, the WMV format boasts excessive video high quality, nevertheless it’s on the expense of a small file dimension.
Finest for: WMVs are finest for creators who need to guarantee copyright safety for his or her work. The format accommodates copyright and licensing features that examine whether or not makes use of have the best to make use of them.
Professionals: WMV information are so small they’ll even be performed by way of Google Drive.
Cons: “Whereas I just like the small file dimension for enhancing, WMV information typically lose picture high quality after they’re getting uploaded and compressed, so I keep away from utilizing this format as properly,” says Santiago.
4. FLV
Particularly designed for Adobe Flash Video Gamers, FLV is without doubt one of the most versatile and well-liked video codecs. Each net browser and video platform helps it.
Finest for: In case your viewers streams many movies on on-line platforms, like YouTube and Google Video, FLV is the video format for you.
Professionals: Their file sizes are normally small, so individuals can rapidly obtain them.
Cons: The one downside of the video format is that it’s not appropriate with iOS gadgets and plenty of different cell gadgets.
5. AVI
One of many oldest video codecs, AVI, was developed by Microsoft in 1992. Since then, it has turn out to be one of the vital versatile, appropriate with Home windows, Mac, and Linux, and supported by most net browsers.
- Finest for: AVI is finest for brief movies and tv.
- Professionals: AVIs are appropriate with most working programs and boast glorious audio and video high quality.
- Cons: The AVI video format file dimension is massive, which is extra conducive for individuals to retailer on their computer systems than to stream or obtain.
6. AVCHD
Panasonic and Sony developed AVCHD, the highest-quality video format, particularly for digital camcorders, so it is good for many who frequently shoot high-end movies.
Powered by H.264/MPEG-4 video compression expertise, the video format permits you to retailer hours of high-quality video utilizing solely a tiny quantity of information.
Moreover, the video format has each customary and high-definition variations, and its newest variation, AVCHD 2.0, even helps three-dimensional video.
- Finest for: AVCHD is finest for creators taking pictures high-end movies.
- Professionals: AVCHD is small in file dimension and would not expertise a lot loss in knowledge high quality.
- Cons: This format has very restricted compatibility as a result of it is developed to be used with Panasonic and Sony merchandise.
Now that the most effective video format in your content material, you are able to create excellent, partaking movies that can attain your viewers.
