# WebM

Open, royalty-free video container optimized for web delivery with VP9 and AV1.

## What is WebM

WebM is an open, royalty-free media container format developed by Google, based on the Matroska (MKV) container. It is designed specifically for web delivery and pairs with royalty-free codecs — VP8, VP9, and AV1 for video; Vorbis and Opus for audio. WebM is natively supported by Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, but not by Safari, which limits its use as a universal delivery format. WebM is the default container for YouTube's VP9 and AV1 encodes, and it is the standard format for WebRTC video in browsers that support VP8/VP9.

## When to Choose WebM

Choose WebM when:

- You need a completely royalty-free video stack — WebM + VP9/AV1 + Opus has zero licensing costs.
- Your audience is primarily Chrome, Firefox, and Edge users — WebM has native support on these browsers.
- You are producing short-form or social content for web embedding — WebM with VP9 produces smaller files than MP4 with H.264.

Consider alternatives when:

- You need to reach Safari or iOS users — [MP4](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/mp4) with H.264 or AV1 is supported on Apple devices; WebM is not.
- You need adaptive bitrate streaming — [HLS](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/hls) or [MPEG-DASH](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/mpeg-dash) with fmp4 segments offers ABR. WebM alone is progressive.
- You need DRM protection — WebM has no DRM support. Use [HLS](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/hls) or [DASH](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/mpeg-dash) with CENC encryption.

## Transcoding Demo

### Source video

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| URL | Enter URL for Source Video |
| Sample Video | Select a video you want to transcode |
| Upload File | Maximum file size: 5GB |
| Choose our Demo File | 4K Sample (Qencode) |
| Source Type | URL |

Transcoding demo creates a small clip with a watermark. To test transcoding full files, [Start your Free Plan for 500 credits](https://portal.qencode.com/signup).

Select a source video and click “Convert” to see WebM output in action.

## Key Characteristics

|     |     |
| --- | --- |
| Type | Container format |
| File extension(s) | .webm |
| Supported video codecs | [VP8](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/vp8), [VP9](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/vp9), [AV1](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/av1) |
| Supported audio codecs | [Vorbis](https://cloud.qencode.com/audio-formats-codecs/vorbis), [Opus](https://cloud.qencode.com/audio-formats-codecs/opus) |
| DRM support | No |
| Adaptive bitrate | No (progressive only; DASH can use WebM segments) |
| Latency | N/A (progressive) |
| Live streaming support | No (use DASH with WebM segments for live) |
| Typical use case | Web-first delivery, short-form social content, WebRTC, open-source projects |

## Browser & Device Support

| Platform | WebM | MP4 | HLS | DASH |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chrome (desktop) | 6+ |  | via MSE | via MSE |
| Firefox (desktop) | 4+ |  | via MSE | via MSE |
| Safari (macOS) | 14.1+ (VP8/9) |  | native | via MSE |
| Edge | 79+ |  | via MSE | via MSE |
| iOS Safari | 15+ (limited) |  | native |  |
| Android Chrome |  |  | via MSE | via MSE |

## How Qencode Handles WebM

Qencode produces WebM output with VP8, VP9, or AV1 video codecs and Vorbis or Opus audio. Specify `webm` as the output format and Qencode handles container packaging, codec configuration, and metadata embedding.

Pair WebM output with Smart Cropping for social-optimized aspect ratios, or use GIF Creation alongside WebM for animated preview content.

```json
{
  "query": {
    "source": "https://your-storage.com/video.mp4",
    "format": [
      {
        "output": "webm",
        "video_codec": "libvpx-vp9",
        "resolution": 2160,
        "quality": 20,
        "audio_codec": "libopus"
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

Copy this payload and use it with your API key to generate WebM output from any video source.

## WebM vs. MP4

|  | WebM | MP4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Royalty status | Completely royalty-free | Depends on codec |
| Safari support | Not supported | Universal |
| Primary codecs | VP8, VP9, AV1 | H.264, H.265, AV1 |
| Audio codecs | Vorbis, Opus | AAC, MP3, Opus |
| File size (VP9 vs H.264) | ~35% smaller at equivalent quality | Baseline |
| Best for | Web-first, open-source | Universal playback |

## What It Costs

| Source Video Minutes | SD$0.01 |
| --- | --- |
| Total Cost | $0.01 |
| 1 | 1M |
| Format | WEBM |
| Codec | VP8 |
| Framerate | 25 |
| Choose resolution | - 240 - 360 - 480 - 720 - 1080 - 1440 - 4K - 5K - 6K - 7K - 8K - 10K - 12K - 14K - 16K |

For a detailed MP4 breakdown, see [MP4](https://cloud.qencode.com/video-formats-codecs/mp4).