Video codec comparison
H.265 (HEVC) vs AV1
Both codecs deliver ~50% bitrate savings vs H.264. Licensing is the major differentiator: AV1 is royalty-free (the entire reason the Alliance for Open Media created it); H.265 has overlapping patent pools (MPEG-LA, HEVC Advance, Velos Media) that make commercial deployment expensive. For streaming services and consumers picking codecs in 2026, AV1 has the momentum.
Side-by-side
| Feature | H.265 (HEVC) | AV1 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression efficiency | ~50% better than H.264 | ~50-55% better than H.264 | AV1 |
| Licensing | Multiple patent pools, expensive | Royalty-free | AV1 |
| Hardware decode | Universal in modern chips since ~2015 | 2022+ chips, expanding fast | H.265 (HEVC) |
| Encoding speed (software) | Fast (x265 is mature) | Slower (SVT-AV1 improving) | H.265 (HEVC) |
| Encoding speed (hardware) | NVENC / QuickSync universal | NVIDIA RTX 40+, Intel Arc, M3+ | H.265 (HEVC) |
| YouTube serves it | No (publicly) | Yes | AV1 |
| Apple devices | Native | Decode on M3+, iPhone 15 Pro+ | H.265 (HEVC) |
| Future trajectory | Maintenance mode | Active development, growing share | AV1 |
H.265 (HEVC) wins on
- Native Apple ecosystem (iPhone shoots H.265 by default since iOS 11).
- Wide hardware decode support (every recent Apple / Intel / NVIDIA / AMD chip).
- 4K Blu-ray standard format.
- Mature encoder ecosystem (x265, NVENC, QuickSync).
AV1 wins on
- Royalty-free — no patent licensing fees.
- Slightly better compression than H.265 in head-to-head tests.
- Modern hardware decode in 2022+ chips, expanding rapidly.
- Open-source encoders (libaom, SVT-AV1) under active development.
Verdict
For new content / streaming services: AV1 wins on licensing alone — royalty-free is decisive when you're paying per-stream fees. For Apple-ecosystem workflows: H.265 wins on native support. For YouTube downloads specifically: AV1 only (YouTube doesn't serve H.265 publicly).
Frequently asked
Why does H.265 exist if AV1 is better?
H.265 came first (2013) and saturated the Apple / Blu-ray / professional broadcast markets before AV1 was finalized (2018). Both will coexist for years; AV1 is gaining share in streaming, H.265 is staying in Apple / broadcast.