3GP VS WebM
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between 3GPP Multimedia and Web Media.
3GP
3gpLightweight container for early 3G phones prioritizing tiny file sizes.
Pros
- Extremely small files
- Optimized for low bandwidth
- Easy MMS sharing
Cons
- Low resolution
- Poor audio fidelity
- Outdated on modern hardware
WebM
webmOpen media file format optimized for the web.
Pros
- Open source (royalty-free)
- Optimized for HTML5
- Good transparency support
Cons
- Less support on mobile/legacy devices than MP4
When 3GP wins
Stay with 3GP when you need legacy mobile devices or feature phone archives. Its strengths center on extremely small files and a feature set native to 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
When WebM wins
Choose WebM when your workflow prioritizes html5 video or web background videos. It delivers open source (royalty-free) plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | 3GP | WebM |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | video/3gpp | video/webm |
| Developer | 3rd Generation Partnership Project | |
| Release Year | 2001 | 2010 |
| Best For | Legacy mobile devices, Feature phone archives | HTML5 video, Web background videos |
Need to switch?
Where 3GP still wins
Keep 3GP when you need extremely small files and workflows depend on legacy mobile devices / feature phone archives. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship WebM deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .3gp glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use WebM for html5 video while archiving originals as 3GP.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.