Ezgif, GIPHY or CloudConvert: turning a video into a small GIF
For a short clip in a chat or an email, make the GIF in your browser and set a size limit, because a GIF stores every frame and grows fast. Ezgif is the most flexible online editor and has an optional local mode, GIPHY is for GIFs you want to share through GIPHY, and CloudConvert is a general converter with daily limits. The differences are in size limits, sign-up and where the video goes.
Video to small GIFGIF or video is too big to sendDo it freeAt a glance
Limits are as published by each service at the time of writing (November 2026) and can change.
| Tool | Where your file goes | Sign-up | Free use | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ezgif | Uploaded, deleted 1 hour after upload, or local processing | Not needed on the page | Files up to 200 MB | Trimming, speed and effects |
| GIPHY | Uploaded to your GIPHY account | GIPHY account | Videos under 100 MB and 15 seconds | Captions, stickers and sharing |
| CloudConvert | Uploaded, deleted within 24 hours | Free plan through sign-up | 10 credits a day, 1 GB per file | A converter for many formats |
| fixmint | Stays on your device | None | Free, no watermark | A GIF under a set size |
Ezgif
Ezgif's MP4 to GIF converter accepts MP4, WebM, AVI, MPEG, MKV, FLV, OGG, MOV, M4V, WMV, ASF, 3GP and other video files up to 200 MB, or a direct video URL. Around it sit tools to cut, reverse, crop, change the speed of and optimise a clip, and to add text. A limit of 200 MB is generous, so the limit that matters is usually the one at the destination, such as a chat app or an email.
The page says uploaded files are deleted automatically one hour after upload. It also offers a Local processing checkbox, which processes the file in your browser without uploading it, though some features may be limited. Its privacy policy says the site uses cookies to serve advertisements.
GIPHY
GIPHY's GIF Maker accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MOV and WebM files, or a link from GIPHY, YouTube, Vimeo and other sites, and lets you add captions, filters and stickers.
Its help article says videos must be under 100 MB and less than 15 seconds long, and that you need to be signed in to a GIPHY account to create GIFs. It is aimed at sharing through GIPHY rather than at producing a file under a size limit.
CloudConvert
CloudConvert has an MP4 to GIF converter where you can control the video resolution, quality and file size. The free plan gives 10 conversion credits a day, files up to 1 GB and a 5-minute processing limit, with lower priority than paid plans.
Its privacy policy says files are transferred to and temporarily stored on its servers, and are deleted when you use the delete button and automatically after 24 hours at the latest.
When another tool is the better choice
- You want captions, stickers or filters, or want the GIF on GIPHY: use GIPHY.
- Your source is a link rather than a file: Ezgif accepts a direct video URL and GIPHY accepts several sites. fixmint works on files you already have.
- You want to cut, reverse or change the speed in the same place: Ezgif has tools for each.
- You need an API or hundreds of conversions: CloudConvert. fixmint has neither.
- You need sound: a GIF has no audio, so send a short MP4 instead.
- The clip is long: a GIF is the wrong format, and an MP4 will be far smaller. fixmint's GIF maker uses up to 300 frames.
Do it free on fixmint
fixmint's video to small GIF tool trims the clip, then picks the width, frame rate and colours that land under the size you choose, such as 2 MB for a chat app. Frames are read and encoded in your browser, so the video is not uploaded, and there is no sign-up or watermark. It takes MP4, MOV, WebM or an existing GIF. MP4 and WebM open in every modern browser, while MOV depends on the browser and its codec, so convert a clip that will not open to MP4 first. Make a small GIF free, in your browser, or build one from photos with the GIF maker.
Quick answers
Why is my GIF so big? A GIF stores every frame, and each frame holds at most 256 colours. Fewer frames, a smaller width, fewer colours and no dithering all shrink it. How to make a GIF walks through each step.
Can I make an existing GIF smaller? Yes. Drop the GIF into the fixmint tool and choose a smaller size. Its frames are encoded again at a lower width, frame rate or colour count.
Will the GIF land exactly on my size limit? It lands just under it. The tool estimates the size from sample frames, checks the real file and tries up to four settings. MB means 1,000,000 bytes there.
Are the frame timings exact? Nearly. A GIF stores each frame delay in hundredths of a second, so timings round to the nearest 10 ms.
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