Short answer: export MP4 (H.264 + AAC) unless you have a specific reason not to. It plays everywhere. Windows Media Player, macOS, phones, PowerPoint, every social platform and CMS. WebM (VP9) is slightly more efficient and supports transparency, but older Windows setups and many tools won't open it.
The compatibility reality
H.264 is the world's default video codec: hardware decoding on effectively every device made in the last decade. VP9's support is excellent in browsers. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and patchy outside them. The classic failure mode: you send a WebM, the recipient double-clicks it in Windows, sees a black frame with working audio, and tells you the video is broken. (The file is fine; their player just can't decode VP9.)
Where WebM genuinely wins
- Transparency. VP9 supports an alpha channel; H.264 doesn't. If you need a screen recording floating over other footage with a transparent background, WebM is the browser-friendly way.
- Size at equal quality. VP9 is roughly 20–30% smaller for the same visual quality, relevant for web embeds where you host the file and control the player.
- Screen content generally: both codecs handle crisp UI text well at sensible bitrates; neither has a decisive edge for typical demos.
Decision table
| Destination | Export |
|---|---|
| Sending a file to anyone | MP4 |
| YouTube / TikTok / LinkedIn / X | MP4 (platforms re-encode anyway) |
| Self-hosted web embed | WebM (with MP4 fallback) or just MP4 |
| Overlay with transparency | WebM (alpha) |
| Editing later in another tool | MP4 at Max quality |
Girato exports both. MP4 by default for exactly the reasons above, WebM one click away, and quality tiers control the bitrate (Standard ≈ 8, High ≈ 18, Max ≈ 40 Mbps).
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