Colour
GIF caps each frame at 256 colours, which is why animated GIFs of video footage look banded and dithered. Animated WebP has the full 24-bit range, so gradients and skin tones survive intact.
File size
Converting a GIF to animated WebP routinely cuts 60-80% off the file. GIF's LZW compression predates almost everything about modern video coding, and it shows.
Transparency
GIF offers 1-bit transparency — hard edges only. Animated WebP carries full 8-bit alpha per frame, so an animated logo can sit cleanly on any background.
Where GIF is still unavoidable
Some chat platforms, forum software, ad networks and older email systems maintain hard-coded allowlists that include GIF and nothing newer. When that is the constraint, converting WebP to GIF is the only option — accept the colour loss and the size increase.
When to reach for video instead
For anything longer than a few seconds, an MP4 or WebM will beat even animated WebP substantially. Animated image formats are for short loops.