MP4 vs SWF, SWF vs MP4,difference between MP4 and SWF format

Comparsion between MP4 and SWF

File Extension	MP4	SWF
File Type	MPEG-4 Video File	Shockwave Flash Movie
Description	MP4 is currently the most widely-used and popular video format. It can be played on various players and devices. As HTML5 is becoming more and more popular, MP4 is getting more commonly used for sharing video files on the Web.	SWF, short for Small Web Format, is the animation created with Adobe Flash; may contain text as well as both vector and raster graphics; also may include interactive actions written in ActionScript; plays in Web browsers that have the Flash plug-in installed.
Developed by	Moving Picture Experts Group	Adobe Systems
Pros	1) Well compatible with any browsers and mobile devices; 2) Can use for streaming HD and even UHD video contents online;	1) Still the first choice for embedding/sharing videos on the Internet; 2) Can better interact with audience;
Cons	Not capable of interacting with audience;	Not supported by all mobile devices like iPhone, iPad;
Help You Choose	If you want your online video contents be playable on mobile browsers, you should use MP4 format with HTML5 code.	If you're sharing something like online tutorial that needs interacting with audience, you need to use SWF format.
Programs that open MP4/SWF files	Apple QuickTime Player Microsoft Windows Media Player VideoLAN VLC media player	Adobe Flash Player 13 Adobe Flash Professional CC iOrgsoft SWF Converter for Mac