Categories

Audio Formats (Guide)

Compare the most common audio formats and quickly choose the right one for music, voice, editing, streaming or archiving.

Quick Choice

Choose a format quickly

Best compatibility MP3
Lossless archive FLAC
Audio editing WAV / AIFF
Streaming & voice Opus
Apple ecosystem AAC / M4A / ALAC
Open formats FLAC / OGG / Opus
Format Guide

Compare the main formats

MP3

.mp3
Popular

Widely supported lossy audio format designed to provide good perceived quality at relatively small file sizes.

Codec / container
MP3 / MPEG Audio
Compression
Lossy
Quality
Good to very good
File size
Small
Compatibility
Excellent
Metadata
Yes • ID3
Streaming
Excellent
Editing
Possible • lossy
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Usually yes
Best for Music sharing, downloads, podcasts and maximum compatibility
Repeated re-encoding can reduce quality. Prefer Fast Cut or Fast Merge when the source streams are compatible.
Convert MP3

WAV

.wav • .wave
Editing

Widely supported audio container commonly used with uncompressed PCM audio for high-fidelity recording and editing.

Codec / container
WAV • usually PCM
Compression
Usually uncompressed
Quality
Excellent / original
File size
Very large
Compatibility
Excellent
Metadata
Supported
Streaming
Poor for web delivery
Editing
Excellent
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Usually yes
Best for Recording, audio editing, mastering and intermediate production files
WAV prioritizes quality and editing simplicity over storage efficiency. Convert to MP3, AAC or Opus when small files are more important.
Convert WAV

FLAC

.flac
Lossless

Lossless audio format that reduces file size while preserving the decoded audio exactly.

Codec / container
FLAC
Compression
Lossless
Quality
Original
File size
Medium / Large
Compatibility
Very good
Metadata
Yes • Vorbis comments
Streaming
Good
Editing
Very good
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if compatible
Best for Lossless music archives, high-quality collections and long-term storage
FLAC preserves the original audio while usually requiring much less space than uncompressed WAV. Convert to MP3, AAC or Opus when smaller delivery files are needed.
Convert FLAC

AAC

.aac
Modern

Efficient lossy audio codec widely used for streaming, video soundtracks, mobile devices and online media.

Codec / container
AAC codec • often ADTS
Compression
Lossy
Quality
Very good
File size
Small
Compatibility
Excellent
Metadata
Limited in raw AAC
Streaming
Excellent
Editing
Possible • lossy
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Usually yes
Best for Streaming, video soundtracks, mobile playback and efficient general-purpose audio
AAC usually provides better quality than MP3 at similar bitrates, but repeated re-encoding can still reduce quality. For richer metadata and library use, AAC is commonly stored inside M4A.
Convert AAC

M4A

.m4a • .m4b
Container

Audio-focused MP4 container commonly used to store AAC or Apple Lossless audio together with metadata.

Codec / container
MP4 audio container
Compression
Depends on codec
Quality
Depends on AAC / ALAC
File size
Small to large
Compatibility
Very good
Metadata
Excellent
Streaming
Excellent with AAC
Editing
Good
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if streams match
Best for Music libraries, Apple devices, podcasts, audiobooks and AAC or ALAC audio
M4A is a container, not a codec. An M4A file may contain lossy AAC or lossless ALAC, so quality and file size depend on the codec inside.
Convert M4A

OGG / Vorbis

.ogg • .oga
Open

Open Ogg container commonly used with the Vorbis codec for efficient lossy audio compression.

Codec / container
Vorbis / Ogg
Compression
Lossy
Quality
Very good
File size
Small
Compatibility
Good
Metadata
Yes • Vorbis comments
Streaming
Very good
Editing
Possible • lossy
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if compatible
Best for Open-source software, games, web audio and royalty-free distribution
Ogg is the container and Vorbis is the codec. Ogg can also contain other codecs, including Opus, so the extension alone does not always identify the audio codec.
Convert OGG

Opus

.opus
Efficient

Modern lossy audio codec designed for excellent quality across speech and music, especially at low bitrates.

Codec / container
Opus • usually Ogg
Compression
Lossy
Quality
Excellent at low bitrates
File size
Very small / Small
Compatibility
Very good
Metadata
Yes • OpusTags
Streaming
Excellent
Editing
Possible • lossy
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if compatible
Best for Voice, conferencing, podcasts, web streaming and efficient low-bitrate audio
Opus is a codec rather than a container. Files using the .opus extension normally store Opus audio inside an Ogg container, while Opus can also be carried inside formats such as WebM.
Convert Opus

AIFF

.aiff • .aif • .aifc
Editing

High-quality audio container historically associated with Apple systems and commonly used with uncompressed PCM audio.

Codec / container
AIFF • usually PCM
Compression
Usually uncompressed
Quality
Excellent / original
File size
Very large
Compatibility
Good
Metadata
Supported
Streaming
Poor for web delivery
Editing
Excellent
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Usually yes
Best for Professional audio editing, mastering and Apple-oriented production workflows
AIFF is conceptually similar to WAV: it is well suited to editing and high-fidelity workflows, but its large file sizes make it less practical for web delivery and everyday sharing.
Convert AIFF

ALAC

.m4a
Lossless

Apple Lossless Audio Codec preserves the decoded audio exactly while reducing file size compared with uncompressed PCM.

Codec / container
ALAC • usually M4A
Compression
Lossless
Quality
Original
File size
Medium / Large
Compatibility
Very good • Apple strongest
Metadata
Excellent in M4A
Streaming
Good
Editing
Very good
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if compatible
Best for Lossless Apple music libraries, archival listening and high-quality collections
ALAC and FLAC are both lossless: neither reduces decoded audio quality. FLAC is widely used across open ecosystems, while ALAC integrates especially well with Apple software and devices.
Convert Audio

WMA

.wma
Legacy

Microsoft audio format family historically used by Windows applications, media players and online audio services.

Codec / container
WMA • usually ASF
Compression
Usually lossy
Quality
Good
File size
Small
Compatibility
Legacy-focused
Metadata
Supported
Streaming
Legacy / limited web use
Editing
Possible • lossy
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if compatible
Best for Older Windows media libraries, legacy devices and existing WMA collections
WMA remains useful for legacy media, but MP3, AAC and Opus generally provide better compatibility with modern browsers, devices and web workflows. Some WMA variants are lossless, although standard WMA files are commonly lossy.
Convert WMA

WebM Audio

.webm
Web

Web-oriented multimedia container that can store efficient audio streams such as Opus or Vorbis.

Codec / container
WebM • Opus / Vorbis
Compression
Usually lossy
Quality
Very good / Excellent
File size
Small
Compatibility
Very good on the web
Metadata
Supported
Streaming
Excellent
Editing
Good
Fast Cut
Usually yes
Fast Merge
Yes if streams match
Best for Web applications, browser playback, streaming and efficient online audio
WebM is a container rather than an audio codec. Audio-only WebM commonly contains Opus or Vorbis, so quality and compression depend on the codec stored inside.
Convert WebM

AMR

.amr
Voice

Speech codec designed for mobile telephony and efficient voice transmission at very low bitrates.

Codec / container
AMR speech codec
Compression
Lossy
Quality
Optimized for speech
File size
Very small
Compatibility
Mobile / telephony focused
Metadata
Very limited
Streaming
Good for voice
Editing
Limited
Fast Cut
Not yet in EasyFile
Fast Merge
Not yet in EasyFile
Best for Voice recordings, mobile telephony, voicemail and bandwidth-limited speech
AMR is optimized for speech rather than music. AMR-NB targets narrowband voice, while AMR-WB provides wider-band speech quality. For modern web voice applications, Opus is generally more suitable.
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