Updated July 1, 2026
Audio formats reference
Audio formats trade file size, quality, and compatibility differently. This sheet summarizes the common ones so you can pick a source and target, then convert locally.
Common formats
| Format | Compression | Best for |
|---|---|---|
MP3 | Lossy | Universal sharing and playback; small files |
WAV | Uncompressed (lossless) | Recording, editing, archiving; large files |
FLAC | Lossless | Archiving at full quality, smaller than WAV |
AAC | Lossy | Apple ecosystem, streaming; better than MP3 per bit |
M4A | Lossy (AAC) or lossless (ALAC) | iTunes/Apple Music container |
OGG | Lossy (Vorbis) | Open format for games and web audio |
Opus | Lossy | Voice and low-latency streaming; excellent at low bitrates |
Lossy vs losslessLossless (WAV, FLAC) keeps every detail and is best for editing and archiving. Lossy (MP3, AAC, OGG, Opus) discards inaudible detail for much smaller files, best for sharing and playback.
Do not re-encode lossy to lossyConverting one lossy format to another (say AAC to MP3) compresses twice and loses more quality. Convert from a lossless source when you can.
References
Questions
What is the best audio format for quality?
For lossless quality, WAV or FLAC preserve everything (FLAC is smaller). For a good balance of quality and size, a high-bitrate MP3 or AAC is usually enough.
What is the difference between MP3 and AAC?
Both are lossy, but AAC generally sounds better than MP3 at the same bitrate. MP3 wins on universal compatibility, which is why it remains the safe default for sharing.