The most common audio conversion you'll ever need is M4A or WAV to MP3 — because MP3 works everywhere. WAV and FLAC are for editing and archiving. M4A is Apple's format. Everything else is a rounding error. You can do all of these conversions in your browser without installing anything.
Quick answer: For everyday sharing, convert to MP3 at 192 kbps — it works on every device. For editing, keep WAV or FLAC. For archive quality in a smaller file, use FLAC. Drop your file into an audio converter in your browser and pick the output format you need.
What are the main audio formats?
MP3
The universal audio format. Been around since the early 90s. Works on every device — old speakers, car stereos, every phone, every music player.
MP3 uses lossy compression — some audio data is thrown away to make files smaller. At 128 kbps, files are small and quality is fine for most listening. At 320 kbps, quality is very good.
Use MP3 for: Sharing music, podcasts, voice recordings — anything where compatibility matters more than perfect quality.
WAV
Uncompressed audio. Perfect quality. No data is thrown away. The file contains every sample exactly as recorded.
The downside: very large files. A 3-minute song is about 30MB as WAV vs 3MB as MP3.
Use WAV for: Audio editing and production. When you're working with audio in a digital audio workstation (DAW), you want WAV to avoid quality degradation across multiple edits.
FLAC
Free Lossless Audio Codec. Perfect quality (like WAV) but compressed — about half the size of WAV with zero quality loss. Open format, free to use.
Use FLAC for: Audiophile music libraries, archiving recordings where you want perfect quality but smaller files than WAV.
Limitation: Not supported everywhere. Works in most music players but not all car stereos, older speakers, or some streaming platforms.
AAC (M4A)
Apple's format. Better compression than MP3 at the same quality. iPhone recordings, iTunes purchases, and Apple Music use AAC. The file extension is usually .m4a.
Use AAC for: If you're in the Apple ecosystem. Good quality, decent file size.
Limitation: Less universal than MP3. Some older devices don't support it.
OGG Vorbis
Open-source alternative to MP3. Good quality, free from patents. Used in many games, some web apps, and Linux audio systems.
Use OGG for: Not much for everyday use. You'll encounter it in games.
How does quality compare between formats?
For the same song at "equivalent perceptual quality" (where most people can't tell the difference from an uncompressed original):
- WAV: 10MB per minute (uncompressed)
- FLAC: 4–5MB per minute (lossless compressed)
- AAC: 1–2MB per minute (lossy, high quality)
- MP3: 1.5–2.5MB per minute (lossy, high quality)
- OGG: Similar to AAC
For a 1-hour recording:
- WAV: ~600MB
- FLAC: ~250MB
- High-quality MP3 (320 kbps): ~140MB
- Standard MP3 (128 kbps): ~55MB
When should I convert — and when shouldn't I?
Convert from a low quality format to a high quality format? Pointless. If you have a 128 kbps MP3, converting it to WAV or FLAC makes a large file with the same low quality. You can't recover audio data that was thrown away.
Convert from high quality to lower quality? This is fine and common. Going from WAV to MP3, or from FLAC to AAC, will give you a smaller file with slightly reduced quality. The reduction at high bitrates (192+ kbps) is rarely audible in normal listening.
Convert from one lossy format to another? Technically causes quality loss because you're compressing already-compressed audio. But in practice, converting from M4A to MP3 at 192 kbps is rarely audible as worse. Still, try to convert from the original source whenever possible.
I had this exact situation with a podcast recording made on an iPhone — it was saved as M4A but the client's podcast platform only accepted MP3. Converted to 192 kbps MP3 and the audio quality was indistinguishable from the original in normal listening.
How do I convert audio files for free?
Browser-Based Converter (No Software Required)
- Open an audio converter tool in your browser
- Drop your audio file (MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG, FLAC)
- Choose your output format
- Set bitrate if needed
- Download the converted file
Conversion happens in your browser using FFmpeg WebAssembly — no upload, your audio files stay private.
Using FFmpeg (Free, Command Line)
MP3 to WAV:
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 output.wav
WAV to MP3 at 192 kbps:
ffmpeg -i input.wav -b:a 192k output.mp3
M4A to MP3:
ffmpeg -i input.m4a -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k output.mp3
FLAC to MP3:
ffmpeg -i input.flac -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k output.mp3
VLC (Free Desktop App)
VLC can convert audio formats via Media → Convert/Save. Slightly less intuitive than FFmpeg but has a graphical interface.
Audacity (Free Desktop App)
Audacity is primarily an audio editor, but it can export in various formats (with the FFmpeg plugin for AAC and M4A). Good if you also need to edit the audio.
What are the most common conversion scenarios?
iPhone recordings (M4A) won't play on my Windows app Convert M4A to MP3. Works everywhere.
I have a WAV file I want to share Convert to MP3 at 192 or 256 kbps. Much smaller, nearly identical quality.
I want to archive my CD collection Rip to FLAC — lossless quality, much smaller than WAV. Convert individual FLAC files to MP3 for devices that don't support FLAC.
Someone sent me an OGG file Convert to MP3 if your player doesn't support OGG.
My audio files are very large Convert WAV to MP3 at 192–320 kbps. Or keep lossless as FLAC (half the size of WAV).
Audio conversion is straightforward once you understand what the formats are. The main rule: work from the highest quality source you have, and only compress (lossy) at the final step.
Frequently asked questions
What bitrate should I choose when converting to MP3? 128 kbps for voice recordings and podcasts. 192 kbps for music where quality matters. 320 kbps only if you're particularly sensitive to audio quality or the music is complex. The difference between 192 and 320 kbps is nearly inaudible on typical headphones.
Is this completely free? Yes — no account, no payment, no watermark needed. You can use it as many times as you want.
Do my files get uploaded to a server? No. Everything runs directly in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files never leave your device.