Audio Format Guide
Not sure which format you need? Each format has different trade-offs around file size, quality, compatibility, and use case. This page covers the formats supported by QuickAudioConvert and when to use each one.
The universal audio format.
Plays everywhere. Smaller than WAV. The right choice for sharing, streaming, and everyday listening.
Best for: Sharing, streaming, podcasts, everyday use
The standard for audio editing.
Lossless and uncompressed. Large files, but the preferred format for editing software and professional workflows.
Best for: Audio editing, DAWs, broadcast, archiving
Lossless compression for archiving and hi-fi.
Smaller than WAV, bit-perfectly lossless. Best for archiving and high-fidelity listening — and now available as an output format when converting from WAV or AIFF.
Best for: Music archiving, hi-fi listening, local playback
Apple's audio format.
Common on iPhone, iTunes, and GarageBand. Better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate, but not universally supported outside Apple devices.
Best for: Apple devices, iTunes libraries, GarageBand exports
The efficient successor to MP3.
Better compression than MP3 at equivalent quality. Used by Apple, YouTube, and most streaming platforms. Now available as a direct output format (.aac files).
Best for: Streaming, Apple Music, YouTube audio tracks
Open, royalty-free audio for games and the web.
Royalty-free and open. Common in video games, game engines, and Linux. Now available as an output format — useful for game developers and web audio workflows.
Best for: Game audio, Linux, web audio, open-source projects
Other supported input formats
QuickAudioConvert also accepts AIFF, OPUS, WMA, OGA, and WEBA files as input. All can be converted to MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, or OPUS — WAV and AIFF can also output FLAC (lossless-to-lossless only).