Format comparison
FLAC vs WAV
By Suprabhat Updated How we write these
The short answer
FLAC and WAV sound identical, bit for bit. FLAC is compressed without loss to about half the size and carries proper tags and artwork; WAV is uncompressed and opens in every audio editor.
Free Lossless Audio Codec
Choose FLAC when
- Storing a music library
- You want tags and album art
- Saving space without losing quality
Waveform Audio File
Choose WAV when
- Editing in any DAW or audio tool
- Broadcast and production workflows
- Software that doesn’t read FLAC
Side by side
| Property | FLAC | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Free Lossless Audio Codec | Waveform Audio File |
| Compression | Lossless | Uncompressed |
| Audio | — | — |
| Typical quality | lossless, 16 or 24-bit | 16-bit PCM, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| Typical size | About 5–7 MB a minute for music | About 10 MB a minute at CD quality |
| Support | Almost everywhere | Opens everywhere |
| Opens on | Most modern players, Android and recent iPhones; some car stereos and older apps don’t | Every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones |
| Best for | Archiving music and recordings without losing anything | Editing, mastering and software that insists on WAV |
| Introduced | 2001 | 1991 |
Watch out with FLAC
FLAC made from an MP3 is lossless only in name: it perfectly preserves an already lossy recording, at five times the size.
Watch out with WAV
A WAV made from an MP3 is ten times bigger but sounds exactly like the MP3; the lost detail doesn’t come back.
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Questions
Is FLAC better than WAV?
FLAC and WAV sound identical, bit for bit. FLAC is compressed without loss to about half the size and carries proper tags and artwork; WAV is uncompressed and opens in every audio editor.
Which is smaller, FLAC or WAV?
FLAC is usually smaller for the same content. FLAC: About 5–7 MB a minute for music. WAV: About 10 MB a minute at CD quality.
How do I convert FLAC to WAV?
Use the free FLAC to WAV converter. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
How do I convert WAV to FLAC?
Use the free WAV to FLAC converter. It works the same way, entirely on your device.
More format comparisons
- Format comparison
MP3 vs WAV: which should you use?
WAV is uncompressed, perfect audio about ten times the size of an MP3. MP3 at 192 kbps or more sounds the same to almost everyone, so use it for listening and sharing, and WAV for recording, editing and mastering. - Format comparison
M4A vs MP3: which should you use?
M4A (AAC audio) sounds a little better than MP3 at the same bitrate and is the default for iPhones and iTunes. MP3 is older and slightly less efficient, but every car stereo, speaker and player ever made can play it. - Format comparison
FLAC vs MP3: which should you use?
FLAC is lossless: it keeps CD quality in roughly half the space of WAV. MP3 throws detail away to be about a fifth of FLAC’s size. Keep FLAC as your archive and convert to MP3 for phones, cars and sharing. - Format comparison
OGG vs MP3: which should you use?
Ogg Vorbis is an open format that sounds a little better than MP3 at the same bitrate and is common in games and on Android. MP3 plays on far more devices, so it is the safer choice for anything you share.