Convert FLAC to MP3
Your files are processed on your device. We never upload them.
Audio is read and written with Mediabunny. MP3 files are made with LAME and FLAC files with libFLAC; browsers without their own AAC encoder use FFmpeg's. Apple Lossless files follow Apple's ALAC code.
How to convert FLAC to MP3
- 01A ▸Choose a FLAC file, or drop it on the page.
- 02A ▸Pick MP3 or WAV. For MP3, pick a quality; Best (320 kbps) suits music from FLAC.
- 03A ▸Select Convert, listen to the result, and download it.
About FLAC to MP3
Where FLAC files come from
FLAC is lossless audio from Bandcamp and Qobuz downloads, CD rips, and hi-res stores. It sounds exactly like the original, but iPhones' Music app, many car stereos, and older players won't play it, and the files are about half the size of WAV, still large for a phone.
What changes
- To MP3, the sound is compressed with LAME at the bitrate you choose; at 320 kbps the file is about a quarter of the FLAC's size.
- To WAV, every sample is kept exactly, at the FLAC's own bit depth (16 or 24) and sample rate; the file is about twice the FLAC's size.
- The title, artist, album, and cover picture are copied to the MP3.
- Hi-res sample rates above 48 kHz are converted down for MP3, which can't hold them.
Measured
Our three-minute music-like sample (stereo, 44.1 kHz, the length of a typical song), as a 16-bit FLAC, converted at the High setting (192 kbps) in Chrome on a laptop. Phone timings are still to be measured.
| FLAC file | 13.3 MB |
|---|---|
| MP3 file | 4.1 MB |
| Time in Chrome (laptop) | 1.8 seconds, including loading the MP3 encoder |
In your browser
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari 26 and later decode FLAC with their own built-in decoders, inside a background worker. Older Safari decodes it on the page with its audio engine. MP3 needs a 0.1 MB encoder (LAME) the first time, since no browser writes MP3; WAV is written by our own code.
Limits
- MP3 holds at most two channels, so surround FLAC is mixed down to stereo.
- Converting to WAV holds the whole song in memory. An hour of 24-bit hi-res FLAC needs a computer.
Other options
- FLAC to ALAC: keep it lossless and play it in Apple Music on iPhone and Mac.
- FLAC to M4A (audio converter): AAC sounds a little better than MP3 at the same size.
- WAV to MP3: for WAV files from the same album.
Questions
Should I choose MP3 or WAV?
MP3 for listening on phones, in cars, and on old players; it's about a quarter of the FLAC's size at 320 kbps. WAV keeps every sample like FLAC does, for software that can't open FLAC, but it's about twice the FLAC's size.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Your files are processed on your device. We never upload them.
Does FLAC to MP3 lose quality?
Yes, a little, because MP3 compresses by dropping detail. At Best (320 kbps) almost nobody can tell it from the FLAC. FLAC to WAV loses nothing at all.
What about 24-bit and hi-res FLAC?
Both work. For MP3, sample rates above 48 kHz are converted down first (96 kHz to 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz to 44.1 kHz). For WAV, 24-bit files stay 24-bit at their own sample rate.
Are the song details kept?
Converting to MP3 keeps the title, artist, album, and cover picture. WAV files don't carry them.