Convert AVI to MP3
We turn AVI into MP3 right in your browser — the file never goes to a server.
What you will lose
- Surround will be mixed down to stereo — extra channels do not survive this conversion.
- Compression becomes lossy: the original quality cannot be restored
How they differ
| AVI | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lossless | yes | no |
| Lossy | yes | yes |
| Multichannel | yes | no |
| Tags | no | yes |
| Released | 1992 | 1993 |
| Author | Microsoft | Fraunhofer IIS |
AVI
Good at
- Opens where nothing else does any more: nineties hardware, old players
- People put uncompressed video inside, so some archives are still masters
- Simple enough that a damaged file can often be read at least in part
Awkward about
- Several times heavier than modern containers at the same quality
- Neither browsers nor phones will play it
- Keeps no titles or cover art, and handles subtitles and extra tracks badly
Use it when
- The file came out of an old archive and just needs to open
- Some program insists on it and understands nothing newer
- In every other case it is worth turning into MP4
MP3
Good at
- Plays literally everywhere, from a 2003 car stereo to a smart speaker
- Predictably small: an hour of speech fits in 30 MB
- Every player reads its tags, without exception
Awkward about
- Lossy, and re-encoding it again is audible
- Two channels at most — surround will not survive
- At the same size, Opus and AAC sound better
Use it when
- It has to open for anyone, on anything
- A podcast, an audiobook, a recorded lecture
- The file goes to a person, not into further processing
Common questions
- Does the file get uploaded to a server?
- Yes, this pair needs the server: browsers cannot encode that format. The file and the result are deleted within a couple of hours and never shared.
- Will surround sound survive?
- No. MP3 reliably carries stereo only, so extra channels are mixed down to two.
- Can I get the original quality back afterwards?
- No. MP3 is lossy, and the discarded detail cannot be recovered. Keep the original if you may still need it.
- How many files, and how large?
- Up to 5 files at a time, 500 MB each. No sign-up, no watermarks.