Convert MP3 to FLAC
We turn MP3 into FLAC right in your browser — the file never goes to a server.
What you will lose
Nothing to lose, and nothing to gain: {to} keeps exactly what {from} hands over, and the file grows several times over.
How they differ
| MP3 | FLAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Lossless | no | yes |
| Lossy | yes | no |
| Multichannel | no | yes |
| Tags | yes | yes |
| Released | 1993 | 2001 |
| Author | Fraunhofer IIS | Xiph.Org |
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
FLAC
Good at
- Lossless, yet half the size of WAV
- Proper tags and cover art
- Handles multichannel audio
Awkward about
- Still heavy for sending and streaming
- Some consumer devices will not open it
- The point only shows on good equipment
Use it when
- A home collection you do not want to re-encode
- An archive of recordings — a master for later
- You need the original quality with tags
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?
- Yes, FLAC carries more than two channels — 5.1 stays 5.1.
- Can I get the original quality back afterwards?
- Nothing is lost, but nothing is gained either. FLAC stores exactly what MP3 hands over, including the gaps MP3 left behind when it compressed. No tool can bring those back, and the file grows several times over. This conversion makes sense for editing, not for quality.
- How many files, and how large?
- Up to 10 files at a time, 200 MB each. No sign-up, no watermarks.