FLAC vs. MP3: Is FLAC Better than MP3

Quick Comparison Table About FLAC vs. MP3

FLAC vs. MP3: Which One is Better?

FLAC and MP3 are important audio formats in our daily lives and work, but they differ in their features, including sound quality, compatibility, file size, etc. If you want to figure out all the differences, the following information is right for you.

#1. Sound Quality

MP3, a data compression format for encoding digital audio, is one of the common audio formats. Known as the lossy format, it performs perfectly in file size, as most parts of the file are shaved off to ensure a small size. However, this audio format is far from the best sound quality because of that. In most cases, reverb, cymbals, and guitars are the most affected sound by the MP3 compression, and the audio files in MP3 format will sound distorted if there is too much compression is applied.

On the contrary, FLAC is a lossless format and always retains the audio quality it stores, so it is better than MP3 in the sound quality. It is more like a ZIP file whenever you test the sounding of the audio, and it will always be similar to the unzipped file. 

Tip: If you are the one who prefers high audio quality, FLAC may be your first choice.

>>> How to convert FLAC to MP3

#2. File Size 

Like we said before, the MP3 is a lossy format, and most parts of it are shaved off. So it performs better in the file size. 

However, compared to the MP3 format, FLAC files are bigger and need more storage capacities. This kind of audio file is up to six times larger than an MP3 file. That's because the FLAC files barely lose the content, which makes them quickly bulky, storage-wise.

Tip: If you often use a mobile device to listen to music, MP3 is suitable for you because of the small size.

>>> Best free MP3 converter

#3. Compatibility

While speaking of playability or compatibility, which one is better?

Usually, we all know that the MP3 file can be played on almost all mobile devices and computers, and because all modern media players are able to open this file easily.

However, the FLAC audio file is not as widely used as MP3. It is compatible with most computers, but only several mobile phones can play it successfully. 

Tip: If you want to play your music anywhere, anytime, just try MP3!

How to Convert FLAC to or from MP3

Whether you want to convert FLAC to MP3, or convert MP3 to FLAC back, you can always rely on a brilliant media converter - EaseUS Video Converter.

It is easy to handle because of its neat and intuitive workflow. This software supports more than 1,000 media formats, and allows to start and finish the conversion in a snap, including the MP3 and FLAC conversion. Besides, before converting, you can adjust the audio or video parameters flexibly according to your needs, like the bitrate, sample rate, resolution, frame rate, etc. Most importantly, you can enjoy a 30X faster conversion speed!

More features:

• Convert media files without losing quality
• Support convert multiple files in batch
• Inbuilt media player for previewing converted files
• Combine video and audio files into a single file

Here is a detailed tutorial to convert audio files with EaseUS Video Converter:

Step 1. Download and launch this program. Next, select the "Audio Converter" option from the left sidebar for audio conversion, and click "Choose Files" to import the audio file.

Step 2. Click the gear icon to select your output audio format at the bottom. Besides, you can change the saving path, enable the high-speed conversion, GPU acceleration, or merging functions if needed here.

Step 3. You can click the "Edit" button to change the file name, bitrate, sample rate, and other settings for your output file.

Step 4. Once done, you can click the "Convert" or "Convert All" button to begin your audio conversion.

The Bottom Line

After reading this post, you will find that there are no winners or losers in the battle of FLAC vs. MP3. Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. In terms of the audio quality, the FLAC is better than MP3, but speaking of the compatibility, the MP3 format performs better. So both can be great to use and work with. Whether you choose FLAC or MP3, we hope this post can really help you.