FLAC vs WAV
A quick, plain-English comparison of the FLAC and WAV file formats — and how to convert between them, free and in your browser.
| FLAC | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | audio | audio |
| Extension | .flac | .wav |
| MIME type | audio/flac | audio/wav |
| Converts to | 17 formats | 17 formats |
| Direction here | read & write | read & write |
Convert between FLAC and WAV
FLAC vs WAV: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between FLAC and WAV?
Free Lossless Audio Codec. Uncompressed PCM audio (Waveform).
Should I use FLAC or WAV?
Both are audio formats — the right one depends on compatibility, quality and file size for your use. Whichever you have, you can convert it to the other below in seconds.
How do I convert FLAC to WAV?
Open the FLAC-to-WAV converter, drop your FLAC file in, and download the WAV. We auto-detect the real format from the file's bytes, so a mislabeled file still works.