MP3 vs WAV
A quick, plain-English comparison of the MP3 and WAV file formats — and how to convert between them, free and in your browser.
| MP3 | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | audio | audio |
| Extension | .mp3 | .wav |
| MIME type | audio/mpeg | audio/wav |
| Converts to | 17 formats | 17 formats |
| Direction here | read & write | read & write |
Convert between MP3 and WAV
MP3 vs WAV: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between MP3 and WAV?
Ubiquitous lossy compressed audio. Uncompressed PCM audio (Waveform).
Should I use MP3 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 MP3 to WAV?
Open the MP3-to-WAV converter, drop your MP3 file in, and download the WAV. We auto-detect the real format from the file's bytes, so a mislabeled file still works.