Audio Format Guide
Not sure which format you need? Each format has different trade-offs around file size, quality, compatibility, and use case. This page covers the main output formats and all supported input formats — including AIFF, ALAC, AMR, AC3, and MOV.
The universal audio format.
Plays everywhere. Smaller than WAV. The right choice for sharing, streaming, and everyday listening.
Best for: Sharing, streaming, podcasts, everyday use
The standard for audio editing.
Lossless and uncompressed. Large files, but the preferred format for editing software and professional workflows.
Best for: Audio editing, DAWs, broadcast, archiving
Lossless compression for archiving and hi-fi.
Smaller than WAV, bit-perfectly lossless. Best for archiving and high-fidelity listening — available as an output format when converting from WAV, AIFF, or ALAC.
Best for: Music archiving, hi-fi listening, local playback
Apple's audio format.
Common on iPhone, iTunes, and GarageBand. Better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate, but not universally supported outside Apple devices.
Best for: Apple devices, iTunes libraries, GarageBand exports
The efficient successor to MP3.
Better compression than MP3 at equivalent quality. Used by Apple, YouTube, and most streaming platforms. Now available as a direct output format (.aac files).
Best for: Streaming, Apple Music, YouTube audio tracks
Open, royalty-free audio for games and the web.
Royalty-free and open. Common in video games, game engines, and Linux. Now available as an output format — useful for game developers and web audio workflows.
Best for: Game audio, Linux, web audio, open-source projects
More supported input formats
QuickAudioConvert also accepts AIFF/AIF, ALAC, AMR, AC3, MOV, OPUS, WMA, OGA, AIFC, and WEBA files as input. Output options depend on the source format — FLAC output is only available from lossless sources (WAV, AIFF, ALAC).
Apple / Lossless
Legacy & specialist
Other inputs