ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AAC or MP3? Which format to choose

Five formats, five different jobs. In short: for the Music app and Apple devices — ALAC; for hi‑fi players and archives — FLAC; for editing — WAV; to save space — AAC; for the car and older gear — MP3.

Updated October 2, 2026 · 6 min read

Lossless vs. lossy

Lossless formats (ALAC, FLAC) compress audio the way a ZIP archive does: the file is smaller, and on playback the sound is bit‑for‑bit identical to what went in. Uncompressed WAV doesn't compress at all, so its files are the largest. Lossy formats (AAC, MP3) remove information the ear practically can't hear, which makes files several times smaller.

At a glance

* Rough figures for 44.1 kHz / 16‑bit stereo music. Lossless file sizes vary with the song.

ALAC (Apple Lossless)

Apple's lossless format. It works natively in the Music app and on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and keeps artwork and tags inside the .m4a file. Pick it if your library lives in the Apple ecosystem.

FLAC

The open lossless standard. Hi‑fi players, music servers (such as Plex, Jellyfin or Navidrome), NAS drives and most Android and Windows players support it. It handles tags and artwork very well. On Mac and iPhone you'll play it in apps other than Music.

WAV

Raw, uncompressed PCM audio. Files are large, but every audio editor, DAW and DJ app opens them without fuss. Tag and artwork support in WAV is limited and depends on the app.

AAC

The format Apple Music uses. Small files, great sound and full compatibility with Apple devices and most modern players. A good choice when disk space matters.

MP3

The oldest and most universal format. At 320 kbps it sounds very good and plays virtually everywhere — in the car, on an old player, on a TV. Choose it when compatibility comes first.

Which one should you pick?

• You listen in the Music app and on iPhone → ALAC.
• You have a hi‑fi player, music server or archive → FLAC.
• You edit, mix or DJ → WAV.
• You want lots of music on a small drive → AAC.
• You listen in the car or on older gear → MP3.