Convert FLAC to AAC Online
Free, easy-to-use FLAC to AAC converter. Transform your lossless FLAC audio files to smaller, highly compatible AAC format for Apple devices and music libraries.
FLAC to AAC Converter
Convert your FLAC files to AAC format quickly and easily. Upload your file and download the result.
Max file size: 50MB
Why Convert FLAC to AAC?
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files offer uncompromised audio quality, but they come with large file sizes and limited compatibility, especially on Apple devices. Converting FLAC to AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) transforms your high-quality audio into a more efficient format that maintains excellent sound while significantly reducing file size. AAC is the native audio format for Apple's ecosystem and offers superior compression efficiency compared to older formats like MP3.
Benefits of Converting FLAC to AAC
- Apple device compatibility - AAC is natively supported on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
- Smaller file sizes - AAC files are significantly smaller than FLAC, saving storage space.
- High-quality compression - AAC offers excellent sound quality at reasonable bitrates.
- iTunes/Apple Music compatibility - Perfect for building Apple Music libraries.
- Better streaming experience - Smaller files mean less buffering when streaming.
- Preserve metadata - Our converter maintains your song information and album art.
How to Convert FLAC to AAC Using Our Tool
- Upload your FLAC audio file using the upload button or drag and drop functionality.
- Our converter will automatically select AAC as the output format.
- Choose quality settings if desired (we recommend 256kbps for high quality).
- Solve the simple captcha to verify you're human.
- Click "Convert FLAC to AAC" to start the conversion process.
- Once conversion is complete, download your new AAC file.
About FLAC and AAC Format Differences
| Feature | FLAC | AAC |
|---|---|---|
| Compression Type | Lossless | Lossy |
| File Size | Large (3-5x larger than AAC) | Small (efficient compression) |
| Audio Quality | Perfect reproduction | Very good to excellent |
| Device Compatibility | Limited, especially on mobile | Excellent, especially Apple devices |
| File Extension | .flac | .aac, .m4a |
| Ideal Use | Archiving, professional audio | Daily listening, streaming |
When converting from FLAC to AAC, it's important to understand that this is a conversion from lossless to lossy audio. FLAC preserves 100% of the audio data, while AAC uses perceptual coding to remove data that most people can't hear, resulting in smaller files. However, AAC's advanced psychoacoustic modeling makes it one of the highest quality lossy formats available, often delivering audio quality that is indistinguishable from the original for most listeners, especially at higher bitrates.
Our converter uses high-quality AAC encoding (typically 256kbps by default) to ensure the best possible sound quality while still providing the file size benefits of AAC. For most casual listening scenarios on Apple devices, smartphone audio systems, or streaming situations, the difference between the original FLAC and the converted AAC will be minimal or imperceptible, while the benefits in terms of compatibility and storage efficiency are substantial.
Other Audio Conversion Options
Frequently Asked Questions
How much audio quality will I lose converting FLAC to AAC?
Converting from FLAC (lossless) to AAC (lossy) does involve some quality loss, as AAC removes audio data deemed less perceptible to human hearing. However, at higher bitrates (256kbps or above), most people cannot distinguish between FLAC and AAC in blind listening tests. AAC is one of the most sophisticated audio codecs available, designed specifically to preserve the parts of audio that matter most to human perception. For audiophiles with high-end equipment listening critically, the differences might be detectable, but for everyday listening on typical speakers, headphones, or mobile devices, the converted AAC files will sound virtually identical to the original FLAC while being much more portable and storage-efficient.
What bitrate should I choose for AAC conversion?
For most users converting from high-quality FLAC, we recommend 256kbps AAC, which offers an excellent balance between quality and file size. This is the same bitrate used by Apple Music and provides audio quality that is transparent (indistinguishable from lossless) for the vast majority of listeners on most equipment. If storage space is very limited, 192kbps still delivers very good quality. For critical listening or if you want to maximize quality and file size is less of a concern, you can select 320kbps. Keep in mind that unlike MP3, AAC is more efficient, so a 256kbps AAC file often sounds better than a 320kbps MP3 file, despite being smaller.
Will the converted AAC files work in iTunes and Apple Music?
Yes, our converter produces AAC files in the M4A container format, which is fully compatible with iTunes, Apple Music, and all Apple devices. This is actually Apple's preferred audio format. The converted files will seamlessly integrate into your iTunes library, complete with metadata like artist, album, song titles, and album artwork (if present in the original FLAC files). Unlike FLAC files, which require third-party plugins to work with iTunes, these AAC files will work natively without any additional software. This makes our converter particularly useful for Apple users who have collected music in FLAC format but want to integrate it into their Apple ecosystem.