AIFF VS WAV
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Audio Interchange File Format and Waveform Audio File Format.
AIFF
aiffUncompressed PCM audio container favored by studios and broadcasters.
Pros
- Studio-grade quality
- Sample-accurate editing
- Stores loop & tempo metadata
Cons
- Huge file sizes
- Not optimal for streaming
- Limited tagging compared to FLAC
WAV
wavUncompressed audio format, studio quality.
Pros
- Lossless uncompressed quality
- Easy to edit
Cons
- Very large file sizes (10MB/min)
- No metadata standard
When AIFF wins
Stay with AIFF when you need recording studios or broadcast deliverables. Its strengths center on studio-grade quality and a feature set native to Apple.
When WAV wins
Choose WAV when your workflow prioritizes audio recording or mastering. It delivers lossless uncompressed quality plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | AIFF | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | audio/aiff | audio/wav |
| Developer | Apple | Microsoft & IBM |
| Release Year | 1988 | 1991 |
| Best For | Recording studios, Broadcast deliverables, Sample libraries | Audio recording, Mastering, Sound design |
Need to switch?
Where AIFF still wins
Keep AIFF when you need studio-grade quality and workflows depend on recording studios / broadcast deliverables. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship WAV deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .aiff glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use WAV for audio recording while archiving originals as AIFF.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.