ALAC VS AAC
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Apple Lossless Audio Codec and Advanced Audio Coding.
ALAC
alacApple’s proprietary lossless codec designed for iTunes and Apple Music ecosystems.
Pros
- Lossless quality
- Native to Apple devices
- Supports metadata and artwork
Cons
- Bigger files than AAC
- Limited support outside Apple
- Encodes slower than lossy codecs
AAC
aacSuccessor to MP3 with better sound quality at similar bit rates.
Pros
- Better quality than MP3
- Standard for YouTube/Apple
Cons
- Lossy compression
- Complex licensing
When ALAC wins
Stay with ALAC when you need apple music libraries or audiophile playback. Its strengths center on lossless quality and a feature set native to Apple.
When AAC wins
Choose AAC when your workflow prioritizes itunes or youtube audio. It delivers better quality than mp3 plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | ALAC | AAC |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | audio/alac | audio/aac |
| Developer | Apple | Bell Labs |
| Release Year | 2004 | 1997 |
| Best For | Apple Music libraries, Audiophile playback, Mastering archives | iTunes, YouTube Audio, Streaming |
Need to switch?
Where ALAC still wins
Keep ALAC when you need lossless quality and workflows depend on apple music libraries / audiophile playback. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship AAC deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .alac glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use AAC for itunes while archiving originals as ALAC.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.