FLV VS MKV
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Flash Video and Matroska Video.
FLV
flvLegacy streaming container widely used before HTML5 video adoption.
Pros
- Small file sizes
- Progressive playback
- Easy to embed in legacy players
Cons
- Deprecated technology
- No iOS/Android support
- Must be converted for modern browsers
MKV
mkvOpen standard free container format, supports unlimited tracks.
Pros
- Supports unlimited subtitles/audio tracks
- Open source
- High resiliency
Cons
- Not supported natively by many players/browsers
When FLV wins
Stay with FLV when you need legacy archives or intranet training portals. Its strengths center on small file sizes and a feature set native to Macromedia.
When MKV wins
Choose MKV when your workflow prioritizes movies with multiple languages or archiving. It delivers supports unlimited subtitles/audio tracks plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | FLV | MKV |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | video/x-flv | video/x-matroska |
| Developer | Macromedia | Matroska |
| Release Year | 2002 | 2002 |
| Best For | Legacy archives, Intranet training portals | Movies with multiple languages, Archiving |
Need to switch?
Where FLV still wins
Keep FLV when you need small file sizes and workflows depend on legacy archives / intranet training portals. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship MKV deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .flv glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use MKV for movies with multiple languages while archiving originals as FLV.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.