WAV VS FLAC
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Waveform Audio File Format and Free Lossless Audio Codec.
WAV
wavUncompressed audio format, studio quality.
Pros
- Lossless uncompressed quality
- Easy to edit
Cons
- Very large file sizes (10MB/min)
- No metadata standard
FLAC
flacOpen-source lossless codec that preserves every bit of the original waveform.
Pros
- Bit-perfect compression
- Fast decoding
- Rich metadata support
Cons
- Larger than MP3/AAC
- Limited support in some DAWs
- Not ideal for low-bandwidth streaming
When WAV wins
Stay with WAV when you need audio recording or mastering. Its strengths center on lossless uncompressed quality and a feature set native to Microsoft & IBM.
When FLAC wins
Choose FLAC when your workflow prioritizes audiophile libraries or music archiving. It delivers bit-perfect compression plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | WAV | FLAC |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | audio/wav | audio/flac |
| Developer | Microsoft & IBM | Xiph.Org Foundation |
| Release Year | 1991 | 2001 |
| Best For | Audio recording, Mastering, Sound design | Audiophile libraries, Music archiving, Hi-res downloads |
Need to switch?
Where WAV still wins
Keep WAV when you need lossless uncompressed quality and workflows depend on audio recording / mastering. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship FLAC deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .wav glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use FLAC for audiophile libraries while archiving originals as WAV.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.