FLAC (.flac)
Free Lossless Audio Codec — open-source format that compresses audio without any quality loss. The audiophile standard for digital music collections.
- Extension
- .flac
- MIME Type
- audio/flac
Last updated
Overview
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an open-source audio format that reduces file size by 40–60% compared to uncompressed WAV while retaining every bit of the original audio data. Unlike MP3 or AAC, FLAC decoding is mathematically identical to the source — a FLAC file decompressed and played back is bit-for-bit perfect.
Developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation and released in 2001, FLAC has become the preferred format for audiophiles, music archivists, and anyone who wants lossless quality with manageable file sizes. It also supports full metadata (artist, album, artwork, lyrics) through Vorbis comment tags.
Common Uses
- Music archiving — ripping and preserving CD collections in a lossless format
- High-resolution audio — storing 24-bit/96 kHz recordings from streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz
- Audio mastering — delivering final mixes to distributors before lossy encoding
- Long-term storage — archiving recordings that will be re-encoded or processed in the future
Advantages
- Lossless compression — 40–60% smaller than WAV with identical audio quality
- Open and royalty-free — no licensing costs; supported everywhere
- Rich metadata — reliable Vorbis comment tags for artist, album, artwork, and custom fields
- Error detection — built-in MD5 checksums verify file integrity on playback
Limitations
- Limited streaming support — most streaming platforms transcode FLAC to AAC/OGG for delivery; native FLAC streaming requires Tidal or similar
- Larger than lossy formats — still 4–5× bigger than a high-quality MP3 for the same content
- Slower decoding on older hardware — minimal issue on modern devices but can affect embedded systems
Supported Software
- Desktop: foobar2000, VLC, Winamp, iTunes/Music (macOS), Clementine, Audacity
- Mobile: Neutron Music Player, FLAC Player (iOS), Poweramp (Android)
- Streaming: Tidal (HiFi), Deezer (HiFi), Amazon Music Unlimited HD