How to convert FLAC to MP3
- Click Choose files or drop your FLAC files into the box above.
- Pick the bitrate (192 kbps by default) and, optionally, trim the start or end.
- Click Convert and download the MP3 when it is ready.
FLAC vs MP3
| FLAC | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Typical bitrate | 700–1,100 kbps (CD quality) | 128–320 kbps |
| Size | 5–8 MB per minute | 1–2.4 MB per minute |
| Plays on | Android, Windows 10+, macOS, iPhone (Files app) and most hi-fi players | Everything: every phone, car stereo, speaker and app |
| Best for | Archiving music and listening without any quality loss | Music and podcasts that must play anywhere |
About FLAC and MP3
What is FLAC?
FLAC compresses audio without losing a single bit, usually to about half the size of WAV. It is the favorite format of audiophiles and music archivists: you get perfect CD (or hi-res) quality with proper tags and cover art, at the cost of files several times larger than MP3.
- Lossless: identical to the original
- About half the size of WAV
- Full tags and cover art
- Much larger than MP3
- Not supported by some car stereos and older devices
What is MP3?
MP3 is the most compatible audio format there is. It shrinks music to about a tenth of CD size by removing sounds people hardly hear. At 192–320 kbps most listeners cannot tell it from the original, and every device ever made with a speaker can play it.
- Plays on every device
- Small files
- Lossy
- Slightly less efficient than AAC or Opus
Why GlideConvert?
- Private by design. Your files are converted on your own device by your browser — they are never uploaded to a server. That keeps them private, avoids upload waits and means there is no queue.
- Fast. Images convert in a fraction of a second; video uses your device’s hardware encoder.
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark. 10 images, 5 audio files or one video at a time — Pro lifts the limits and removes ads.
Frequently asked questions
Will converting FLAC to MP3 reduce quality?
MP3 is a lossy format. At 192 kbps (the default) the result is practically indistinguishable from the original for most listeners; pick 256–320 kbps for the best quality, or 96–128 kbps for speech and podcasts.
Which bitrate should I choose?
128 kbps is fine for speech and podcasts, 192 kbps is great for music, and 256–320 kbps is as good as it gets. Higher bitrates mean bigger files: roughly 1 MB per minute at 128 kbps and 2.4 MB at 320 kbps.
Are song titles, artists and cover art kept?
Yes, where MP3 supports them: title, artist, album, track number and similar tags are copied from the FLAC file.
Is there a file size limit?
On the free plan each video or audio file can be up to 500 MB and each image up to 100 MB. With Pro the limit is 4 GB per file. Because everything happens on your device, the practical limit for very large files is your device’s memory.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. GlideConvert runs entirely in your browser: images are processed with the browser’s built-in codecs and WebAssembly, video and audio with hardware-accelerated WebCodecs (or a WebAssembly build of FFmpeg for older formats). Nothing is sent anywhere — you can even disconnect from the internet once the page has loaded.
Does it work on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows?
Yes. It works in any up-to-date browser — Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox or Samsung Internet — on phones, tablets and computers, with nothing to install. On phones, extremely large images may be scaled down to fit within the browser’s memory limit; you will see a note if that happens.