FLAC is lossless audio compression — ~50% the size of WAV with mathematically identical audio. The audiophile format of choice: Tidal HiFi and Amazon Music HD stream FLAC, and vinyl-rip communities archive in it. Convert to FLAC when your destination is critical listening on capable gear, or long-term archival of source recordings.
AIFF vs FLAC: Side-by-side
Technical comparison of the two formats — useful for deciding which to use, or for confirming what changes during conversion.
Property
AIFF
FLAC
Full name
Audio Interchange File Format
Free Lossless Audio Codec
Year introduced
1988
2001
Developer / standard body
Apple
Xiph.Org
MIME type
audio/aiff
audio/flac
File extension
.aiff / .aif
.flac
Compression
Uncompressed PCM (typically)
Lossless
Color / data depth
N/A
N/A (audio)
Max dimensions / size
4 GB file size limit
8 channels × 32-bit × 192 kHz
Transparency
No
No
Animation
No
No
Standard / specification
Apple AIFF
Xiph.Org FLAC
Best for
Apple-ecosystem professional audio, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro
Audiophile listening, lossless music archives
AIFF to FLAC FAQ
Quick answers about compatibility, quality, metadata handling, and the most common reasons to convert AIFF files to FLAC.
How do I convert AIFF to FLAC online?
Upload your AIFF audio to iFormat and click Convert. The track is decoded and re-encoded to FLAC with metadata preserved. It's free, needs no account, and supports batch conversion of albums or playlists.
How to convert AIFF to FLAC without losing sound quality
FLAC is a lossless compressed audio format. Converting to a lossless target (WAV, FLAC, AIFF) preserves every detail of the original. Converting between lossy formats involves a small, usually inaudible re-encoding step. For the best result, always start from the highest-quality source file you have.
Can I convert multiple AIFF files to FLAC at once?
Yes — upload an entire album or playlist of AIFF files and iFormat batch-converts them all to FLAC. Metadata (title, artist, album, cover art) carries over for each track, so your library stays organised after conversion.
Can I convert AIFF to FLAC without downloading software?
Yes. iFormat works entirely in your browser — no desktop software, no app install, and no sign-up. Upload your AIFF, click Convert, and download the FLAC. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices.
Why convert AIFF to FLAC instead of keeping AIFF?
AIFF is Apple's uncompressed audio format used for professional audio on Mac. FLAC is better for archiving music at full quality with smaller size than WAV. Convert when the destination device, app, or platform handles FLAC more reliably than AIFF.
Does AIFF to FLAC conversion keep track info like artist and album?
Yes — ID3 metadata such as title, artist, album, and cover art carries over automatically wherever the FLAC format supports it, so your library stays organised after conversion.
Is there a file size limit for AIFF to FLAC conversion?
The free plan supports files up to 50 MB, which covers the large majority of AIFF files. For longer or higher-resolution files, Starter raises the limit to 100 MB, Plus to 1 GB, and Pro to 5 GB.