FLAC to MP3 - Top 5 FLAC Converter for Mac and PC (Free and Paid)

I got a FLAC file from my friend but it appears I can't play it properly on my MP3 player. Can you recommend any audio converter that can convert FLAC to MP3 without deducting the music quality? I googled around but didn't find such a tool.

FLAC, as an open source audio codec, is for lossless compression of digital audio. Although it has better quality and smaller size, we'll always need to convert FLAC as it's not as popular as other formats such as MP3 that is supported by almost all audio players. Therefore, we need to look for a great FLAC converter to convert FLAC to MP3 or other formats with ease. Below is a ranked list of the top 5 best FLAC audio converter software of 2018 for Mac and Windows, including freeware and shareware, online solutions and desktop apps.

#1. ViWizard DRM Audio Converter (Mac & Windows)

ViWizard DRM Audio Converter (DRM Audio Converter for Mac) is one of the best FLAC converters thanks to its strong ability to convert not only FLAC audio to MP3, but also some other special audio files, such as DRM-protected Apple Music, iTunes M4P songs, Audible AA, AAX audiobooks to common MP3, AAC, WAV, etc. It allows you to set audio quality, including codec, audio channel, bit rate, sample rate, and others according to different requirements. Besides, it can keep the ID3 tags of the original files for you, such as title, album, cover, artist, and so forth.

Availability: $39.95 with free trial version provided

Input Formats: FLAC, M4R, MP3, MP2, MPA, WMA, AAC, AC3, MKA, OGG, AIFF, RA, RAM, WAV, APE, DRM-ed AA, AAX, M4P, M4A, M4B

Output Formats: MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A, M4B, FLAC

Supported OS: Mac OSX 10.8 or later & Windows XP or later

#2. Freemake Audio Converter (Windows)

If you are looking for a free FLAC converter, then you should have a test with Freemake Audio Converter. This freeware offers you with multiple options for converting all popular audios to whatever format you desire. In addition, it enables you to merge multiple files into one larger audio and lets you adjust the output quality before converting the files. What's more, it can also be used to extract audio tracks from video files. However, one of the biggest drawbacks of Freemake Audio Converter is that it only supports audio files that are shorter than three minutes. You are required to buy Infinite Pack if you need to convert audio files that are longer.

Availability: Free

Input Formats: AAC, AMR, AC3, FLAC, M4A, M4R, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA and more

Output Formats: AAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA

Supported OS: Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista

#3. Zamzar (Online Converter)

If you prefer online tools more than the desktop apps, Zamzar could be a great option to convert the FLAC audios for you. Best of all, it's free. To convert the audios, you don't need to install the software on your computer. All you have to do is visit the official site and import the FLAC file, select the output format, enter your email address, and convert. You can also enter the link of an online audio file to Zamzar to convert.

Availability: Free to access on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Input Formats: 3GA, AAC, AC3, AIFC, AIFF, AMR, APE, CAF, FLAC, M4A, M4P, M4R, MIDI, MP3, OGA, OGG, RA, RAM, WAV, and WMA

Output Formats: AAC, AC3, FLAC, M4A, M4R, MP3, MP4, OGG, WAV, and WMA

#4. MediaHuman Audio Converter (Mac & Windows)

MediaHuman Audio Converter is a freeware app for both Mac OS X and Windows. It helps you to convert your music files absolutely free to WMA, MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, Apple Lossless format and bunch of others. Thanks to its simple and easy-to-use interface, all you do is drag and drop the audio files directly into the program, choose an output format, and then start the conversion.

Availability: Free

Input Formats: FLAC, AAC, AC3, AIF, AIFF, ALAW, AMR, APE, AU, CAF, DSF, DTS, M4A, M4B, M4R, MP2, MP3, MPC, OGG, OPUS, RA, SHN, TTA, WAV, WMA, and WV

Output Formats: AAC, AC3, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, M4R, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA

Supported OS: Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista & Mac 10.13 or lower

#5. FileZigZag (Online Audio Converter)

FileZigZag is another free online audio converter that can help you convert FLAC audio to MP3 and other formats for free. Navigate to the site, upload the audio file or URL, set the output format and then convert. But unlike Zamzar, it can only convert one file each time. Its advantage over Zamzar is it supports more input and output formats and the source file is limited to 180 MB.

Availability: Free to access on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Input Formats: 3GA, AAC, AC3, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, AMR, AU, CAF, FLAC, M4A, M4R, M4P, MID, MIDI, MMF, MP2, MP3, MPGA, OGA, OGG, OMA, OPUS, QCP, RA, RAM, WAV, and WMA

Output Formats: AAC, AC3, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, AU, FLAC, M4A, M4R, MP3, MMF, OPUS, OGG, RA, WAV, and WMA

Conclusion

As you can see, all the above mentioned FLAC converters are great choices to accomplish your FLAC to MP3 conversion task. It all depends on you to choose the one you like. To sum up, if you don't mind the cost, ViWizard DRM Audio Converter should be the best option as it works with both DRM and DRM-free audios. If you desire free converter software, Freemake and MediaHuman are great tools to go for. But if you don't like to install any software on your computer, the online audio converter like Zamzar or FileZigZag is the best option.

Nick Orin is a review writer, software geek and Mac OS enthusiast. He spends all his free time in searching useful software and gadgets to share with others.