Convert MP3 to M4A

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Converting MP3 to M4A is free: drop your MP3 above, hit convert, and download the M4A. Files delete themselves within an hour.

MP3 and M4A are both lossy formats, so flipping MP3 to M4A is really about compatibility: getting your audio into a shape the stubborn device or app will actually take. Where MP3 struggles with holding fine detail at low bitrates: it stays small by quietly discarding sound, M4A earns its keep: it's built for sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem.

FYI

Small print: MP3 and M4A are both lossy, so every re-encode shaves off a little more. Convert once, from the best source you have: not repeatedly.

Why flip MP3 to M4A

MP3 is the format that taught music to travel: small, scrappy, and welcome absolutely everywhere. It was born in 1993, Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, and its real weak spot is holding fine detail at low bitrates: it stays small by quietly discarding sound.

M4A is AAC in Apple's favorite outfit: the audio-only MP4 your iPhone speaks natively. An MP4 container holding only audio: usually AAC, occasionally Apple's lossless ALAC. That makes it the right destination when what you need is sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem.

How to convert MP3 to M4A

1
Drop your MP3 file into the flipper above, or click to browse for it.
2
Check the output format: M4A is already selected for you.
3
Hit Convert, give it a moment, then download your new M4A.

MP3 vs M4A, side by side

	MP3	M4A
Born	1993, Fraunhofer Institute, Germany	2003, popularized by Apple's iTunes Store
Type	audio · lossy	audio · lossy
Best for	playing on anything with a speaker, from new phones to twenty-year-old car stereos	sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem
Weak spot	holding fine detail at low bitrates: it stays small by quietly discarding sound	older Windows software and stubborn car stereos that expect a .mp3
Typical size	about 1 MB per minute at 128 kbps: roughly a tenth of CD audio	like AAC: better-than-MP3 sound at about 1 MB per minute
Plays on	Everything. Phones, browsers, cars, smart speakers, ancient iPods.	iPhone, Mac and iTunes natively; most modern Android and Windows apps too.

Questions people ask

Will converting MP3 to M4A lose quality?

A small amount: both formats are lossy, so re-encoding trims a little detail. Converting once at a decent bitrate keeps it inaudible for most ears.

Will the M4A file be bigger or smaller than my MP3?

In the same neighborhood: M4A runs like AAC: better-than-MP3 sound at about 1 MB per minute, and you control the bitrate.

Where will the M4A file play?

iPhone, Mac and iTunes natively; most modern Android and Windows apps too. That's the usual reason people leave MP3 behind: M4A simply opens in more of the places that matter.

How long does MP3 to M4A conversion take?

Seconds for most files: audio is light work. A long recording might take a minute; your file auto-deletes from our servers within an hour either way.

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