AIFF to MP3 Converter
FileFlip converts AIFF to MP3 entirely inside your browser, using WebCodecs and FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. The file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. That means no file-size limit, no queue and no account.
How do I convert an AIFF file to MP3?#
- Drop your AIFF file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer. You can add as many as you like.
- Leave the target set to MP3 and the conversion starts on its own. FileFlip usually downloads nothing, falling back to 30.8 MB of WebAssembly if your browser cannot encode these codecs itself, then runs WebCodecs and FFmpeg on your own machine.
- Save the MP3 file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting AIFF to MP3 lose quality?#
Sometimes. When the codecs inside the AIFF file are ones the MP3 container can hold, the streams are copied straight across and nothing at all is lost. When they are not, the file has to be decoded and encoded again, and that step does cost a little quality.
Is it safe to convert AIFF files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts AIFF files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What AIFF to MP3 actually does to the file#
Converting AIFF to MP3 runs on WebCodecs and FFmpeg, usually downloads nothing, falling back to 30.8 MB of WebAssembly if your browser cannot encode these codecs itself, copies the streams through when the codecs fit and re-encodes when they do not.
| Engine | WebCodecs and FFmpeg |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: AIFF → MP3 |
| Downloaded to your browser | Nothing in most browsers, or 30.8 MB if yours cannot encode these codecs itself |
| Quality | Lossless when the codecs fit, lossy when they do not |
| You get back | One file |
| Where it runs | In a background worker, so the page stays responsive |
What survives the conversion
| What is in the file | This conversion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Encoded streams | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
Worth knowing before you start:
- whether the browser can do this without FFmpeg depends on the codecs it exposes through WebCodecs
- the encoded streams are copied when the file's codecs fit the target container, and re-encoded when they do not
What is an AIFF file?#
An AIFF file stores uncompressed PCM audio samples in Apple's Audio Interchange File Format, a structure the company built on Electronic Arts' IFF in 1988 for professional and Mac-native audio.
Use AIFF for recording and editing on macOS, where it's the native uncompressed format for tools like Logic Pro and GarageBand.
Convert AIFF to WAV for compatibility with non-Apple software, or to FLAC or MP3 once editing is done and the file needs to be smaller for distribution.
What is an MP3 file?#
An MP3 file stores audio encoded with MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, a lossy codec that permanently discards sound it predicts a listener won't notice in order to shrink the file to roughly a tenth the size of the original PCM recording.
Pick MP3 when a file needs to play anywhere without a second thought about compatibility.
Convert MP3 to an uncompressed format like WAV only when a downstream tool requires PCM input, keeping in mind that the conversion cannot restore audio the original encoding already discarded.
AIFF to MP3 questions people ask#
Why does GarageBand or Logic export AIFF instead of MP3?
Logic Pro and GarageBand default to AIFF for exports because it's Apple's native uncompressed format and keeps every bit of the recorded or mixed audio intact, with no lossy compression applied. MP3 is a better choice once the mix is final and the file needs to be small enough to share or stream.
Is AIFF a lossless format?
Yes, AIFF is lossless: it stores raw, uncompressed PCM audio samples with nothing removed or approximated, so what you hear back is identical to what was recorded. Unlike FLAC, standard AIFF doesn't compress the audio at all, so there's no encode-decode step where anything could go wrong.
What's the difference between AIFF and WAV?
AIFF and WAV both store uncompressed PCM audio and are equivalent in quality; the difference is mostly heritage and byte order. AIFF, developed by Apple, stores samples big-endian and is the default on macOS audio tools, while WAV, developed by Microsoft and IBM, stores samples little-endian and is the default on Windows.
What plays AIFF files?
Apple's Music and QuickTime Player play AIFF natively, as do Logic Pro, GarageBand, Audacity and most professional DAWs on any platform. VLC also plays AIFF on Windows and Linux, though consumer media players and streaming services outside Apple's ecosystem often don't support it at all.