WAV vs AAC
How do WAV and AACcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.wav
Full guide →Waveform Audio File Format
WAV is an uncompressed audio format that stores raw audio data at full quality. It's the standard format for professional audio editing, music production, and any application where quality is paramount.
.aac
Full guide →Advanced Audio Coding
AAC is the successor to MP3, offering better sound quality at lower bitrates. It's the default audio format for Apple Music, YouTube, and most streaming platforms.
| Specification | WAV | AAC |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Waveform Audio File Format | Advanced Audio Coding |
| Extension | .wav | .aac |
| MIME type | audio/wav | audio/aac |
| Category | Audio | Audio |
| Developer | Microsoft / IBM | ISO / Fraunhofer / Dolby / Sony / Nokia |
| Year introduced | 1991 | 1997 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
WAV advantages
- Lossless — full audio quality preserved
- Industry standard for audio production
- Simple format — fast to process
- Universal support on all platforms
WAV limitations
- Very large file sizes
- No compression
- No metadata support in basic format
- Not practical for streaming or sharing
AAC advantages
- Better quality than MP3 at same bitrate
- Default format for iTunes and Apple Music
- Widely used in streaming
- Supports up to 48 channels
AAC limitations
- Patent-encumbered
- Slightly less universal than MP3
- Encoding quality varies by implementation
- DRM can restrict usage
Which should you use?
WAV preserves full audio quality with no compression artifacts. AAC offers much smaller files at the cost of some quality. For casual listening, AAC is fine. For production or archival, use WAV.
Best uses for WAV
Best uses for AAC
Convert between WAV and AAC
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.