How do WMA and AIFFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Windows Media Audio
WMA is Microsoft's proprietary audio format. While it offered competitive quality in the early 2000s, it has largely been superseded by AAC and other formats. It's still encountered in legacy Windows media libraries.
Audio Interchange File Format
AIFF is Apple's uncompressed audio format, the macOS equivalent of WAV. It stores full-quality audio data and is commonly used in professional audio production on Apple systems.
| Specification | WMA | AIFF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Windows Media Audio | Audio Interchange File Format |
| Extension | .wma | .aiff |
| MIME type | audio/x-ms-wma | audio/aiff |
| Category | Audio | Audio |
| Developer | Microsoft | Apple |
| Year introduced | 1999 | 1988 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
WMA is practical for everyday listening with good compression. AIFF is essential for professional audio work where every detail matters.
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