WMA vs AIFF
How do WMA and AIFFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.wma
Full guide →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 While it offered competitive quality in the early 2000s, it has largely been superseded by AAC and other formats.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.
.aiff
Full guide →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 advantages
- Good compression at low bitrates
- DRM support for content protection
- Native Windows support
- Lossless mode available
WMA limitations
- Limited cross-platform support
- Proprietary format
- Declining popularity
- Not supported on many portable devices
AIFF advantages
- Lossless — full audio quality
- Native macOS support
- Rich metadata support
- Industry standard in Apple-based studios
AIFF limitations
- Very large file sizes
- Less universal than WAV on Windows
- No compression in standard form
- Being replaced by ALAC/FLAC
Which should you use?
WMA is practical for everyday listening with good compression. AIFF is essential for professional audio work where every detail matters.
Best uses for WMA
Best uses for AIFF
Convert between WMA and AIFF
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.