This article will discuss the best free audio converter software in 2023.
Whether you want to create a mashup or need to convert video files to audio files, for your DJ set, in a format that is compatible with your console, or you want to burn a collection of songs in CD to gift a mixtape to someone, or whether you just want to mix a few songs for your pleasure.
You need audio conversion software for that. We have created a list of twelve top free audio converter software that is secure and easy to download and use. Each of these softwares serves different purposes. So let’s dive right into the list.
Top 12 FREE Audio Converter Software 2023
Stellar Audio Converter
Stellar Audio Converter is a free video and audio converter software.
It’s compatible with Mac and Windows and allows you to convert videos and audio to different formats. With this software, you can do batch conversion, edit metadata, and do much more multimedia editing. It works with different codecs, bitrates, framerates, and resolutions.
Key Features:
- Video Editing options
Stellar allows you to edit videos with editing options like cropping, trimming, merging, and adding special effects. In addition, you can add your audio to the video, add subtitles and watermarks, and create GIFs from visual multimedia. - Compatibility
The software allows you to export audio files compatible with various devices like DSLRs, drones, smartphones, phones, walkman, iPods, iPad, and more. - File formats
There are about 30 audio, image, and video formats that you can work with using Stellar. The audio file formats are MP3, M4A, AAC, WMA, WAV, AC3, ACC, AIFF, MP2, M4B, MKA, M4R, APE, OGM, FLAC, OGG, and AU.
Audacity
Audacity is a free audio editing software.
Audacity is often the go-to entry-level software for most music recording artists, podcasters, cover artists, and audio enthusiasts. That’s because it’s simple, easy to use, and has great functionality for a beginner. It allows easy import and export of audio, and you can easily convert between different audio files.
Key Features:
- Expansive editing
You cannot just convert audio files to different audio formats but also apply effects like EQ, compression, normalization, pitch, and time-based effects on the audio. You can merge different audio files, create smooth transitions and fade-outs, and load multiple audio files together. - Recording
You can load instruments and karaoke and record yourself on top of them. It allows smooth and easy recording options. Plus, it also allows you to add audio plugins to your sounds. - Great sound quality
Audacity supports 16, 24, and 32-bit depth and higher sample rates for greater quality while converting. It also allows high-quality dithering if you want to burn your files on a compact disk. - Ease of use
The software has keyboard shortcuts for almost everything, so you can manipulate tracks, and selections, and get complete hands-on control over the audio.
Movavi Audio Converter
Monavi Audio Converter lets you convert your audio files into 180 formats.
The app has a stunning interface and can convert audio to formats like Wav, WMA, mp3, FLAC, AAC, OOG, and many other types. The workflow is simple. First, upload the video or audio file, choose the format you want to convert it into, and then convert the audio. It works with a simple drag-and-drop workflow.
Key Features:
- Compatibility
The software is available for both Windows and Mac and is free of cost. In addition, it requires only 58 MB of hard disk and is quite easy to install and use. It can work with devices Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Apple TV, and devices by Asus, Blackberry, Google, HTC, Lenovo, etc. - Compress files
The software also allows you to compress your audio files by selecting the size, bit rate, quality, and other parameters. The compression workflow is also based on a simple drag-and-drop interface. - User-friendly
Monavi is available in thirteen languages, including English, Chinese, and Japanese. In addition, it can input and output many different video formats like 3GP, ASF, AVI, etc., and audio formats like AAC, MKA, FLAC, etc. - Simple system requirements
The software is designed to work with almost every system, including Windows 7 and later versions, and requires a minimum of just 1 GHz clock speed, 2 GB RAM, and 120 MB hard disk space.
VLC
VLC is a free and open-source multimedia player capable of audio conversion.
Audio and video conversion are the lesser-known features of popular video and audio players. It accepts files of formats like OGG, DTS, etc., and can convert them into mp3, FLAC, WMA, CD, and other file formats.
Key Features:
- Highly compatible
With a size of just 48 MB, VLC is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, Android, and iOS, which means it can work with smartphones, tablets, and many other electronic devices. - Popular
Due to its popularity, VLC has various extensions and plugins that you can load to expand the functionalities of the software. For example, you can play auto-subtitles on VLC. These are called VLC Add-ons. - In-depth conversion
VLC has limited audio codecs, which include MPEG, mp3, Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, WMA, etc., but it allows you to select the bit depth, number of audio channels, and sample rate of the audio. You can set these parameters to whichever value you want.
MediaHuman Audio Converter
MediaHuman Audio Converter is a free online audio converter for Windows and macOS.
You can work with files in formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, FLAC, Apple Lossless, OGG, AIFF, etc., with up to 32-bit depth. It covers almost every popular audio format and can also export to iTunes/Music.app. Moreover, it works in a streamlined and intuitive way that allows you to organize your files, create folders, and convert multiple audio files simultaneously.
Key Features:
- Small size
The app requires just 45 MB of hard disk space and is available for download for Mac and Windows (32- and 64-bit). - Intuitive workflow
The app allows batch conversion, supports lossless formats, and retains folder structure. For example, you can store the files in the Artist/Album/Title folder structure and add tags to the names for better file organization. The GUI also allows for dark mode. - Disk cover discoverability
The ID3 tags let the app find the album art cover images for audio files with no album art. It finds these missing links online and lets the crawlers find the album art.
Hamster Free Audio Converter
Hamster is a free audio converter software.
It works with all audio formats, including WMA, mp3, OGG, MPC, FLAC, Wave, etc., and is compatible with over 200 smartphone devices. Hamster can also do batch conversions, saving DJs and cover artists a lot of time. However, it’s only compatible with Windows operating system.
Key Features:
- Ease-of-use
The software is highly organized and has a straightforward interface. In addition, it’s available in 20 different languages other than English. - Supports other multimedia as well
You can convert audio from YouTube music and audiobooks as well with Hamster. Lastly, it’s only 5 MB and requires much less hard disk space.
VSDC Free Audio Converter
VSDC is a free audio converter that is fast, efficient, and simple.
It supports many popular audio formats like MP3, Windows Media Audio, Real Audio, Quick Time Audio, Vorbis Audio, AMR, Sun Audio, WAV, FLAC, etc. You can also use VSDC to convert video files to audio files.
Key Features:
- Presets
VSDC has advanced presets to export audio in many different output formats and for various multimedia devices. In addition, the advanced preset management allows you to edit, save, and create presets. - High-resolution audio
The software allows you to download files from the internet and convert them into high-quality outputs. The processing algorithms are sophisticated and of great resolution. - Audio fragments editing
VSDC has a built-in audio editor that lets you delete fragments of the audio from an audio file. - Simple workflow
The intuitive interface makes it easy to convert audio files in just a couple of steps. The overall workflow is rapid, powerful, and easy.
WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory (Audio/Video Converter)
WonderFox is a free HD video converter that lets you convert video files into audio files.
It lets you convert the format of video files into different formats and video files into audio formats like WAV, FLAC, mp3, AC3, AAC, M4A, WMA, etc. It also lets you adjust the bit depth, downmix channels, and normalize your audio files.
Key Features:
- Download files from online sources
You can download videos/songs from Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and 500+ video-sharing applications, in 4K HD, 8K, 1080, and other formats, such that it lets you convert these files into audio files at a fast speed. - Edit videos
You can trim videos and create shorter clips, rotate them, merge multiple them, add logo/watermark, add subtitles, zoom/crop them, and more. .srt and .ass are the acceptable formats of subtitles in the software. Further, you can also adjust video resolution, change the aspect ratio, etc. - Compatible software
Wonderfox is compatible with almost every popular device like Kindle, iPad, Apple TV, Playstation, Xbox, Microsoft Surface, etc.
Freemake Audio Converter
Freemake Audio Converter can convert all major audio formats.
It accepts formats like m4a, mp3, ac3, aac, AIFF, OGG, RA, WAV, WMA, MKA, and many more. It has presets like INSANE and EXTREME that helps you do high-quality mp3 conversions. In addition, lossless formats like WAV, FLAC, WMA, etc., are also compatible with the software.
Key Features:
- Flexibility
The software’s editor is adjustable, providing each format with a profile kit and preset editor. In addition, it enables great preset management by which you can create, save, delete, and edit presets and adjust conversion settings parameters. - Supports batches
You can convert multiple songs together in a single go, which saves a lot of time. For example, if you are a DJ and want to convert multiple audio files, you need not do it individually. - User-friendly interface
Freemake is quite easy to use due to its simple interface and organized workflow. The speed of conversion is fast, and file management is easy. You can also decide on the storage location of the converted audio files.
File ZigZag
File ZigZag is an online file converter that works with documents, audio files, video files, ebooks, images, etc.
A very simple and effective drag-and-drop interface is displayed well on the website’s home page. Once you click the “Browse for files” button, it lets you select files on your system. You can also drag the files from your folder into the website. However, it doesn’t allow more than ten files a day and limits them to a 50 MB of file size.
Key Features:
- Versatile software
File ZigZag lets you convert all sorts of files, whether a png image, a jpeg, an mp3, mp4, CSV, Doc, Docx, EPUB, PDF, etc. - Flexible
The website has 180 file formats and can do more than 3000 file conversions with great quality and precision. In addition, it’s free and online and hence doesn’t have the complications of software installation. - Other features
You can install it as a chrome extension as well. Plus, all files are deleted within 24 hours of conversion, and the conversions are pretty fast and efficient. In addition, the website is secured with McAfee and Norton Secure.
Swich Audio Converter
Swich is a free, fast, and efficient audio converter.
It has almost every audio format, including mp3, AIFF, Wav, FLAC, etc., with the option to do batch conversion and audio normalization. Audio normalization is when we add enough gain or volume to the audio for its peak to 0 dB. It can increase the energy and loudness of the audio. However, the software is only available for Windows.
Key Features:
- Add effects
Switch lets you add effects of equalization and compression to your audio files to manipulate the frequency spectrum of the audio or change its dynamic range. For example, if you want to add more bass to the song, you can do that with the EQ (equalizer). - All formats covered
The software covers over 75 audio file formats, including playlists (M3U and PLS). It also uses tags and an online database to preserve the supporting formats. - Batch conversion
You can convert entire playlists using Switch. This is especially helpful for cover artists who perform in Karaoke and need to convert a batch of audio efficiently. - Other features
Swich allows you to add noise reduction, gain, and other audio effects to your files. You can preview the files during conversion and apply metadata automatically using online sources.
Xilisoft
Xilisoft is a flexible and feature-rich all-in-one audio converter.
It works with audio formats like mp3, WAV, WMA, OGG, etc., and can also extract audio from video files. The video files compatible with the software are AVI, MPEG, MKV, MP4, etc. It saves you time by letting you convert files into batches. In addition, you can also do audio fragmentation, split files, compress audio files to smaller sizes, and more.
Key Features:
- High-speed conversion
The software uses your CPU’s multithreaded and multi-core processing capabilities to do rapid conversions. In addition, the batch conversion option can save you further time and effort. - File tag editing
Xilisoft allows you to adjust the ID3 tag and edit other audio parameters to customize your files per your preferences. - Audio effects
You can create fade-outs, fade-ins, transitions, and volume normalization. In addition, it also allows you to add advanced effects like a bandpass filter, chorus, flanger, delay, speed, etc. - Other features
You can run the audio conversion in the background and put less load on the CPU. The software can also function when your PC is on hibernation or standby. Lastly, it’s available in multiple languages like English, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish.
Bonus Mention:
FFmpeg
FFmpeg is a cross-platform audio and video streaming, conversion, and recording application.
It’s a multimedia framework that lets you play around with any audio or video file format on earth and is functional with Windows, macOS X, BSD, Solaris, etc. It’s essentially a command line tool, built and designed for developers primarily to encode, decode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, and filter multimedia files.
Key Features:
- Secure
The online converter is a safe place to upload your files for conversion; hence, all codes are tested and reviewed to ensure security. - Libraries
FFmpeg consists of various libraries with functions for programming, encoding, decoding, media filters, etc. For example, FFprobe is an audio stream analyzer.
Conclusion
We have covered about thirteen audio converters, including offline and online converters, video to audio converters, audio to audio converters, audio compression tools, etc. The list should give you a comprehensive set of options to choose from.
Movavi Video Converter is a sufficient and comprehensive audio converter that you DJs and consumer audio enthusiasts can use. Apart from that, Audacity is one software that you can learn as an audiophile to not just convert between audio files, but also edit, trim, add effects, etc., to them.
Hope the article was of help. Thank you for reading.
Shaurya Bhatia, is an Indian Music Producer, Composer, Rapper & Performer, who goes by the stage name MC SNUB, and is also 1/2 of the Indian pop music duo, called “babyface”. A certified Audio Engineer & Music Producer, and a practicing musician & rapper for more than 6 years, Shaurya has worked on projects of various genres and has also been a teaching faculty at Spin Gurus DJ Academy.