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CAF to FLAC converter

Convert CAF to FLAC in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

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Other ways to convert CAF

Convert other formats to FLAC

Read more about the CAF format and the FLAC format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert CAF to FLAC?

A lossless move: CAF and FLAC both keep every sample, so the sound is identical and you can convert back at any time.

FLAC also plays in more places: most modern players, Android and recent iPhones; some car stereos and older apps don’t.

CAF is Apple’s professional audio container; FLAC is lossless audio at roughly half the size of WAV. Use FLAC to archive music and recordings you may want to convert again later.

CAF and FLAC compared
Property CAF FLAC
Compression Depends on the codec inside Lossless
Typical quality PCM, AAC or ALAC lossless, 16 or 24-bit
Support Mainly an Apple format Opens almost everywhere
Best for Audio inside Apple apps and iOS development Archiving music and recordings without losing anything
Introduced 2005 2001

How to convert CAF to FLAC

  1. 01

    Add your CAF

    Drop your CAF file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to FLAC. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the FLAC

    Press convert and save the FLAC. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when CAF becomes FLAC

Identical sound

Both formats are lossless, so the audio isn’t changed at all. Only the file size and which apps open it differ.

A one-time engine download

CAF is decoded by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, a 31 MB download the first time. After that it is cached, and the conversion never leaves your device.

The size stays about the same

CAF and FLAC are close in size for the same content, so do this for compatibility rather than to save space. CAF: Depends on the codec inside. FLAC: About 5–7 MB a minute for music.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of CAF and FLAC, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Recordings are often private: interviews, voice notes, unreleased music. Your browser can decode and encode audio itself, so there is no reason to send it anywhere.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the CAF. A CAF can hold uncompressed PCM, AAC or Apple Lossless, so two CAF files of the same length can differ tenfold in size.
  • About the FLAC. FLAC made from an MP3 is lossless only in name: it perfectly preserves an already lossy recording, at five times the size.
  • MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus and FLAC are converted by your browser directly. WMA, AMR, APE, AC3 and the other specialist formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does converting CAF to FLAC lose quality?

No quality is lost converting to FLAC.

Will an FLAC play in my car or on my phone?

FLAC opens almost everywhere: most modern players, Android and recent iPhones; some car stereos and older apps don’t.

Read more about this

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