Audio Converter

Bring Your FLAC Collection to iPhone and Apple Devices Without Losing a Single Sample

Upload your FLAC file and get an ALAC that plays natively in the iPhone Music app, iTunes, Logic Pro, and AirPlay — a true lossless-to-lossless conversion with zero quality change, no third-party app required on any Apple device.

Convert Now

Bring Your FLAC Collection to iPhone and Apple Devices Without Losing a Single Sample

Free Tool

Audio Format Converter

Upload any audio file, choose an output format, and download the converted result. Supports MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, ALAC, WMA, Opus and M4A.

Drop your audio file here

or click to browse

Choose File

Person holding an iPhone showing a music library with album art and AirPods nearby

Play Your CD Rip FLAC Library on iPhone Without a Third-Party App

Convert Now

Play Your CD Rip FLAC Library on iPhone Without a Third-Party App

The iPhone Music app does not support FLAC. Playing FLAC on iPhone requires installing VLC, Flacbox, or another third-party player — and even then the files do not integrate with the native Music library, Siri, CarPlay, or AirPlay. ALAC plays natively in the iPhone Music app, syncs through iTunes or Finder like any Apple audio, and works with every Apple audio feature. Converting FLAC CD rips to ALAC delivers true lossless audio in the iPhone's own player with no extra software.

Convert Now

Audio producer at a MacBook with Logic Pro open and an audio session on screen

Import Your FLAC Masters into Logic Pro as Native Lossless Audio

Try It Now

Import Your FLAC Masters into Logic Pro as Native Lossless Audio

Logic Pro does not import FLAC. Attempting to open a FLAC file in a Logic session results in an unsupported format error. ALAC, however, is a native Logic Pro format — it imports directly, appears in the browser, and can be used as a lossless audio clip in sessions. Music producers, mixing engineers, and podcasters who maintain FLAC master recordings can convert to ALAC for seamless Logic Pro integration without any quality change.

Try It Now

Person in a living room streaming music to an AirPlay speaker from an iPhone

Stream Lossless FLAC-Sourced Audio to HomePod and AirPlay Speakers

See It in Action

Stream Lossless FLAC-Sourced Audio to HomePod and AirPlay Speakers

AirPlay 2 supports lossless ALAC streaming from the Mac Music app to HomePod, HomePod mini, and any AirPlay 2 speaker. FLAC files stored on a Mac do not stream as lossless through AirPlay — they require a third-party server or conversion. Converting FLAC to ALAC and importing into the Mac Music library enables native lossless AirPlay streaming to every speaker in the home without any additional software or server.

See It in Action

How It Works

Three steps to native Apple lossless from your FLAC

Upload your FLAC file

Drop your FLAC file onto the tool or click to browse. CD rips, studio masters, audiophile downloads, and any FLAC audio file are all accepted.

Convert to ALAC

Click "Convert". FFmpeg decodes the FLAC losslessly to PCM and re-encodes it using the Apple Lossless codec — zero quality change between two lossless formats.

Download your ALAC file

Download your .m4a (ALAC) file ready to import into iTunes or Apple Music, sync to iPhone, use in Logic Pro, or stream via AirPlay.

Try It Now

Deep Dive

FLAC to ALAC: Two Lossless Codecs, One Apple-Native Result

FLAC and ALAC are both lossless codecs that store audio without any quality loss. Converting between them produces no quality change — only ecosystem compatibility changes. FLAC is the universal open standard; ALAC is the Apple-native lossless format.

iPhone users, Logic Pro producers, AirPlay listeners, and audiophiles converting FLAC to ALAC

FLAC and ALAC: Both Lossless, Different Ecosystems

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is the open-source lossless standard from Xiph.Org, universally supported by Linux, Roon, Plex, Foobar2000, Audacity, and every non-Apple music platform. ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple's lossless codec, open-sourced in 2011, stored in the .m4a container, and natively supported by every Apple device and application. Converting between them is purely a compatibility operation — no audio information is added or removed.

FLAC supportLinux, Roon, Plex, Foobar2000, VLC, Audacity, every non-Apple platform

ALAC supportiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, AirPlay, Logic Pro, GarageBand, iTunes

Quality changeZero — both are lossless; the conversion is a pure codec swap

Always keep the original FLAC. The ALAC can always be regenerated from it with zero quality loss.

Why iPhone and Logic Pro Do Not Support FLAC Natively

Apple's audio stack is built around its own codec ecosystem: AAC for lossy, ALAC for lossless. FLAC uses a different container format (the Ogg/FLAC container or FLAC native container) that Apple has not integrated into CoreAudio, the framework underlying all Apple audio playback. The iPhone Music app, iTunes, Logic Pro, and GarageBand all recognize .m4a as their native audio format — for both AAC and ALAC — but not the FLAC container. ALAC delivers the same lossless audio in the container Apple expects.

iPhone Music appALAC: native playback. FLAC: not supported — requires VLC or Flacbox

Logic ProALAC: native import. FLAC: unsupported format error on import

iTunes / Apple MusicALAC: recognized and synced. FLAC: not added to library

The Conversion Is Lossless in Both Directions

Converting FLAC to ALAC and then ALAC back to FLAC produces a bit-for-bit identical copy of the original FLAC audio data. There is no generation loss, no rounding error, and no encoding artifact. The two codecs store exactly the same PCM data using different lossless compression algorithms. The file size may differ slightly between FLAC and ALAC depending on the compression ratio each codec achieves for a given recording, but the audio is identical.

FLAC compressionTypically 40 to 60% of uncompressed WAV size; tunable from 0 to 8

ALAC compressionTypically 40 to 60% of uncompressed WAV size; fixed algorithm

Round-tripFLAC -> ALAC -> FLAC produces a bit-identical file to the original

File sizes between FLAC and ALAC are similar but not identical — the compression efficiency varies slightly by recording content.

ALAC vs FLAC: Choosing the Right Lossless Format

Keep FLAC as your long-term archive master — it is the universal lossless standard recognized by every serious audio tool outside Apple. Convert to ALAC when you need the file to work natively in the Apple ecosystem: iPhone Music, iTunes, Logic Pro, AirPlay, CarPlay. For non-Apple lossless workflows — Roon, Plex, Foobar2000, Linux, DAWs other than Logic — FLAC remains the better choice.

Use ALAC foriPhone Music, iTunes, Logic Pro, GarageBand, AirPlay, HomePod, CarPlay, Apple TV

Keep FLAC forRoon, Plex, Foobar2000, Linux players, Audacity, non-Apple archives

Keep bothFLAC as the archive master; ALAC as the Apple-compatible derivative

Our converter uses FFmpeg to decode FLAC losslessly and re-encode using the Apple Lossless codec, producing a standard .m4a (ALAC) file.

Benefits

Why Convert FLAC to ALAC

🍎

Native on Every Apple Device

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, and AirPlay all play ALAC natively in the Music app. No third-party player or codec install required.

✅

Zero Quality Change

FLAC and ALAC are both lossless. Converting between them is a pure codec swap — every sample value is identical to the original FLAC recording.

🎛️

Native in Logic Pro and GarageBand

Logic Pro and GarageBand import ALAC as a native lossless audio format, while FLAC triggers an unsupported format error.

⚡

Fast Conversion

Most FLAC files convert to ALAC in under 30 seconds on dedicated FFmpeg servers.

Who Uses It

Who Converts FLAC to ALAC

Audiophiles bringing CD rip FLAC collections to iPhone, music producers importing FLAC masters into Logic Pro, AirPlay listeners streaming lossless to HomePod, Apple Music subscribers maintaining a lossless local library, and anyone who wants lossless audio in the native iPhone Music app without a third-party player.

Audiophiles, Logic Pro producers, AirPlay users, and iPhone music lovers converting FLAC to ALAC

Audiophiles Putting a FLAC CD Rip Library on iPhone

Audiophiles who rip CDs to FLAC for maximum quality and use an iPhone as their portable player need ALAC to avoid a third-party app. Converting FLAC CD rips to ALAC delivers the same bit-perfect audio in the iPhone's native Music app — with CarPlay integration, Siri track control, and AirPlay support — without any third-party player installed.

QualityFLAC and ALAC from the same CD rip are bit-identical — no quality difference

Music Producers Importing FLAC Masters into Logic Pro

Logic Pro supports ALAC as a native audio format and rejects FLAC with an unsupported format error. Producers who maintain FLAC masters — studio recordings, sample libraries, archival tracks — can convert to ALAC for direct Logic Pro import. Sessions, sample libraries, and Flex Time references built from ALAC start from the same lossless audio as the original FLAC.

Logic ProALAC imports natively; FLAC produces unsupported format error on import

AirPlay and HomePod Users Streaming Lossless from Mac

The Mac Music app streams ALAC to HomePod and AirPlay 2 speakers as lossless audio. FLAC files are not recognized by the Mac Music library, so they cannot be streamed via AirPlay from the native app. Converting FLAC to ALAC and adding to the Mac Music library enables native lossless AirPlay streaming throughout the home.

AirPlay 2 losslessALAC streams from Mac Music app to HomePod and AirPlay 2 devices as lossless

Apple Music Lossless Subscribers Standardizing Their Local Library

Apple Music's lossless tier delivers ALAC. Subscribers who also have a local FLAC library from CD rips or audiophile downloads can convert to ALAC to create a single unified lossless library format that Apple Music recognizes and manages consistently — without mixing FLAC files that require a workaround with ALAC files that sync natively.

GarageBand Users Sampling from a FLAC Library

GarageBand for macOS imports ALAC audio files for use as loops, samples, and backing tracks. FLAC files are not supported in GarageBand. Musicians who want to sample their lossless FLAC library in a GarageBand project can convert to ALAC for direct import without any intermediate bounce step.

iPhone Users Who Want Lossless Without a Third-Party App

Playing FLAC on iPhone requires installing VLC, Flacbox, or another third-party app. These apps do not integrate with Siri, CarPlay, AirPlay, or the native Now Playing widget. ALAC plays in the built-in Music app with full iOS integration — lock screen controls, CarPlay display, Siri requests, AirPlay routing, and Apple Watch sync all work exactly as they do with any other Apple Music content.

Apple integrationsCarPlay, Siri, AirPlay, Apple Watch, lock screen controls — all native with ALAC

Converts using FFmpeg on dedicated servers.

Convert Your File Now

Related Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting FLAC to ALAC change the audio quality?

No. Both FLAC and ALAC are lossless codecs. Converting between them is a pure codec swap — FFmpeg decodes the FLAC losslessly to PCM and re-encodes it using the Apple Lossless algorithm. Every sample value in the ALAC is identical to the original FLAC. Converting ALAC back to FLAC would produce a bit-for-bit identical file to the original.

Why does iPhone not play FLAC in the native Music app?

Apple's audio stack (CoreAudio) is built around the MPEG-4 container and its own codec ecosystem. The iPhone Music app, iTunes, and Apple Music recognize the .m4a container for both AAC (lossy) and ALAC (lossless), but not the FLAC container format. ALAC delivers the same lossless audio in an .m4a container that the Music app and every Apple audio framework natively supports.

Will the ALAC file sync to my iPhone through iTunes or Finder?

Yes. ALAC files are standard .m4a files and are fully recognized by iTunes on Windows and Finder on macOS for iPhone sync. They appear in the Music app as lossless tracks and work with all native iOS audio features including CarPlay, Siri, AirPlay, and the Apple Watch sync.

Is ALAC supported in Logic Pro?

Yes. Logic Pro imports ALAC (.m4a) as a native lossless audio format. FLAC is not supported by Logic Pro and triggers an unsupported format error on import. ALAC files from a FLAC conversion import directly into Logic sessions without any additional step.

Should I keep the FLAC after converting to ALAC?

Yes. Keep the FLAC as your long-term archive master. It is the universal lossless standard recognized by Roon, Plex, Foobar2000, Audacity, and every non-Apple audio tool. The ALAC is the Apple-compatible derivative for iPhone, iTunes, and Logic Pro. ALAC can always be regenerated from the FLAC with zero quality loss.

Is there a file size limit?

The upload limit is 100 MB per file. Most FLAC audio tracks are well within this limit.

Get Started Free

Ready to Convert Your FLAC to ALAC?

Upload your lossless FLAC above and get an Apple-native ALAC in seconds.