Top 13 Best Free MP3 Converter for Windows & Mac (Concise Guide 2023)

We see people asking what is the best MP3 converter in various situations all the time. MP3 is always a solid pick when changing audio format. After all, it's the most widely used audio file format. So, here we make this list of the best free MP3 converters for different uses. When picking and testing these MP3 converters, we considered ease of use, conversion speed, and output quality.

Whether you are a musician aiming to share your tunes, a podcaster looking to broaden your reach, or just someone keen on converting a couple of audio files for personal use, these converters can help. Without further ado, let's dive into the best free MP3 converters you can grab right now.

1. VideoProc Converter AI

Best As: Overall Best MP3 Converter. Perfect balance between functionality and ease of use. Suitable for people looking for a simple, stable, yet versatile audio converter for daily use.

Supported OS: Windows and Mac

VideoProc Converter AI is a versatile video processing software that comes with a built-in MP3 converter. Its interface is quite intuitive. Even novice users will find it's quite easy to use.

The software allows converting more than 420+ video and audio file formats to MP3. You can adjust various parameters before outputting the MP3 file to get the desired quality and size, including bitrate, sample rate, and channels.

With its unique advanced algorithms, VideoProc Converter AI ensures that the quality of the converted MP3 file is as close to the original as possible. The batch conversion feature can save you a lot of time and effort when converting multiple files. Despite being a commercial tool, this MP3 converter for Windows and macOS includes a free trial so you may try it out before buying.

Pros:

• Simple and intuitive interface
• Quality-oriented MP3 conversion and other formats like FLAC, AAC, M4A, WAV, etc.
• Customizable settings, including overall quality, sample rate, bitrate, metadata, etc.
• Batch conversion; MP3 metadata editor; The best MP4 to MP3 converter
• Fast conversion with GPU acceleration
• Online to MP3 converter PC, compressor, editor, recorder

Cons:

• While VideoProc Converter AI does offer a free version for files under 5 minutes, the full version is a paid software. Since songs now average 3.5 minutes and are steadily shrinking, you can convert your music and songs from or to MP3 for free with VideoProc Converter AI.

2. MediaMonkey

Best As: Best Free MP3 Converter for Windows 10. Powerful media management software with conversion utilities. Suitable for serious music collectors who need to do the conversion occasionally.

Supported OS: Windows and Android

MediaMonkey is a popular audio player for Windows, but it also serves as the best free MP3 converter for Windows 10. In addition to organizing and managing media files in your library, this software can convert them to various formats if necessary, including MP3, OGG, WAV, FLAC, etc.

However, for MP3 conversion, customizable MP3 settings require a gold license. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with the default MP3 conversion settings, which include a time-limited LAME MP3 encoder. Besides, if you want to convert AAC, H.264, or MPEG4 files, you'll need an additional codec pack for 11.95 USD.

Pros:

• Reliable and powerful music manager with automatic tag editor
• Various audio conversion formats, including MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc.
• Professional-quality CD ripping
• Additional add-ons to customize and extend software features

Cons:

• It requires 32/64-bit Windows 10/11 and has no support for other operating systems.
• The standard version only includes a time-limited LAME MP3 encoder.
• Advanced MP3 settings require a gold license, which costs $29.95.

3. MediaHuman Audio Converter

Best As: MP3 Converter Free Download. iTunes/Music.app support. Suitable for music fans in need of automatic CUE splitting.

Supported OS: Windows and Mac

MediaHuman Audio Converter is a widely-praised audio conversion software among Windows and Mac users. It provides various customizable attributes to help get your desired MP3 output. You can change the bitrate mode, sample rate, channels, etc. Besides MP3, this program can change audio formats to many others, such as AAC, AC3, WAV, AIFF, and more.

In addition to MP3 conversion, MediaHuman Audio Converter offers premium features to add effects and enable file naming by tags. And its built-in CUE splitter is also loved by many music fans.

Pros:

• Clean and easy-to-navigate user interface
• Splits lossless tracks by CUE sheet
• Batch conversion capabilities

Cons:

• The premium version is required for audio effects like fade-in, fade-out, trim, etc.
• The feature for file naming by tags requires the premium.
• Users report it's not very good at converting a large number of files (like 500 tracks at once).

4. FFmpeg

Best As: One of the Best MP3 Converter Programs. A robust and comprehensive cross-platform solution with ultra flexibility. Suitable for tech-savvies with expertise in command line tools.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux

FFmpeg is a free and open-source program for video and audio processing. As the swiss army knife of media conversion, it can convert audio files between various formats, including MP3. With FFmpeg, you can customize the output settings, such as the bitrate, sample rate, and channel layout. It packs so many new encoders, decoders, and filters to meet your MP3 conversion needs.

However, FFmpeg may not be the best option for everyone since it's a command-line tool. All the FFmpeg commands and documentation can be complicated for beginners. But for those comfortable using the command line, FFmpeg can be one of the best MP3 converter programs.

Pros:

• Free, open-source, and powerful
• Extensive format support, including MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, etc.
• Customizable output settings, including codec, bitrate, sample rate, filters, etc.

Cons:

• A command-line tool without GUI
• The steep learning curve for beginners

5. Audacity

Best As: Best MP3 Converter with Recording and Editing Features. Perfect for podcasters, musicians, and audio enthusiasts with sound editing needs and familiar with multi-track tools.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, other Unix-like systems

Audacity is popular among many audio enthusiasts and podcasters, although there is still debate about whether it's a DAW. It's a free and open-source audio editing and recording software. Apart from that, it allows users to change or customize the output file format, including MP3. The most striking difference is its waveform display. So compared with other free MP3 converters on this list, Audacity provides more editing features like normalizing and fading.

Pros:

• Customizable metadata tags and labels
• Rich audio editing options like volume, compression, fading, pitch, filters, etc.
• A large array of plug-ins

Cons:

• Slightly more complex than other pure audio converters
• Not a very convenient batch conversion feature
• Does not support AAC, AC3, and WMA coding format natively (FFmpeg library required)

6. fre:ac

Best As: Best Free MP3 Converter for Mac with multi-core optimized encoders. Perfect for CD collectors on Mac systems who don't mind the cluttered UI and a bit of a learning curve.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD

Fre:ac is a lightweight and free MP3 converter program and CD ripper. It's a program for just over 7MB. Besides MP3, this program allows you to convert audio files between various formats, including ALAC, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Bonk formats, and more. You can use the presets in the program or the customizable options to get the outputs you want. Fre:ac provides settings like encoder, overall quality, and filters.

Compared to other MP3 audio converters for Mac, it may not have as many advanced features. And the windows-98 style interface looks quite outdated. Overall, fre:ac is a great option for anyone who needs a simple and reliable audio converter and CD ripper without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

Pros:

• Support most common audio formats
• Rip audio CDs to MP3 or M4A files for use with various hardware players
• Make use of multi-core CPUs
• Provide full support for the Unicode character set

Cons:

• Can't easily edit file names
• Potential high CPU usage
• All gray and Windows-98 style UI

7. Switch Audio File Converter Software

Best As: Free MP3 Converter for Windows with RAW format support. Suitable for users seeking reliable audio conversions with no need for a (paid) MP3 tag editor.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Android

Switch Audio File Converter is a commercial software developed by NCH Software. As the name suggests, its main feature is to convert audio files. When it comes down to format support, you can convert audio files from or to MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more. In addition to the key audio formats, it also supports the RAW format. The Windows version also provides the feature of audio to .txt to generate a rough approximation of the words spoken in an audio file.

Pros:

• Simple and easy-to-use interface
• Customizable options of bitrate, metadata, channels, volume, and effects

Cons:

• Limited batch conversion of five audio files at a time with the free trial version
• The free trial version does not include all common audio file formats.
• Audio to video conversion with NCH watermark; MP3 tag editor requires a paid version.
• Can't choose the installation path
• Can't easily edit file names

8. VLC Media Player

Best As: Media player with audio to MP3 converter. The first choice for individuals who do not want to download other audio conversion programs and only have occasional conversion needs.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS…

VLC Media Player is a very popular multimedia player. In addition to playing most multimedia files, VLC also provides features like editing video files and format conversion. It has some output presets for audio, including OGG, MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc. This makes it an audio to MP3 converter program for users who need to convert their MP3 files to other formats or vice versa. You can also set bitrate, channels, and sample rate. But VLC does not provide options to edit metadata.

Pros:

• Free and open-source
• Basic MP3 conversion features
• Customizable bitrate, channels, and sample rate

Cons:

• Limited audio format support
• No options to edit metadata
• Not as advanced as other dedicated audio conversion software

9. Foobar2000

Best As: Best MP3 Converter Free for Windows 10. Advanced audio player with conversion utilities. Ideal for audiophiles and music enthusiasts who don't need batch conversion very often.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Foobar2000 (fb2k or f2k) is a freeware media player, but its conversion capabilities give it a place on this list of the best free MP3 converters. With the converter component installed, you'll find the converter functionality in the context menu. foobar2000 provides a free encoder pack to support various popular formats, such as MP3, AAC, CD Audio, WMA, FLAC, WavPack, and more. Going further into the encoder settings, you can set attributes like bit rate mode, format, quality, bit depth, etc.

Features even more popular among audiophiles include support for ripping Audio CDs, DSP effects, and tagging capabilities. Even better, if you are tech-savvy, foobar2000 also allows third-party components to expand functionality.

Pros:

• Freeware with 3-clause BSD license
• Allow third-party components to extend functionality
• Support gapless playback and tagging capabilities

Cons:

• Require external command-line encoders for converting to many supported formats.
• You may need to install its free encoder pack manually to support MP3 conversion.

10. Zamzar

Best As: Best free MP3 converter website. Offer basic audio conversion with no customizable attributes. Ideal for users seeking a quick and web-based solution without the need for software downloads.

Supported OS: Web

Zamzar is our choice for one of the best free MP3 converter sites. This online converter has a clear and simple interface. You can use it without any instructions. Zamzar supports the conversion of MP3 files from a wide range of audio formats, including WAV, FLAC, AAC, and WMA, among others.

However, like most online tools, Zamzar has a limitation on file size. You can only convert audio files under 50 MB with the free plan. Besides that, Zamzar doesn't offer customizable MP3 settings either. But overall, it's ideal for users who need to convert audio files to MP3 format on the go.

Pros:

• Clean and intuitive interface
• Wide range of supported formats, including MP3, MP4, FLAC, etc.
• Batch conversion supported

Cons:

• Internet connection required
• Limited file size for free accounts (50 MB)
• Potential loss of metadata

11. Online Audio Converter

Best As: Best free MP3 converter online with metadata editing support. Ideal for users seeking a quick and feature-rich audio converter without the installation hassle.

Supported OS: Web

Online Audio Converter is another best free MP3 converter online you can use directly in your browser. Compared with other online audio converters, it offers a series of advanced features, including output quality, bitrate mode, sample rate, channels, and effects. You can even edit track info as a non-registered user. However, based on our test, you'll see a prompt window saying "Server connection interrupted" very often when editing metadata.

Pros:

• Online audio converter with no software installation
• Relatively higher file size limits and operations per day

Cons:

• Annoying misleading ads on the page
• Potential crashes when editing metadata
• Time-consuming uploading and downloading process

12. All Audio Converter

Best As: Best free MP3 converter for Android. Perfect for Android users seeking a versatile audio tool with features like cutting, merging, and batch processing in a user-friendly interface.

Supported OS: Android

All Audio Converter is a free mobile application that can help convert audio files from one format to another. Its user-friendly interface makes it straightforward to convert audio files between MP3, AAC, M4A, OGG, WAV, and WMA. This MP3 music converter APK also comes with the batch conversion feature, so that you can convert multiple files at once. Overall, All Audio Converter could be the best free MP3 converter for Android.

Pros:

• Simple and intuitive interface
• Support various audio formats, including MP3, AAC, M4A, OGG, and WAV
• Editing features available

Cons:

• Limited file formats supported with the free version
• In-app ads

13. MP3 Converter -Audio Extractor

Best As: Best free MP3 converter for iPhone. Ideal for Apple users seeking a fast and versatile solution for video to MP3 conversion and enhancement.

Supported OS: iOS

MP3 Converter is our pick for the best free MP3 converter app for iPhone. It's available for iOS and iPadOS devices. With this app, you can easily convert any video and audio files to MP3 and save them to your Apple devices. Like any other MP3 converter iPhone, it is designed to be easy to use. Besides converting audio files, it also provides batch conversion and some basic editing features. After the post-processing, you can even quickly set the converted file as ringtones.

Pros:

• Easy to use even for novice users
• Support most video and audio formats
• Quick editing and denoising features

Cons:

• Limit time and format supports with the free version
• In-app ads with the free version

Conclusion

So this is all about the best free MP3 converters. We've compiled a list of some of the top to convert MP3 files on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and online.

VideoProc Converter AI is highly recommended for its ease of use, output quality, and conversion speed. It's user-friendly and supports various audio and video formats, including MP3, M4A, FLAC, MP4, MOV, etc. You can also customize the audio settings to get the desired sound quality.

Make your choice based on your needs. And feel free to download VideoProc Converter AI and see what I mean for yourself.

FAQ

What is the most reliable MP3 Converter?

VideoProc Converter AI could be the best MP3 converter for many users, considering factors like ease of use, conversion speed, and output quality. The intuitive UI makes it simple to use even for novices. A veteran can also get the desired sound quality with its support for various formats and customizable settings.

How can I convert songs to MP3 for free?

You can easily convert audio from or to MP3 with VideoProc Converter AI. After installing the program, launch it and add your music by dragging and dropping. Then select MP3 as the output format. Change the MP3 settings if needed. Then you can start converting your audio files to MP3 by clicking the RUN button.