Best Audio Format for Podcasts: MP3 vs AAC vs WAV vs FLAC

You have spent hours recording, editing, and polishing your podcast episode. Now you are staring at your export dialog, wondering which audio format to choose — and suddenly realizing that the decision matters more than you thought. Pick the wrong format and you risk massive file sizes that eat your hosting bandwidth, poor compatibility with major platforms, or audio quality that makes your listeners reach for the volume dial.

The good news is that the podcast industry has largely converged on a few well-tested options, and once you understand what each format is actually doing to your audio, the right choice becomes obvious. This guide breaks down every major audio format — MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and OGG — so you can make a confident, informed decision for both recording and distributing your show.

At a Glance

If you need a single, definitive answer before diving into the details: use MP3 at 128 kbps for mono podcasts or 192 kbps for stereo. MP3 is the universal format supported by every podcast platform, every podcast app, every RSS reader, and every device on earth. It produces small, streamable files without any perceptible quality loss for speech-focused content.

That said, your workflow involves more than just the final distribution file. You should be recording and editing in a lossless format (WAV or FLAC) and only converting to MP3 as the very last step before uploading. The rest of this guide explains exactly why, and how to set up that workflow for your show.

Understanding Audio Compression: Why It Matters for Podcasts

Before comparing formats head-to-head, it helps to understand what audio compression actually does. There are two types: lossless and lossy.

Lossless compression (WAV, FLAC) preserves every bit of the original audio signal. The file can be perfectly reconstructed with no data removed. Lossy compression (MP3, AAC, OGG) discards audio information that human hearing is statistically unlikely to notice — high frequencies, sounds masked by louder sounds, and other psychoacoustic details.

For music production, the difference between lossless and high-quality lossy can be meaningful. For podcasting — where the content is primarily human speech — the difference becomes nearly inaudible at any reasonable bitrate. This is why podcast producers can confidently distribute in lossy formats without sacrificing listener experience.

Format Breakdown

MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III)

MP3 turned 30 years old and it still rules the podcast world. That longevity is no accident — MP3 achieves an exceptional balance between file size, audio quality, and compatibility that no other format has fully displaced for distribution purposes.

How it works: MP3 uses psychoacoustic modeling to identify and remove audio information that the human ear is unlikely to detect. At 128 kbps mono, a one-hour podcast episode comes in around 55 MB — small enough to stream comfortably on mobile data and fast enough to download on any connection.

Pros:

• Universal compatibility — supported by literally every podcast platform, player, and device
• Mature ecosystem with excellent encoder support (LAME encoder produces outstanding results)
• Widely understood bitrate standards in the podcasting community
• Metadata support via ID3 tags for episode titles, show art, and descriptions
• Excellent quality-to-file-size ratio for speech content

Cons:

• Lossy compression means some audio information is permanently discarded
• Older codec compared to AAC — slightly less efficient at the same bitrate
• Joint stereo encoding can sometimes cause subtle artifacts on music-heavy content
• Not suitable as an editing/archival format

Best for: Final distribution to all podcast platforms and listeners.

AAC / M4A (Advanced Audio Coding)

AAC was designed as the official successor to MP3 and delivers noticeably better audio quality at the same bitrate — meaning smaller files with equivalent perceived quality. It is the native format for Apple's ecosystem and is used by iTunes, Apple Music, and Apple Podcasts internally.

How it works: AAC uses more sophisticated psychoacoustic modeling than MP3 and supports a wider range of bitrates and channel configurations. An AAC file at 96 kbps can sound comparable to an MP3 at 128 kbps, which translates to roughly 25% smaller files for the same quality level.

Pros:

• Superior audio quality compared to MP3 at equivalent bitrates
• Natively supported by Apple Podcasts and most modern platforms
• Better low-bitrate performance (important for listeners on slow connections)
• Supports HE-AAC (High Efficiency AAC) for very low bitrate streaming
• M4A container supports chapters, which many podcast apps can display

Cons:

• Not universally supported — some older devices and players struggle with it
• Slightly less widespread than MP3 in third-party podcast apps
• The M4A container (MPEG-4 Audio) can cause confusion with M4V video files
• Encoding quality varies more between software implementations than MP3

Best for: Apple-focused podcast distribution, shows with chapter markers, or when file size is a critical concern.

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)

WAV is the workhorse of audio production. It stores uncompressed PCM audio data with no quality loss whatsoever, which is exactly what you want when you are recording, editing, and processing your podcast episodes. A one-hour stereo WAV at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit comes in around 600 MB.

How it works: WAV files store raw audio samples in a simple container. There is no compression algorithm involved — what gets recorded is what gets stored, bit for bit. This makes WAV files enormous compared to compressed formats, but also completely immune to generation loss.

Pros:

• Zero quality loss — perfect fidelity to the original recording
• Universally supported by all DAWs (GarageBand, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, etc.)
• Simple, widely understood format with no patent or licensing concerns
• Ideal for archiving and as a master file for future reprocessing
• No encoding/decoding overhead during editing

Cons:

• Massive file sizes make it impractical for distribution
• Not suitable for podcast hosting due to storage and bandwidth costs
• Most podcast platforms have file size limits that WAV files regularly exceed
• Limited metadata support compared to MP3's ID3 tags

Best for: Recording, editing, mixing, and archiving your podcast. Never for distribution. If you need to convert your WAV recordings to a distribution-ready format, our WAV converter hub handles the conversion quickly and cleanly.

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

FLAC gives you the best of both worlds between WAV and lossy formats: it compresses audio losslessly, meaning you can perfectly reconstruct the original signal, but files are roughly 50-60% smaller than equivalent WAV files. A one-hour stereo recording at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit in FLAC lands around 250-350 MB.

How it works: FLAC uses a linear prediction algorithm to identify patterns in the audio signal, encoding only the differences between samples rather than the full sample values. The decompression process is perfectly reversible — no information is discarded.

Pros:

• Lossless quality with significantly smaller files than WAV
• Open-source with no licensing restrictions
• Excellent archival format — better than WAV for long-term storage
• Supported by most professional DAWs and audio tools
• Maintains full fidelity through multiple rounds of editing

Cons:

• Not supported by Apple devices natively (no playback in iTunes or Apple Podcasts)
• Poor podcast platform support — most hosting services do not accept FLAC
• Not streamable in most podcast apps
• Still significantly larger than MP3 or AAC for distribution purposes

Best for: Archiving finished, mixed episodes before the final MP3/AAC conversion. If you receive audio in FLAC format from contributors or music vendors, our FLAC converter hub can prepare it for your podcast production workflow. For a detailed comparison of FLAC versus MP3 quality trade-offs, see our guide on FLAC vs MP3 differences.

OGG Vorbis

OGG Vorbis is an open-source, patent-free audio codec that delivers quality roughly comparable to AAC at similar bitrates. It was widely championed in the early 2000s as a free alternative to MP3 and AAC, and it remains the default audio format for many Linux environments.

How it works: Vorbis uses a combination of the modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) and psychoacoustic modeling similar to AAC. The OGG container format wraps the Vorbis stream along with metadata.

Pros:

• Completely free and open-source with no patent restrictions
• Good audio quality at moderate bitrates
• Supported on Android and most Linux-based systems

Cons:

• Poor native support on Apple devices and iTunes ecosystem
• Not accepted by most podcast hosting platforms
• Limited podcast app support makes it a risky choice for distribution
• Smaller encoder ecosystem than MP3 or AAC

Best for: Essentially nothing in podcast production. OGG Vorbis does not offer enough advantages over MP3 or AAC to justify the compatibility trade-offs. Mention it only so you know to avoid it.

Format Comparison Table

| Format | Type | Quality | File Size (1hr mono) | Compatibility | Best Use Case | |--------|------|---------|----------------------|---------------|---------------| | MP3 | Lossy | Very Good | ~55 MB (128 kbps) | Universal | Distribution | | AAC/M4A | Lossy | Excellent | ~42 MB (96 kbps) | Very Good | Apple-focused distribution | | WAV | Lossless | Perfect | ~300 MB | Universal (DAWs) | Recording & editing | | FLAC | Lossless | Perfect | ~150 MB | Limited | Archiving masters | | OGG | Lossy | Good | ~45 MB (96 kbps) | Poor | Avoid for podcasts |

Platform Compatibility Table

Understanding which platforms accept which formats is critical before you commit to a distribution format. The table below reflects current platform requirements as of early 2026.

| Platform | MP3 | AAC/M4A | WAV | FLAC | OGG | Notes | |----------|-----|---------|-----|------|-----|-------| | Apple Podcasts | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Recommends MP3 or AAC | | Spotify | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Recommends MP3 | | Amazon Music | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | MP3 preferred | | Google Podcasts* | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Now redirects to YouTube Music | | YouTube Music | Yes | Yes | Limited | No | No | Via RSS feed | | iHeartRadio | Yes | Limited | No | No | No | MP3 strongly preferred | | Pocket Casts | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | App-side compatibility | | Overcast | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Apple ecosystem app | | Stitcher | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | MP3 preferred | | Podbean | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | WAV auto-converted | | Buzzsprout | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | WAV/AIFF auto-converted | | Anchor/Spotify for Podcasters | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Converts on upload | | RSS.com | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | MP3 strongly preferred |

*Google Podcasts shut down in 2024. Existing content migrated to YouTube Music.

The pattern is clear: MP3 works everywhere, AAC works almost everywhere, and everything else is a gamble. If your podcast reaches listeners through a diverse mix of platforms and apps — which nearly all shows do — MP3 is the only format that guarantees zero compatibility issues.

Recording vs. Distribution: Two Different Workflows

One of the most common mistakes podcasters make is treating recording and distribution as the same problem. They are not, and conflating them leads to either poor audio quality (recording in MP3) or impractical file sizes (distributing in WAV).

Your recording and editing workflow should use lossless formats:

When you record your podcast, you want WAV. Your DAW — whether that is Audacity, GarageBand, Logic Pro, Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, or Reaper — works best with uncompressed audio. Every edit, cut, fade, noise reduction pass, and compression plugin operates on the raw audio data. Running these processes on an already-lossy MP3 file means you are processing degraded audio, which can introduce audible artifacts especially during noise reduction.

Your distribution file should use MP3 (or AAC for Apple-centric shows):

Once your episode is fully mixed and mastered, you export a single final MP3 file for upload to your podcast host. This conversion happens once, at the end, using the highest-quality encoder settings available. If you use our audio converter for this step, you can process files quickly and reliably with clean output.

Recommended Podcast Production Workflow

Here is the complete, optimized workflow from microphone to listener:

Step 1: Record in WAV Configure your DAW or recording software to capture audio at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, 16-bit (or 24-bit for higher headroom during editing). Record each speaker as a separate track if possible.

Step 2: Edit in your DAW Import all WAV files into your project. Cut, arrange, add music beds, apply noise reduction, normalize levels, and apply compression. Work entirely within the lossless domain at this stage.

Step 3: Mix and Master Export your mixed episode as a WAV or FLAC master file. This is your archive — keep it forever. 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo for music-heavy shows; 44.1 kHz, 16-bit mono for speech-only shows.

Step 4: Convert to distribution format Take your WAV/FLAC master and convert it to MP3 (or AAC). This is the only time you introduce lossy compression. Use the bitrate recommendations in the next section. Our audio converter makes this step straightforward.

Step 5: Tag and upload Add your ID3 metadata (episode title, show name, episode number, description, cover art) to the MP3 before uploading. Most podcast hosts allow metadata editing in their web interface as well, but embedding it in the file ensures it travels with the audio.

If you have a backlog of raw video recordings from interviews conducted over video calls, you will want to extract the audio before starting this workflow — see our guide on how to convert MP4 to MP3 for a fast way to handle that. For shows with large episode archives to process, batch converting files can save hours of repetitive work.

Bitrate Guide for Podcasts

Bitrate directly controls the trade-off between audio quality and file size in lossy formats like MP3 and AAC. Here is a practical guide to choosing the right bitrate for your show.

| Content Type | MP3 Bitrate | AAC Bitrate | File Size (1hr) | When to Use | |--------------|-------------|-------------|-----------------|-------------| | Speech mono | 64 kbps | 48 kbps | ~28 MB (MP3) | Minimal file size, acceptable quality | | Speech mono | 96 kbps | 72 kbps | ~41 MB (MP3) | Good balance for talk-only shows | | Speech mono (recommended) | 128 kbps | 96 kbps | ~55 MB (MP3) | Best practice for most podcasts | | Speech stereo | 128 kbps | 96 kbps | ~55 MB (MP3) | Stereo talk shows | | Speech + music stereo | 192 kbps | 128 kbps | ~83 MB (MP3) | Shows with music beds or soundscapes | | Music-heavy stereo | 256 kbps | 192 kbps | ~110 MB (MP3) | Music interview shows | | Audiophile/archival | 320 kbps | 256 kbps | ~138 MB (MP3) | Maximum quality MP3 distribution |

Key recommendations:

• 128 kbps mono MP3 is the industry standard for most talk podcasts. It is what Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most hosting providers recommend.
• Do not encode below 96 kbps for speech — the compression artifacts become noticeable, especially on voices with sibilance (heavy "s" sounds).
• Stereo is rarely necessary for talk podcasts since human speech is a mono signal. Recording in mono (or mixing down to mono) cuts your file size in half without any perceptible quality loss.
• Variable bitrate (VBR) encoding can reduce file sizes by 10-20% compared to constant bitrate (CBR) at equivalent quality, but some older podcast apps have playback issues with VBR. For maximum compatibility, use CBR.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does audio format actually affect podcast listener experience?

For most listeners on most platforms, the format itself is invisible — they just press play. What affects their experience is audio quality, which is determined by your recording environment, microphone quality, and how well you have mixed your episode. A well-recorded 128 kbps MP3 sounds dramatically better than a poorly-recorded 320 kbps MP3. Focus on your recording quality first, format second.

Should I use mono or stereo for my podcast?

Mono is the right choice for the vast majority of podcasts. Human speech is a fundamentally mono signal — your voice comes from one source (your mouth) and does not benefit meaningfully from stereo width. Converting a talk podcast to mono cuts your file size in half and ensures consistent playback whether listeners use one earbud, a Bluetooth speaker, or their phone's single speaker. Reserve stereo for podcasts with significant music content, sound design, or immersive audio elements.

Can I upload WAV files directly to podcast hosting platforms?

Some platforms like Buzzsprout and Podbean do accept WAV uploads and convert them automatically on their servers. However, this is not a recommended practice for a few reasons: WAV files are large and slow to upload on slower connections, the platform's automatic conversion may not use optimal settings, and you lose control over the encoding process. You are better off converting to MP3 yourself before uploading. Use an audio converter to maintain full control over the output quality.

What is the difference between MP3 and MP4 audio?

This is a common point of confusion. MP3 is a pure audio format. MP4 (or MPEG-4) is a container format that can hold video, audio, subtitles, and other data. When an MP4 file contains only audio (no video), it is often saved with the .m4a extension — this is AAC audio inside the MP4 container. So "MP4 audio" is effectively AAC/M4A, not MP3. They are separate codecs with different characteristics, as described in the format breakdown section above.

Why do some podcast platforms say they prefer MP3 even though they accept AAC?

Platforms recommend MP3 because it is the lowest common denominator — every possible podcast app and device can play it without question. AAC is technically superior but has a small tail of older devices and apps that struggle with it. When a platform publishes a single recommendation for all their publishers, they choose the format that will never cause compatibility issues. If you are producing for a known, modern audience, AAC is a perfectly legitimate choice.

How should I handle podcast episodes that include music?

If your show features significant music content — live performances, music interviews, or extensive licensed music beds — you should bump your bitrate to at least 192 kbps stereo MP3 or 128 kbps stereo AAC. Music reveals MP3 compression artifacts more readily than speech does, particularly in the high-frequency range (cymbals, acoustic guitars, violin strings). Some musicians and music journalists also prefer to offer a higher-quality download link in addition to the standard streaming version for listeners who want the best possible audio.

Can I use FLAC for podcast distribution?

Technically, you can host a FLAC file on a server and link to it. But in practice, FLAC is not a viable podcast distribution format. No major podcast directory accepts FLAC, most podcast apps cannot play it, and Apple devices cannot play it natively at all. Even if a small subset of your audience could access a FLAC file, the massive file sizes would strain your hosting bandwidth and your listeners' storage. Keep FLAC as your internal archival format and convert to MP3 for everything your listeners touch. The FLAC converter hub makes the conversion to MP3 straightforward when you are ready to publish.

MP3 Encoding Quality: Choosing the Right Encoder

Not all MP3 files are equal, even at the same bitrate. The encoder software you use to create the MP3 has a significant impact on the actual audio quality. The LAME encoder (Lame Ain't an MP3 Encoder) is widely considered the gold standard for MP3 encoding and is used internally by most professional audio software.

When you export from Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, or use a dedicated conversion tool, you are almost always using LAME or a similarly high-quality encoder. Where you should be cautious is with online conversion tools that use lower-quality encoders, or when converting from one lossy format to another (for example, converting an AAC file to MP3). That second scenario — lossy to lossy conversion — should be avoided whenever possible because it stacks compression artifacts from both encoding passes.

If you need to convert existing MP3 episodes to a different format or bitrate, use our MP3 converter hub to ensure clean output with proper encoder settings. And if you need to process a season's worth of episodes at once, the batch conversion guide will walk you through an efficient approach.

A Note on Sample Rate and Bit Depth

Beyond format and bitrate, two other settings appear in your export dialog: sample rate and bit depth.

Sample rate measures how many audio samples are captured per second. 44,100 Hz (44.1 kHz) is the standard for music and podcasts and provides full fidelity up to 22 kHz — well beyond the 20 kHz upper limit of human hearing. 48 kHz is the standard for video production. Either works for podcasting; 44.1 kHz is marginally more common in the podcast world.

Bit depth determines the dynamic range of the audio — the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds. 16-bit audio provides 96 dB of dynamic range, which is ample for podcasting. 24-bit (144 dB) is useful during recording and editing to provide headroom for processing, but you should export your final distribution MP3 at 16-bit, which is what the MP3 standard natively handles anyway.

For practical purposes: record at 44.1 kHz / 24-bit for editing headroom, mix down to 44.1 kHz / 16-bit WAV as your master, then encode to 128 kbps mono MP3 for distribution.

Conclusion

The podcast audio format question has a cleaner answer than most technical decisions: record in WAV, archive in FLAC, distribute in MP3. This three-part workflow gives you the highest possible quality at every stage of production while delivering a final file that works everywhere without friction.

MP3 at 128 kbps mono remains the right choice for the overwhelming majority of podcasts. It has universal platform support, produces manageable file sizes, and delivers audio quality that is genuinely indistinguishable from the original for speech content at any reasonable listening volume. AAC is a legitimate alternative if you are heavily focused on the Apple ecosystem or if bandwidth and storage costs are a significant concern.

What you should never do is record or edit in a lossy format, distribute in WAV (unless your host auto-converts), or use OGG or FLAC for your published episodes. The format decisions at the distribution stage matter far less than the quality of your recording environment, your microphone, and your editing craft — but getting the technical foundation right means you will never have to revisit this decision as your show grows.

If you need to convert recordings between formats at any point in your workflow, our audio converter handles WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC, and a wide range of other formats quickly and reliably. Good luck with your show.