Top 6 Audio Compressors (2024): Save Memory Without Losing Quality

Are you having trouble with hundreds of music files that take up too much memory space on your devices? Do you want to find some tools that can easily compress any format audio to a smaller size? That’s why audio compressors appear in existence. In this post, you will learn about 6 of them for different systems. Some are online tools, some are desktop software, and others are for mobile phones. And they support multiple formats of audio files, such as MP3, M4V, WAV, ALAC, etc. Read on and learn how they process and choose the most suitable audio compression tool for you.

GUIDE LIST

Part 1. Lossy Compression VS. Lossless Compression

Part 2. Compress Audio with 6 Best Tools

Part 3. A Comparison Chart of Compressors above

Part 4. FAQs about Audio Compressor

Part 1. Lossy Compression VS. Lossless Compression

Before reading for details, you should figure out one question: Does compressing audio affect its quality? Actually, it depends on the way you choose to compress. There are two methods to make audio compression: Lossy compression and Lossless compression.

Lossy compression is a process that reduces the size of audio by removing part of the audio data that is not important, and users might not notice. Some lossy audio file types include MP3, AAC, WMA, and OGG Vorbis.

In contrast, lossless compression refers to reducing the size of audio without deleting any metadata or information of the original audio file. The examples are AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format), WAV, ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), PCM (Pulse Code Modulation), and DSD.

Achieving a balance between acceptable quality and file size is the aim of lossy compression, while lossless formats are typically chosen for professional work in order to prevent any compromise in audio integrity.

Part 2. Compress Audio with 6 Best Tools

1. ArkThinker Video Converter Ultimate

ArkThinker Video Converter Ultimate is the best tool to compress audio files. This program uses cutting-edge AI technology and lets you convert, enhance, and edit video and audio. You can enjoy a high-quality and 120x fast conversion with it. Most important, it provides both lossy and lossless compression, satisfying your needs for less storge space and high-quality audio.

Key Features:

◆ Cutting the audio files.

◆ Audio editing: Volume/Delay.

◆ Multiple target formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MKA, OGG, AU, M4A, M4B, M4R, DTS, APE, AMR, MP2, and ALAC.

◆ 4 quality options: Auto, Low (96kbps), Medium (192kbps), and High (320kbps).

◆ Users can even create a new kind of quality by customizing the bitrate of the target file.

◆ Batch processing is provided.

◆ 120× faster compression.

How to use:

Open Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate. Click Toolbox at the upper navigation bar. Drop down the page to find Audio Compressor and tap it.

Click the “＋” button to add your audio file(s). You can also drag and drop your audio in the area.

After adding your audio file(s), you can make some adjustments. You can change the name and select the size, format, channel, sample rate, and bitrate as you need. There is also a 10-second preview for you.

Click the Compress button to compress your audio file(s). Remember, there are 5 files in total for the free version. If you want to compress more files, you need to pay for a subscription.

2. Audacity

Audacity is a free open-source and on-premise audio editing software designed to edit audio files, including compression. With it, you can reduce the size of your audio and export it into multiple formats, including WAV, MP3, WMA, etc. Besides, Audacity provides 4 kinds of audio quality for you to select, up to 320kbps. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that Audacity does not offer a “Compress” button or function but rather sets different compression parameters to compress the audio files. Besides, its complex functions, large number of proper nouns, and complicated interface make it more appropriate for professionals.

Key Features:

◆ 4 quality options: medium (145-185kbps), standard (170-210kbps), extreme (220-260kbps), and insane (320kbps).

◆ 9 sample rate options from 8000-48000Hz.

◆ Multiple target formats: WAV, MP3, OGG Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, WavPack, M4A(AAC), AC3, AMR, WMA, and MP2.

How to use:

First, you should download Audacity software to your desktop. Run it and click File to add your audio files. Then, click Export Audio in File, and you can change the file name, format, sample rate, bitrate mode, and quality of your audio files. Now, you can click Export to begin the compression.

3. FreeConvert

FreeConvert MP3 Compressor is a free online application to compress MP3 audio on any web browser. All files are protected with 256-bit SSL encryption and deleted automatically after a few hours. Your file security and privacy will be guaranteed.

Key Features:

◆ Choose files from multiple platforms: a device, Dropbox, Google Drive, and URL.

◆ 3 compression options: target file size (percentage), target file size (MB), and target audio quality.

◆ Compressed files will be deleted automatically in 8 hours to guarantee security.

How to use:

Access the FreeConvert MP3 Compressor website and click Choose Files to add the audio you want to compress. Then, click the Advanced Settings icon to select detailed options for your audio.

There are 3 compression methods for you. For target file size (percentage), you can adjust the slider or input a number to get a percentage of your original file. Set a value between 1-100; for target file size (MB), you can enter a desired audio file size in MB, a maximum of 10240 MB (10GB); as for target audio quality, you can choose low, medium, and high quality.

After determining the details of your audio, click the Apply Settings and Compress buttons to get the target.

4. AConvert

Aconvert Compress Audio Online is another web-based audio compressor for free. You can choose files from various platforms and compress them into multiple-format audio, including WAV, MP3, M4A, etc. The simple interface and single function make it friendly to beginners or users who do not have much knowledge of audio editing.

Key Features:

◆ Various ways to choose files: Google Drive, Dropbox, and URL.

◆ Multiple target formats: WAV, WMA, MP3, OGG, AAC, AU, FLAC, M4A, MKA, AIFF, OPUS and RA.

How to use:

Access the Aconvert online audio compressor. Click the Choose Files button to select the audio you want to compress. Then, you can input the bitrate percentage. The valid range is 1 to 100, and higher numbers indicate a higher bitrate and bigger output file size. After that, click the Submit button and wait for seconds to generate the new audio. Now you can Download your audio file.

5. M4A Audio Compressor

After learning about web-based and desktop audio compressors, would you like to compress your audio on a mobile phone? Let’s move on to M4A Audio Compressor, an excellent audio compression tool for Android systems.

M4A Audio Compressor allows you to compress your audio and music files to free memory space on your device. You can use this application to shrink your audio files up to 90% of their original size. Besides, it does not offer M4A audio compression only but can also compress other audio formats like MP3.

Key Features:

◆ Two compression modes: simple and advanced.

◆ 3 target formats: LC_AAC, HE_AAC, and HE_AAC_V2.

How to use:

First, you should install the M4A Audio Compressor from Google Play. Run it and choose your audio files at the top of the page. Then, you will see details of your audio, you can select Simple or Advanced modes to make compression. For simple mode, there are 6 levels provided. The lower the level is, the smaller the file size is; for advanced mode, there are 9 options from 16k to 128k bitrate and 12 options from 8000Hz to 96000Hz sample rate. You can choose randomly as you need. After that, you can click Start to begin the compression. Wait for seconds and now you get a new audio file.

6. Audio Compressor-MP3 Shrink

You’ve got an M4A Compressor for the Android system, and now we’ll introduce an audio compression tool for the iOS system: Audio Compressor-MP3 Shrink.

With this Audio Compressor, you can compress and export audio with the file size that fits your needs. By automatically adjusting the bitrate and removing unnecessary metadata, the Audio Compressor allows you to enjoy high-quality audio files without compromising valuable storage space. It’s worth mentioning that, like the MA4 Audio Compressor, it’s not just an MP3 audio compressor; it can also compress other formats of audio files, such as MP4, M4A, etc.

Key Features:

◆ 2 compression options: normal compression and high compression.

◆ Works offline: The whole audio compression process is done offline to ensure the safety of your privacy.

How to use:

First, install Audio Compressor-MP3 Shrink on your iPhone. Run it and choose the files you want to compress. You can also compress audio from video files. Then, you can select 2 different options for compression. Normal Compression to 388 KB and High Compression to 188 KB. After that, your files will be compressed automatically, and you’ll get the results. Now, you can click Export Compressed to save your audio files, or you can choose to play them.

Part 3. A Comparison Chart of Compressors above

In order to help you quickly determine which audio compressor best meets your needs, we've listed some of the points you may be more concerned about. Check the comparison chart below and make a choice.

Part 4. FAQs about Audio Compressor

Conclusion