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CAF to MP3 converter

Convert CAF to MP3 in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want MP3
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Leave both at 0 for the whole file.

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Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Other ways to convert CAF

Convert other formats to MP3

Read more about the CAF format and the MP3 format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert CAF to MP3?

GarageBand, Logic or iOS sound files in CAF won’t open outside Apple apps. MP3 plays anywhere.

A lossless move: CAF and MP3 both keep every sample, so the sound is identical and you can convert back at any time.

MP3 also plays in more places: every phone, computer, car stereo, speaker and app.

CAF is Apple’s professional audio container; MP3 is the most compatible lossy audio format ever made. Use MP3 when you don’t know what will play the file: cars, old players, podcasts hosts and upload forms all take it.

CAF and MP3 compared
Property CAF MP3
Compression Depends on the codec inside Lossy
Typical quality PCM, AAC or ALAC 128–320 kbps
Support Mainly an Apple format Opens everywhere
Best for Audio inside Apple apps and iOS development Music and voice that has to play on anything
Introduced 2005 1993

How to convert CAF to MP3

  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 MP3. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the MP3

    Press convert and save the MP3. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when CAF becomes MP3

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.

Expect a much smaller file

CAF: Depends on the codec inside. MP3: About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps, 2.4 MB at 320 kbps. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of CAF and MP3, 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 MP3. Converting a low-bitrate MP3 to 320 kbps makes it bigger without making it sound any better; what was thrown away is gone.
  • 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 MP3 lose quality?

MP3 is lossy, so a little is discarded, but at the default bitrate the difference is inaudible for nearly everyone.

Will an MP3 play in my car or on my phone?

MP3 opens everywhere: every phone, computer, car stereo, speaker and app.

Read more about this

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