Best 6 MP3 Converters: Desktop & Online Tools Tested

Part 1. What Is an MP3 Converter and When Do You Need One?

An MP3 converter lets you turn video or audio files into MP3 format, which is smaller and work with most phones, computers, and music players, making them easy to store, share, and play.

You may need to convert video/audio to MP3 for:

Extract audio from videos: Separate the audio track from a video, movie, or screen recording as an MP3 file for sharing or editing.

Convert audio formats: Change WAV, FLAC, M4A, or AAC files to MP3 so they work on more devices and apps.

Save storage space: Reduce the size of large audio files to free up space on your phone, computer, or SD card.

Create audio for different uses: Prepare music or sound clips for podcasts, ringtones, or CDs.

Part 2. Top 3 Desktop Video/Audio to MP3 Converters

Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate — Best Overall

Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate converts video and audio to MP3 and 1000+ other formats for Windows and Mac, with hardware acceleration you can converter multiple video file with fast speed. In addition, it offers power editing function, you can set the MP3 bitrate up to 320 kbps, trim or clip the audio before exporting. Moreover, its toolbox contains colorful tools such watermarks, denoise, metadate changer, etc. You can finish all editing within one software.

VLC Media Player — Best Free Option

VLC is better known as a media player, but its convert feature also can help export video or audio to MP3 for free on Windows, Mac and Linux. You can also add multiple files at a time. But since VLC media player is not built for large video conversion. It may take longer time than Video Converter Ultimate for large and batch video processing. If you make wrong setting, VLC converted file may have errors.

Fre:ac — Best Free Batch Audio Converter

Fre:ac is free and open-source audio converter and CD ripper for Windows, Mac and Linux. It supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, Opus, WAV and more, CD ripping and multi-core batch conversion. If you want to convert a whole folder, Fre:ac can do it quick and free. This software has not been updated for a long time, and its interface is out of date. But it is very easy to learn and use, you can still try it for CD ripping and conversion.

Part 3. Top 3 Online Video/Audio to MP3 Converters

CloudConvert — For General File Conversion

Cloud Converter is a dependable all-round converter with an MP3 preset; free tier has a daily conversion-minute limit. It is clean and simple, supports 300+ formats with a 100 MB free cap. Both handle video and audio files and let you set basic quality options.

It is For Small Online Conversion

Convertio is a free online file converter works across the platform. It has a simple and clean interface allowing to upload file quickly without extra steps. It supports multiple formats including video and MP3 audio. But it also has a large file limitation and you need to subscribe to unlock. Even you have a membership, uploading large file is also depending on your network status.

123apps Online Audio Converter —Quick, No Signup

123apps is a free browser tool for converting and editing audio (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC); no install and no account needed. This site only offers 8 limited audio formats. One special point is that you can directly convert video file into iPhone ringtone format with quality control.

Frequently Asked Questions About MP3 Conversion

Conclusion

If you want to convert video with high quality, Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate is your first choice with batch conversion, GPU acceleration and full editing feature. VLC is better if you just want free converter for several files. If you don't want to download any software, CloudConvert is free for small size files.