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FLAC VS Opus Interactive Audio Codec

Compare FLAC VS Opus Interactive Audio Codec and see what are their differences

FLAC logo FLAC

A free, open source codec for lossless audio compression and decompression

Opus Interactive Audio Codec logo Opus Interactive Audio Codec

Opus is a totally open, royalty-free, highly versatile audio codec.
  • FLAC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-02
  • Opus Interactive Audio Codec Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-21

FLAC features and specs

  • Lossless Compression
    FLAC, which stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, compresses audio files without any loss of quality, preserving the original sound perfectly.
  • Open Source
    FLAC is an open-source format, allowing developers to modify and integrate it into software without licensing fees.
  • High Compatibility
    FLAC is widely supported by many audio players, software, and devices, making it a versatile choice for storing high-quality audio.
  • Metadata Support
    FLAC files support rich metadata, allowing users to store detailed information about the audio file, such as artist, album, and genre.
  • Error Resilience
    FLAC has built-in error checking to ensure the integrity of the audio data, which helps prevent data corruption during playback or file transfer.

Possible disadvantages of FLAC

  • File Size
    Compared to lossy formats like MP3 or AAC, FLAC files are larger, which can be a disadvantage when storage space is limited.
  • Limited Portability
    While compatibility is generally good, some older or less popular devices and software might not support FLAC, necessitating conversion to other formats.
  • Streaming Limitations
    Streaming services and platforms may not support FLAC due to its large file size, impacting its use in online streaming environments.
  • Battery Consumption
    Playing FLAC files can consume more device battery power compared to smaller, lossy files due to the increased processing required.
  • No DRM Support
    FLAC does not support digital rights management (DRM), which may be an issue for users or services that require DRM for content protection.

Opus Interactive Audio Codec features and specs

  • High Audio Quality
    Opus provides excellent audio quality even at lower bitrates, making it suitable for a wide range of audio applications from voice communications to music streaming.
  • Low Latency
    Opus is designed to have low latency, which makes it ideal for real-time applications such as VoIP calls and live streaming.
  • Versatility
    The codec can handle multiple bandwidths and is scalable, allowing it to adjust for both narrowband and fullband audio, making it adaptable for different types of networks and applications.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Opus is freely available for use and development, encouraging innovation and providing cost benefits compared to proprietary codecs.
  • Standardization
    Opus is standardized by IETF as RFC 6716, ensuring a wide range of compatibility and support across diverse platforms and devices.

Possible disadvantages of Opus Interactive Audio Codec

  • Complexity
    The algorithm behind Opus is complex, which can make implementation and optimization more demanding for developers.
  • Patent Concerns
    Though Opus itself is royalty-free, there can be underlying patent issues related to some techniques it employs, potentially leading to legal risks.
  • Limited Adoption
    Despite its capabilities, Opus is not as widely adopted as some other codecs like AAC or MP3, which might limit its integration in some ecosystems.

FLAC videos

Can we hear the differences between MP3 and FLAC?

More videos:

  • Review - FLAC vs Spotify vs YouTube : HEARING Test Review!
  • Review - High Fidelity (Hi-Fi) Music on your Smartphone | FLAC | Vox | Google Play Music

Opus Interactive Audio Codec videos

No Opus Interactive Audio Codec videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FLAC and Opus Interactive Audio Codec)
Audio Player
55 55%
45% 45
Audio & Music
67 67%
33% 33
Product Presentation
51 51%
49% 49
Media Player
37 37%
63% 63

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Opus Interactive Audio Codec should be more popular than FLAC. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

FLAC mentions (6)

  • Best iPod for music in 2023 with large capacity.
    The Xiph.org foundation maintains FLAC and they have a list of tools that might be helpful. Source: about 2 years ago
  • lossless music on the 7th gen
    Lastly, ALAC hasn't been updated by apple since 2016. FLAC is actively maintained by xiph.org and saw its last update this past October. Source: over 2 years ago
  • [Audio] The MQA Controversy: How an inferior format tried to take over the high-end audio market and caused major backlash
    Excessive licensing costs weren’t the only concern surrounding MQA though. MQA is touted as being DRM free, with audio streams able to be stored in the very popular, open source FLAC format. Only the lower resolution 16-bit audio is truly DRM free however. MQA’s authentication watermarking must be present in the file, and properly validated at playback, otherwise MQA decoders will refuse to unfold the audio to... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What audio format do you put on your iPods?
    FLAC continues to be actively maintained and updated. Which, actually thanks for asking your question because in checking sources I noticed FLAC was just updated not two weeks ago. I thik the last time I updated my encoder libraries was after MP3 lost patent protection and dropped licensing a few years ago, so this is fortuitous timing! Anyways, FLAC continues to be meaningfully updated (homepage @ xiph and the... Source: over 2 years ago
  • ELI5: How does audio compression (mp3, etc) make sound files so much smaller?
    There are lossless audio compression standards such as FLAC. Source: almost 4 years ago
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Opus Interactive Audio Codec mentions (11)

  • Global Underground Disk Images
    Could anyone help me get a disk image files for older Global Underground CDs? I encoded my old CDs into subpar mp3 files, and I'd now like to have high-quality Opus encodings and experiment across various bitrates. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Which is better Opus or AC3?
    Presumably, OP is referring to the Opus audio codec versus Dolby's AC3 codec. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Multiple tags with the same name in metadata
    If there are multiple tags with the same name, Ffmpeg will only use the last tag. If you really need to have multiple tags with the same name in your OPUS files, use opusenc instead (https://opus-codec.org/). Beware that some playback software does not display multiple artists gracefully. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I built a Zoom clone 100% IN RUST
    AFAIK ogg isn't really suitable for low latency audio streaming. Consider the Opus codec instead. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Windows HEVC video codec from Microsoft costs $0.99
    > The only reason you wouldn't use HEVC is if your hardware lacks support No, the main problem with HEVC is that it is not licensed under royalty-free terms. In contrast, almost all commonly used internet formats and protocols are licensed under royalty-free terms so everyone is free to use and implement them without paying a licensing fee. Video has been an anomaly. Imagine if HTML wasn't licensed under... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing FLAC and Opus Interactive Audio Codec, you can also consider the following products

WavPack - WavPack is a completely open audio compression format providing lossless, high-quality lossy, and a...

LameDropXPd - LameDropXPd is a practical frontend for LAME that makes things easier to the user, as there is no...

Vorbis - Ogg Vorbis is a fully open, general-purpose compressed audio format for mid to high quality...

LAME - LAME is a high quality MPEG Audio Layer III (MP3) encoder licensed under the LGPL.

LameXP - LameXP is an Audio Encoder Front-End, a graphical user-interface for a number of audio encoders.

Monkey's Audio (.APE) - Monkey’s Audio makes perfect, bit-for-bit copies of your music, exactly the same as the original. You can decompress your lossless .APE files back to the original files. Think of it as a beefed-up Winzip™ to perfectly recreate the original music CD.