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LAME vs SoX: catalog facts
LAME	SoX
Free Free and open source under the LGPL.	Free Free and open source under GPL-2.0 and LGPL licences.
Windows, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
High MP3 quality at mid to high bitrates and VBR Long development history and still actively released	Converts between many audio file formats Applies effects and filters during conversion
Encodes MP3 only No graphical interface of its own	Command line only, with no graphical interface Infrequent releases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: LGPL	License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.