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qaac vs FLAC: catalog facts
qaac	FLAC
Free Free to download, with source published on GitHub.	Free Free and open source; libraries under BSD-3-Clause and tools under the GPL.
Windows, Command line	Windows, Command line
Uses Apple's AAC encoder on Windows Encodes both AAC and ALAC	Reference implementation of an open, patent-free format Lossless compression with bit-exact decoding
Command line only, no graphical interface Windows only	Command-line only; needs a separate front end for a GUI Lossless files remain larger than MP3 or AAC
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Public Domain	License: BSD-3-Clause, GPL-3.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

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