A free M4A to MP3 converter that turns M4A files, like iPhone voice memos, into MP3s that play everywhere, in your browser.
Drop your M4A files, like iPhone voice memos, and get MP3s that play everywhere. It all happens in this browser.
Your files
Settings
An hour at this setting is about 43.2 MB.
Convert
Add a file to convert.
Everything happens in this browser, so your files never leave your computer. MP3 is made with the LAME encoder, and loudness is measured to ITU-R BS.1770, the standard behind Apple's LKFS target.
This free M4A to MP3 converter turns M4A files, like iPhone voice memos, into MP3s that play everywhere, in your browser.
It uses Apple's own recommended bit rates, can bring each file to -16 LUFS, and writes your title and cover art into it. Nothing is uploaded.
Here's what M4A is, when you really need MP3, and how to keep the quality.
What is an M4A to MP3 converter?
An M4A to MP3 converter turns AAC audio in an M4A file into an MP3, the format nearly every player, editor and website takes.
M4A is AAC audio in an MP4 file. Apple's iPhone guide says Voice Memos exports recordings as .m4a by default, and Zoom's local recordings save the sound as an M4A too.
Do you need MP3?
Maybe not. Apple Podcasts takes AAC in an RSS feed as well as MP3, by Apple's audio requirements.
Convert when something asks for MP3: an older editor, a website's upload form, a podcast host, or a player that won't open M4A.
Keep the quality
M4A and MP3 both compress audio. Converting one into the other compresses it again, so pick a bit rate at least as high as the M4A's.
A voice memo is usually mono. Mono at 96 or 128 kbps keeps it clear:
| Format | Channels | Apple recommends |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Mono | 96 to 128 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| MP3 | Stereo | 128 to 256 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| AAC or MP3 in an RSS feed | Mono | 64 to 128 kbps |
| AAC or MP3 in an RSS feed | Stereo | 128 to 256 kbps |
That's from Apple's audio requirements, which also set the loudness: around -16 LKFS, give or take 1 dB, with no true peak over -1 dBFS.
Even out the loudness
Tick "Even out the loudness" and the converter measures your audio first, then brings it to the level podcasts use: -16 LUFS for stereo, as Apple asks.
It measures to ITU-R BS.1770, the standard behind Apple's LKFS. On the example, it reads -23.4 LUFS, the same as FFmpeg's own loudness meter.
A mono file goes to -19 LUFS instead. Players put mono on both speakers, where it sounds 3 dB louder than it measures.
So -19 in mono sounds like -16 in stereo. That's the rule Auphonic and Google's loudness guidelines use.
A limiter keeps every peak under -1 dB, Apple's true peak ceiling. It looks 5 milliseconds ahead, so it lowers a peak smoothly instead of clipping it.
Voice memos off an iPhone
To get a voice memo onto your computer, share it from the Voice Memos app to Files, AirDrop or Mail. It arrives as an .m4a file, ready to drop here.
Nothing is uploaded
Most online converters send your file to their server and send back the result. This one converts in your browser, so your file never leaves your computer.
That's why there's no size limit but your computer's memory, and why a long recording works too.
After you convert
Keep the MP3 for your editor or your podcast host. To pull the sound out of a video instead, use the MP4 to MP3 converter.
Who is the M4A to MP3 converter for?
It's for iPhone and Mac users whose recordings come out as M4A:
- Voice memo to text – people who want the words from a voice memo
- Audio converter – anyone with other formats to convert
- WAV to MP3 converter – people with studio files to shrink
- Audio recorder – anyone who wants to record in the browser instead
The rest of my tools are on the free tools page.
Edit and publish your audio
Record and edit it with
M4A to MP3 Converter FAQs
Questions about the m4A to MP3 converter? Here's what to know.
An M4A to MP3 converter turns AAC audio in an M4A file into an MP3.
MP3 plays in nearly every player, editor and website.
An M4A file is AAC audio in an MP4 file.
iPhone voice memos and Zoom's audio recordings are M4A files.
Share the memo from Voice Memos to Files, AirDrop or Mail, then drop the .m4a file here.
It converts to MP3 in your browser.
M4A's AAC sounds a little better than MP3 at the same bit rate.
MP3 plays in more places, which is why people convert.
Yes, this M4A to MP3 converter is free, with no account and no limit on files.
It runs in your browser, so it costs nothing to run.
No, the M4A to MP3 converter converts your files in your browser.
They never leave your computer.
This M4A to MP3 converter is for podcasters and anyone who works with audio:
- Podcast RSS feed validator – podcasters getting episodes ready for Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
- Podcast sponsorship calculator – shows that sell ads and need clean files.
- Top podcasts – anyone studying how the biggest shows sound.
Editors, teachers and musicians use it for quick conversions without installing anything.
I did.
I'm Navid Moazzez, and the M4A to MP3 converter is one of my free tools on navid.me.
Read more about me.
There's an audio converter, a WAV to MP3 converter, an M4A to MP3 converter, an MP4 to MP3 converter and an MP3 to WAV converter.
The rest are in free tools.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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