Windows: FLAC for Windows (command-line tools only, the file flac-X.Y.Z-win.zip contains both 32 and 64 bit binaries). Mac OS X: FLAC tools for OS X from Homebrew. Amiga: FLAC package for Amiga.
FLAC files can now be played back in QuickTime Player in macOS. However, other players like VLC handle the files better, with playlist and other niceties that aren't in QuickTime Player. Audio sources encoded to FLAC are typically reduced to 50 percent of their original size on a CD, depending on the characteristics of the track and some encoding settings. Apple's lossless ALAC format is similar in audio quality, but not as widely supported by third parties as FLAC is —but is obviously fully supported in iTunes. Apple's first moves to support FLAC.
Early beta versions added the ability to play back single tracks encoded in FLAC format in the Files app, using the standard media player.
FLAC stands for F ree L ossless A udio C odec. It is quite different from AAC, MP3 and few other audio formats. FLAC is lossless which means it retains all the audio information while it compresses a big file to create the smaller file. Whereas AAC, MP3 are lossy formats that remove away some audio information while compressing to create smaller files. Also, the compression level is great when you use FLAC. It can compress a file to almost half of it without losing any information. There are numerous FLAC players available online that you can use to play FLAC files because not all devices or default players are compatible with FLAC.
10 Best FLAC Players. Pi Music Player I am personally using Pi Music Player on my Android phone, and this is one of the most minimalistic yet a great player for playing different music formats including FLAC. You can share the audio file with anyone while you are listening.
Also, there is option “Pi Power Share” that enables you to put the file available online which is locked with a key. Those who have the key can download it from anywhere. The UI of this app is beautiful and professional looking.
You will love it when you use it. VLC for Android If you have been using Windows, you must know about VLC player which is one of the greatest media players that play almost all files. Now, VLC is available for Android as well, and it plays FLAC file formats as well. VLC is a feature-rich player that has a lot of great features, and all the codecs are integrated into the player so that you don’t need to download anything extra to play certain files. You only need the VLC player on your phone. VLC is a free app, and even better than many paid apps.
As per the taste of your listening, you can set the equalizer and enjoy the music. You can create your playlists as well. Overall, it is the best FLAC player for Android. However, VLC is popularly used for playing video files. AIMP AIMP is another nice FLAC player for Android which easily plays FLAC files without any lag.
AIMP is especially built as an audio player hence it has all the features that an audio player should have. You can also change the theme color. Apart from FLAC, it can play many different file formats. It works perfectly on almost all modern day Android versions and devices.
However, it is unstable on the devices based on MIUI firmware; for example, Xiaomi Android phones. Also Read: Best FLAC Players for iPhone. Real Player Real Player is a renowned media player that supports FLAC files as well. Apart from FLAC, it supports dozens of audio and video file formats. There are many other features this player has that make it one of the best media players for Windows and Mac.
Conclusion As technology grows, more different file formats are coming day by day. In the most cases, default music players only support the popular formats, but sometimes we get some files with different formats and then we have to find out a way to play those files. Many times people convert the format but many of them like to play in the existing format, and there they need to find the media player that can play those files.
FLAC is one such file format that is not supported by most of the default players, and that is why you must have to find a third party player to play them. In this blog post, I have shared 10 FLAC players for Android, iPhone, Mac, and Windows that I think are enough for you. If you have any views and suggestions, do write in the comments.