File Format Guide & Comparison
Learn about different file formats and compare their characteristics, use cases, and compatibility.
Audio Format Comparison
| Format | Compression | Quality | File Size | Best Use Case | Browser Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Lossy | Good | Small | Music streaming, podcasts | Universal |
| WAV | None | Excellent | Large | Professional recording | Good |
| FLAC | Lossless | Excellent | Medium | Archival, audiophile | Limited |
| AAC | Lossy | Very Good | Small | Mobile, streaming | Good |
| OGG | Lossy | Very Good | Small | Web audio, gaming | Good |
Video Format Comparison
| Format | Codec | Quality | File Size | Best Use Case | Browser Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | H.264/H.265 | Excellent | Medium | Web, mobile, streaming | Universal |
| WebM | VP8/VP9 | Very Good | Small | Web video | Good |
| AVI | Various | Good | Large | Legacy systems | Limited |
| MOV | Various | Excellent | Large | Professional editing | Limited |
| MKV | Various | Excellent | Variable | High-quality archival | Limited |
Document Format Comparison
| Format | Type | Editability | Compatibility | Best Use Case | File Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Layout | Limited | Universal | Documents, forms, print | Medium | |
| DOCX | Word Processing | Full | Good | Document creation, editing | Small |
| TXT | Plain Text | Full | Universal | Simple text, logs, code | Very Small |
| CSV | Data | Full | Universal | Data exchange, spreadsheets | Small |
| JSON | Data | Full | Universal | APIs, configuration | Small |
Image Format Comparison
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Animation | Best Use Case | Browser Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Lossy | No | No | Photos, complex images | Universal |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | No | Graphics, screenshots | Universal |
| GIF | Lossless | Limited | Yes | Simple animations | Universal |
| SVG | Vector | Yes | Yes | Icons, scalable graphics | Good |
| WebP | Both | Yes | Yes | Modern web images | Good |
Archive Format Comparison
| Format | Compression Ratio | Speed | Password Protection | Best Use Case | Platform Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP | Good | Fast | Yes | General purpose | Universal |
| 7Z | Excellent | Slow | Yes | Maximum compression | Good |
| TAR | None | Very Fast | No | Unix/Linux archival | Unix/Linux |
| GZ | Good | Fast | No | Single file compression | Unix/Linux |
| RAR | Very Good | Medium | Yes | High compression | Good |
Format Selection Helper
Not sure which format to choose? Answer these questions to get personalized recommendations: