FLAC is a popular lossless audio format, while working with most devices and systems. You audiophiles want to download your favorite YouTube songs to FLAC in high quality for the best listening experience? We've got you covered! Below, we'll share some best free and paid YouTube to FLAC converters, and answer all your questions.
Unlike MP3 or AAC (which sacrifice some audio data to save space), FLAC (which stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec) perfectly preserves every detail of the original recording without any loss. So the FLAC file size is correspondingly much larger than lossy formats. If you're serious about sound quality, FLAC is the gold standard. ποΈ
YouTube mainly uses two compressed (lossy) audio formats: AAC and Opus. These come in three quality settings:
Regular YouTube videos usually default to 128 kbps, while YouTube Music offers higher-quality streaming at up to 256 kbps. So if you want the best audio quality from YouTube, you'd better to choose YouTube Music platform.
| Service | Free Plan | Premium Plan | Lossless Option |
| YouTube | Max 128kbps (AAC/Opus) | Max 128kbps (AAC/Opus) | β |
| YouTube Music | 128kbps AAC | Max 256kbps AAC | β |
Does YouTube Music sound good? How is the audio quality on YouTube Music? This article will answer all your questions.
"If I wanna download music from YouTube, what is the best quality of audio I can get? I know that FLAC is the best kind of file, but I don't know if it can improve the quality? - Reddit User"
No. Some users from Reddit think converting YouTube's audio to FLAC will make it sound better - but that's not how audio works! Here's the deal:
Pro tip: If you want the best possible quality from YouTube, it's better to choose to download YouTube songs to original AAC/Opus audio, instead of converting to FLAC format.
Though converting to FLAC doesn't improve YouTube audio quality, you may still need to do this for various reasons - mix it in DJ set, keep all your music files in one format (FLAC), works better on certain audio software or some older/specialized hardware, and so on.
Whatever, if you still need YouTube Music to FLAC conversion for a better workflow, next we will show you some best tools for it.
If you're looking to keep YouTube Music tracks as permanent FLAC files, you've got several tools to choose from. Here we will list YouTube Music to FLAC converter (desktop), online YouTube to FLAC downloaders, and free Any Video Converter.
| Tool | Download Source | Quality | Speed | Format | Batch Download | Keep Tags | Ads-Free, Safe | Cost | Rating |
| NoteBurner YouTube Music to FLAC Converter | YouTube Music | π 256kbps High Quality | 10X β‘ | FLAC, MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC | β | β | β | $14.95 | β β β β β |
| Any Video Converter Free | YouTube | 128kbps | Fast | FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, AAC, WMA, etc | β | β | β Safe but with ads |
Free or $29.95 | β β β β |
| 4kdownload.to | YouTube | 128kbps | Fast | FLAC, AAC, WAV | β | β | β | Free | β β β |
| loader.to | YouTube | 128kbps | Fast | FLAC, MP3, M4A, etc | β | β | β | Free | β β β |
Keep reading at Part 3 & Part 4 below for more details (beginners welcome!) π
β NoteBurner YouTube Music to FLAC Downloader
π TrustScore: 4.7/5 on Trustpilot (280+ reviews) - Excellent
Compatible OS: Windows, macOS
Based on the information previously, for better audio quality, always download from YouTube Music (256kbps) instead of regular YouTube (128kbps).
While in the market, most free YouTube downloaders only grab from YouTube's lower-quality source. But luckily, this NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter supports downloading from YouTube Music, the streaming service. Let's break down:
NoteBurner works to record streaming songs from your computer sound card, and converts the encrypted tracks into open-format files. So it's easy to download YouTube Music to FLAC without losing quality, and you can even customize quality settings to get your own DIY songs. It's 100% clean and safe with no annoying ads or malware. β
Even, it saves all the important track details like the song title, artist, and year, so your YouTube Music FLAC library stays organized. ποΈ And don't worry, it works whether you have YouTube Premium or just use the free version. For a better listening experience, NoteBurner is your optimal choice.
Read Also: How to Download YouTube Music to MP3 in 320kbps
Step 1 First, open the built-in YouTube Music player inside NoteBurner and find the playlist you want. Then, just hit the "+" button to add it. Click "OK" to confirm. Now your tracks are ready to go!
Step 2 Next, head over to the Settings on the left. Make sure to pick FLAC as your output format for the best quality. You can also tweak other options if you want.
Step 3 Back on the main screen, you can either: Click "Add More" to throw in extra playlists, or hit "Convert" to start turning your YouTube Music into FLAC files.
Once it's done, a folder will pop up with your new high-quality FLAC tracks. Now you can play them anywhereβon your favorite media player or even in DJ software for mixing! πΆ
Besides downloading songs from YouTube Music platform, you can also use a free downloader to capture songs from YouTube videos. We have tested and listed 3 best free YouTube to FLAC downloaders in this part. They are all still working till now.
Compatible OS: Windows, macOS
Link: https://www.any-video-converter.com/en8/for_video_free/
Recommend Star: β β β β
Any Video Converter Free is a handy, no-cost tool that lets you easily download YouTube videos and convert them to FLAC or other audio formats. Not just YouTube, it with tons of video sites. It's an all-in-one video converter. YouTube downloads is free to use, but you may see some other premium features, like batch downloads, screen recorder, video mergers, vocal remover, and so on.
Key Features:
How to Download YouTube Videos as FLAC Using AVC Free
Step 1 Download AVC Free below, then install it on your desktop.
Step 2 Go to YouTube.com on web browser, find your video, and copy its URL from the address bar.
Step 3 Open AVC Free and click the "Download Video" tab.
Step 4 Paste the YouTube link there, hit the Settings icon, choose FLAC output format, and your preferred audio quality.
Step 5 Hit "Convert Now" and let it do its thing. Once done, you can find the downloaded FLAC audios in the output folder. You can play them in VLC, Foobar2000, or any FLAC-compatible player.
Compatible OS: Online Web
Link: https://4kdownload.to/enic/
Recommend Star: β β β
4kdownload.to is a free online YouTube downloader tool that lets you download and convert YouTube videos into different audio and video formats. If you need, you can also use it to download YouTube to FLAC file type with ease.
Key Features:
How to Use 4kdownload.to to Download YouTube to FLAC Free
Step 1 Open a browser, type in 4kdownload.to and hit Enter. You can also search 4kdownload.to from Google.
Step 2 Head over to YouTube platform and find the video you want. Copy the link.
Step 3 Back on 4kdownload.to, just paste the YouTube video link there.
Step 4 From the right side, choose FLAC, and Download.
π«π‘οΈ Note: You will be redirected to some pages with ads, do not click any of them and close tabs to keep safe.
Compatible OS: Online Web
Link: https://en.loader.to/4/
Recommend Star: β β β
Loader.to is another free online YouTube video downloader. It also supports capturing audio from YouTube videos, and saving them into different formats, including FLAC. Besides that, Loader.to also provides online file converter, you can also convert audio, video, or other files within this website.
Key Features:
How to Free Download YouTube to FLAC with Loader.to
Step 1 Visit Loader.to on your browser.
Step 2 Copy your YouTube video URL and paste it to Loader.to search bar.
Step 3 From the format dropdown, select FLAC.
Step 4 Download.
So, you've downloaded YouTube Music songs in FLAC format, and now they're sitting on your computer.
But what if you want to play them on different devices - like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, VLC, or even burn them to a CD or move them on a USB drive for your car? No worries! Let's walk through some easy ways to use those lossless YouTube FLAC files.
Option 1: Drag & Drop
Open File Explorer and find your downloaded YouTube Music FLAC file, drag it straight into Windows Media Player β it should start playing.
Option 2: Open File Manually
Open WMP. Click File > Open. Browse to your YouTube FLAC file, select it, and click "Open".
Option 3: Add to Your WMP Library
In WMP, go to Organize > Manage Libraries > Music. Add the folder where your FLAC files are stored. Now, your local YouTube FLAC songs will show up in WMP's library for easy access!
So you've got some YouTube music saved as FLAC files and want to play them in QuickTime on your Mac? It's actually pretty simple!
Note: QuickTime only on macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later supports FLAC natively.
Option 1: Drag & Drop
Find your YouTube FLAC file in Finder. Drag it straight into QuickTime Player - it'll start playing right away!
Option 2: Open from QuickTime
Open QuickTime Player, click File > Open, browse to your FLAC file and click Open.
Option 3: Double-Click (Set QuickTime as Default)
Right-click the YouTube Music FLAC file > Get Info. Under "Open With", select QuickTime Player. Click "Change All" to make it default for FLAC files.
Here are the step-by-step tips to take your YouTube music (converted to FLAC) with you on a USB drive, so you can then play YouTube songs in car, home stereo, or anywhere.
Step 1 Plug in your USB drive to the computer.
Step 2 Move YouTube Music FLAC songs to USB Stick
To transfer YouTube Music to USB drive, you'll use NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter to download songs from YouTube Music to computer first, then transfer them to your USB drive.
Here you have got multiple methods to download YouTube videos as FLAC files. These YouTube to FLAC download tools are still working in 2025. If you want to get high-quality of YouTube Music FLAC tracks, try using NoteBurner YouTube Playlist Downloader.
Learn how to convert YouTube videos to FLAC losslessly in 2025. Compare free online tools & paid converters like NoteBurner. Includes playback tips for Windows/Mac/USB.
