OGG vs MP3
| Property | OGG | MP3 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ogg (Vorbis or Opus audio) | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III |
| File extensions | .ogg, .oga | .mp3 |
| Created by | Xiph.Org Foundation | Fraunhofer IIS and MPEG |
| Introduced | 2002 (Vorbis 1.0) | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
| Codecs inside | Vorbis or Opus | MP3, usually 128–320 kbps |
| Typical size | — | About 1 MB per minute at 128 kbps, 2.4 MB at 320 kbps |
| Opens on | Browsers, Android, VLC and games; many iPhone apps, car stereos and editors do not | Every phone, computer, car stereo, speaker and app |
| Best for | Games, open-source apps and voice messages | Music and podcasts that must play anywhere |
Why convert OGG to MP3?
OGG is a container from the Xiph.Org Foundation. Most .ogg files hold either Vorbis audio, common in games, Wikipedia and open-source apps, or Opus, used by voice messages in WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. Android and browsers play both, but iTunes, Apple Music, many editors and car stereos do not.
The converter detects which codec is inside and decodes it. For voice messages, a mono MP3 at 64–96 kbps is clear and small; the original Opus is so efficient that the MP3 will often be larger even then. For music, use 192 kbps or more so the second round of lossy compression is not audible.
Files that end in .opus are the same kind of Ogg Opus audio; see Opus to MP3. To keep Ogg but change the bitrate, or to convert to M4A or WAV, use the full Audio Converter.