fre:ac Audio Converter and CD Ripper: Free Download
fre:ac 1.1.7 · for Windows, macOS and Linux
Developer: Robert Kausch (opens in a new tab)
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
The download link points to the program’s official source; the file is not hosted on this site. Link address: freac.org
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fre:ac is a free, open-source audio converter and CD ripper by Robert Kausch. The current version is 1.1.7; it runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Haiku.
Old audio CDs, a box of WMA files from an early music player or a FLAC collection that will not fit on your phone: fre:ac handles all of these without fuss.
Highlights
- Converts freely: Moves between MP3, M4A/AAC, FLAC, WMA, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Monkey’s Audio, WAV and other formats in any combination.
- CD ripper: Rips audio CDs to any supported format and looks up track names in the CDDB/GNUdb online database, so you do not type them yourself.
- Whole libraries: Converts an entire music collection while keeping the folder and file name structure.
- Multi-core encoders: The MP3, AAC, Opus and Speex encoders use several processor cores to speed things up.
Version 1.1.7 added a tool for splitting output into multiple files by duration, number of files or metadata, along with dithering and a volume adjustment filter.
Download options
- The Download button opens the downloads page on freac.org.
- Windows: Choose the installer or the ZIP package for 64-bit, 32-bit or Arm systems. fre:ac is also listed in the Microsoft Store.
- macOS: DMG images are provided.
- Linux: AppImage packages are available, and the program is also offered through Flathub.
Getting started
Drag your files into the job list, or insert a CD and let fre:ac read the track list. Choose an encoder and an output folder, then click start. For phones and portable players, MP3 and AAC are the safest choices; for archiving, FLAC keeps the full quality.
The program is free with no adware; the project relies on donations to keep development going.
Pros
- Converts between all major audio formats
- Built-in CD ripper with online track lookup
- Portable ZIP edition for Windows
Cons
- Releases are infrequent
- The interface looks dated
Frequently Asked Questions
Does fre:ac fill in song titles when ripping a CD?
Yes. It queries the CDDB/GNUdb online database for artist and title information and writes it into the file tags.
Is there a portable version of fre:ac for Windows?
Yes. Besides the installer, ZIP packages are offered that you can extract and run without installing.
fre:acOpen source
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