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fre:ac
What it is
fre:ac is free, open-source software for converting audio and ripping CDs. It converts among MP3, M4A/AAC, FLAC, WMA, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, WAV, and other formats. Its integrated CD ripper saves audio CDs in supported formats and can query CDDB/GNUdb-compatible databases for artist and title information, writing results to ID3v2 or other tags. Whole music libraries can be converted while retaining folder and filename structure. Unicode tags and filenames support scripts including Japanese, Cyrillic, Arabic, and Indian writing systems. MP3, M4A/AAC, Opus, and Speex encoders use multicore CPUs. The application can run from a USB stick or external drive with configuration stored there. Supported systems include Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and Haiku, with an interface available in 43 languages. Gracenote CDDB support is unavailable because of licensing issues. The software has no adware and does not collect personal information.
For and against
For
- Converts many audio formats
- Rips CDs with metadata lookup
- Batch-converts libraries while preserving structure
- Supports Unicode tags and filenames
- Runs from USB or external drives
Against
- Gracenote CDDB support is unavailable
- Metadata queries can transfer data online
- No cloud conversion
The verdict
fre:ac combines format conversion, CD ripping, metadata handling, and portable operation in a free package. Its database limitation matters if your workflow depends on Gracenote specifically.
Who it suits
It suits people converting varied audio collections, ripping CDs, or preserving library organization. Portable users and multilingual workflows are also supported.
Plans and prices
fre:ac
Free and open source · no adware
Read 29 Sep 2026 · freac.org
On the record
- Audio conversion
- fre:ac converts between MP3, M4A/AAC, FLAC, WMA, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, WAV and other formats.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- CD database limit
- fre:ac supports freedb-compatible databases; its FAQ says Gracenote CDDB support is unavailable due to licensing issues.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- CD ripping
- Its integrated CD ripper converts audio CDs to files in the formats supported for regular audio conversion.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Distribution
- The maker offers Windows installers and ZIP packages, macOS disk images, and Linux Snap, Flatpak and AppImage packages.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Languages
- The user interface is available in 43 languages, and the maker says it can be translated using the included smooth Translator utility.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Library conversion
- fre:ac can convert whole music libraries while retaining their folder and filename structure.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Metadata lookup
- The CD ripper can query the CDDB/GNUdb online database for artist and title information and write it to ID3v2 or other title tags.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Multicore encoding
- The integrated MP3, M4A/AAC, Opus and Speex encoders use multicore CPUs.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Portable use
- The application can be installed on a USB stick or external drive and store its configuration files there.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Privacy
- The privacy policy says the software does not collect personal information and describes data transfers for querying or submitting CD metadata to a configurable online database.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to its GitHub Discussions area for questions and ideas, and lists issue reporting by GitHub issue tracker or email.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Supported systems
- The maker lists Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Haiku as supported operating systems.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Unicode
- fre:ac supports Unicode tags and filenames, including scripts such as Japanese, Cyrillic, Arabic and Indian scripts.freac.org · read 29 Sep 2026
