# What is the difference between MP3 and WAV?

WAV is the full, uncompressed audio — big files, nothing thrown away. MP3 is compressed by discarding detail people are unlikely to hear — much smaller files, and what you actually publish. A higher bitrate (320k versus 128k) means less was discarded.

![WAV keeps everything and is roughly fifteen times larger; it is what you hand on when more work is coming. MP3 discards detail you are unlikely to hear and is what you publish, because every platform re-encodes anyway.](https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs-media/diagrams/mp3-vs-wav.svg)

Publish MP3: every podcast platform re-encodes anyway, and a 320k MP3 is transparent to almost everyone. Keep or hand over WAV when the audio has more work coming — mastering, video, an archive — because each round of MP3 compression loses a little more.

## Related

- [How do I export my episode as an MP3 or WAV?](https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/export-audio)
- [Why can't I download a WAV file?](https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/cant-export-wav)

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Source: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/mp3-vs-wav · Cast docs
Last updated: 2026-09-14